American Stage is proud to launch our commitment to 21st Century Voices with a New Play Festival featuring live staged readings of four new plays from four exceptional up-and-coming playwrights from Tampa Bay and beyond.
A committee comprised of a diverse cross-section of community members worked with our producing artistic director to read, evaluate and discuss hundreds of new play submissions from all over the United States. The selected works will be featured in staged readings and workshops and will provide audiences the opportunity to contribute to the plays’ development through audience talk-backs following each play reading.
Individual Tickets: $10 per reading
All-Access Pass: $30 General Public | $20 American Stage Subscribers & Act 1 Club Members
Sponsored by Rebecca & Michael Alford and Susan & Pete Greenbaum
Rise of the Prickly Pear
By Radha S. Menon
Rise Of The Prickly Pear is about love and betrayal, set in 1958 Santiago De Cuba and 1980 Miami. Che Guevara and his ‘bearded ones’ are holed up in the Sierra Maestra fighting a bitter battle as revolution grips the nation in a dire struggle against American imperialism, while two local women battle each other and bust up over love.
Twenty years later these women reunite in Miami and must face each other and get to grips with the past.This play arose from curiosity and bloomed into an exploration of the illusive nature of beauty and a study into humanity’s ingenious knack of reinvention after betrayal has obliterated one’s status quo.
Director – Erica Sutherlin
Assistant Stage Manager/The General – Matt Acquard
Futuro – Nick Hoop
Marianna – Isabel Natera
Hermosita – Jessy Julianna Quinones
Pedro – Joe Parra
Ramon – David Valdez
Isabel Natera 