The Alliance Theatre is continuing their annual tradition of premiering an Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition Award-winning new play this month.
The 18th competition winner Dream Hou$e by Eliana Pipes will have its fully-staged staging on the Hertz Stage at Alliance Theatre (1280 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309) Jan 28 – Feb 13, 2022. Opening night is Wednesday, February 2, 7:30 p.m., and a filmed version of Dream Hou$e will also be available to stream online February 11 – 27, 2022, on the Alliance’s website.
About Dream Hou$e
Dream Hou$e follows two Latina sisters who go on an HGTV-style reality show to sell their family home, hoping to capitalize on the gentrification happening in their “changing neighborhood.” As they perform for the camera, one sister grapples with turmoil in the family’s ancestral past while the other learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the family’s future. What is the cultural cost of progress in America — and is cashing in always selling out?
A Triple Co-Production
Dream Hou$e is being produced as a co-production with Baltimore Center Stage in Maryland and Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut. When asked by Encore Atlanta’s Sally Henry Fuller about the development of the play, Pipes stated, “The triple co-production started with winning the Alliance/Kendeda Competition, which was such a dream for me because I remember learning about the Alliance/Kendeda Competition in high school and putting it on my vision board of things to apply to one day, so it had been in my sights for a long time. Long Wharf Theatre did a reading of the play for their New Works Festival in 2020, and the artistic director of Baltimore Center Stage was on the selection committee for the Alliance/Kendeda Competition. Once the Alliance chose it as the competition’s winning play, the other two theaters jumped in to produce it as well.”
About the Dream Hou$e Cast
The cast of Dream Hou$e includes Darilyn Castillo (Hamilton) as Julia, Jacqueline Correa (Regional: The Crucible) as Patricia, Marianna McClellan (Stupid F*cking Bird) as Tessa, with Katie Gonzalez, Kenneth C. Lewis, Blake Lowe, and Shelby Woolridge as the Ensemble.
About the Dream Hou$e Creative Team
The creative team of Dream Hou$e is led by Director Laurie Woolery, the director of Public Works at New York’s The Public Theater, and includes Stephanie Osin Cohen (Scenic Designer), Haydee Zelideth (Costume Designer), Jason Lynch (Lighting Designer), Mark Holthusen (Projection Designer) and Paul James Prendergast (Sound Designer and Composer). Additional production support is provided by Jayson T. Waddell (Stage Manager), Alexis Woodard (Assoc. Director), Amanda Watkins (Line Producer), and Haylee Scott (COVID Coordinator).
About the Award
The Alliance/Kendeda National Graduate Playwriting Competition solicits plays from the leading MFA graduate programs in the United States and then conducts a rigorous selection process to find four finalists and one winning play. The winner receives a full production as part of the Alliance Theatre regular season. The winner and four finalists also receive development opportunities for their works including staged readings with industry professionals. A one-of-a-kind opportunity for emerging playwrights, the Competition transitions student playwrights to the world of professional theatre.
This production is generously supported by The Kendeda Fund for New Works. This production is supported in part by the BOLD Theater Women’s Leadership Circle. The community partner for Dream Hou$e is WE LOVE BUFORD HIGHWAY.
Tickets for Dream Hou$e
Tickets start at $25 and are available at the Alliance Theatre Box Office, by calling 404.733.4600, or online at www.alliancetheare.org/dreamhouse.
