New Works Initiative
As part of Ole Miss Theatre’s New Works Initiative, we will be producing a staged reading of Gloria by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who is an up-and-coming Brooklyn-based playwright and the first recipient of Ole Miss Theatre’s Playwright Initiative Grant. In addition to having Branden in residency at Ole Miss during the staged reading process, the Theatre Arts Department has lined up Broadway director Evan Cabnet to direct the reading. Branden and Evan have been working together to develop Gloria, and Evan is slated to direct an Off-Broadway production of Gloria at The Vineyard Theatre early next year.
The New Works Initiative was created last year to expose our students and the University community to new artists in the field of theatre and to provide support for the development of new work. As the first Guest Playwright of The Initiative, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins has set the bar high for future playwrights as his work has been seen at some of the leading theatres in America and around the world including The Public Theater, The Vineyard Theatre, The Actors Theatre of Louisville, and the National Theatre in London.
Gloria is a new play in development, and audience members that attend the Friday, March 21, 2014 staged reading will have a unique opportunity to participate in a talk-back session with Branden and Evan after the performance that will influence its further development. The play is set at a famous New York magazine where ambition is everywhere – from the fact-checkers to the editorial assistants. Everyone wants a book deal of their own, ideally before they turn thirty. But when a day in the office leaves their lives changed forever, the stakes for who gets to tell their own story become higher than ever.