Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama: The New Works Series is a weeklong run of new plays written by second-year dramatic writing MFA students. Split into a first and second series by semester, playwrights Gillian Durkee, Ryan Hudak, and Lauren Wimmer will see their works realized as productions this November.
New Works is an exciting opportunity for dramatic writing students to work with both undergraduate and graduate theater-makers — and each year, those collaborations yield exciting, unique results.
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I had a crew call unexpectedly cancelled this past Thursday, so I took my night off to go see some of the New Works, and it was well worth the trip. I saw The Death of Hayden Waverly, The Most Popular Person In The World and All Creatures, and I enjoyed both. All Creatures was a very interesting storyline, and although some of the plot and character behavior confused me at points, I thought it was very well preformed. Being there for the call back also helped me understand the play better. The Death of Hayden Waverly was amazing. As someone who is both still struggling with the grief from the death of a friend, and as someone who has "solitary citizen" tendencies, the themes and characters in this play were easy for me to relate to. More often than not, I fall into this cycle of thinking that I can't make friends, and I am bound to be a solitary citizen indefinitely. Naomi's character arc reminded me that I don't need to be "The Most Popular Person In The World" to be happy and to be myself. The last scene of the play had a huge emotional impact on me as an audience member. I am reminded that grief is something that people need to work through together, and it should not be dwelled and obsessed over. The dance party was the most impactful part of the show, and having the experience of watching this show will really stay with me forever. The playwright did a brilliant job of being comedic and satirical about depressing topics, and it was incredibly effective. I hope she is able to workshop and take this show further, as she hopes, because I believe this is a show that everyone should see if they have a chance.
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