Champion of new plays

Once upon a time it was Louisville. For a moment in the 80s, there was an opportunity for Portland to emerge as champion. Now it appears to be Denver. New plays gravitate to where an artistic director with vision gives playwrights more than the token staged reading which has become the mainstay of "supporting new work." The theater world needs more Kent Thompsons.

clipped from www.npr.org Enter New Playwrights, Stage Left, in Denver by Elizabeth Blair Weekend Edition Saturday, April 18, 2008 · During Kent Thompson's three years as artistic director, Colorado's Denver Center Theatre Company has become one of a handful of regional theaters regularly staging full-fledged productions of new work. When Thompson took the position, he had two goals: to serve the local community and to develop new plays. "What Kent's doing is extraordinary, because so many plays get workshopped to death," says Herendeen. "They get read and read, but they hardly ever get full productions." Thompson admits that the traditional subscription audience of any regional theater isn't always open to new plays by writers they've never heard of. But so far in Denver, ticket sales are holding steady, and, besides, Thompson thinks hiring new writers is worth the risk.