I’ve been a theater geek since I was eight years old. Unfortunately, I spent my first semester in college as a discouraged theater performance major. Instead of memorizing scripts, my classmates and I were required to memorize the various types of tools, hardware, paint and wood we then used to build sets for the theater department productions. I changed my major the following semester, but I’ve continued to read the works of contemporary American playwrights like Neil LaBute, David Mamet, Christopher Durang and Eric Bogosian, to name a few of my favorites. And, I’ve continued to support the efforts of St. Pete's scant few theater companies.
Although garnering well-deserved recognition as a top arts destination, St. Petersburg is definitely lagging behind Tampa’s vibrant theater scene. With the recent addition of FreeFall Theater, St. Petersburg is now home to only three theater companies, including American Stage and the [email protected]
Perhaps a call for new talent will be a shot in the arm for our local theater scene? Recently, I found out that St. Petersburg-based [email protected] has partnered with New Roots News to sponsor the inaugural Next Great Play playwriting competition. I think the grand prize is attractive: a world premiere in the [email protected]’s 2012-13 theater season, and the [email protected] standard playwriting fee.