![]() Festival Logo | |
Location | Shepherdstown, West Virginia, United States |
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Founded | 1991 |
Founded by | Ed Herendeen |
Type of play(s) | New American plays |
Festival date | July of each year |
Website | http://www.catf.org/ |
The Contemporary American Theater Festival (CATF) is an American annual professional theatre festival held at Shepherd University, located in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. According to the New York Times (in 2015), it is one of "50 essential summer festivals". [1] In 2016, Germany's World Guide identified the festival as one of the "Top 10 theatre festivals not to miss this summer". [2] A representative of the Theatre Communications Group in its publication American Theatre stated that "(CATF's) forward focus has helped ... change the American theatre conversation, bringing new voices and pressing topics to the stage ..." [3]
The Festival specializes in premieres and second or third productions of new plays, currently producing six plays each summer in rotating repertory.
A 2010 NPR segment stated: "For 20 years, in the oldest town in West Virginia, new plays have had a home and a loyal audience. The Contemporary American Theater Festival at Shepherd University is a dream for the writers of those plays." [4]
The festival was started in 1991 "on a wing and a prayer and a $90,000 budget" by producing director Ed Herendeen. [5] It was modeled after the Williamstown Theatre Festival, located in Williamstown, Massachusetts. [6] It has the goal of producing and developing new American theater, specifically plays that deal with contemporary issues and strive to challenge and entertain audiences. In addition to finding new scripts which could be either premieres or on a second/third production, the festival has also commissioned works since 1998. [7] Through the summer of 2013, the festival has produced 100 plays, by 73 American playwrights, including 37 world premieres, 9 of which were commissioned. [8] It had an operating budget for 2013 of $1 million. [8] In 2017 the New York Times picked it as "one of the top festivals in theater ... that we think you should see this spring and summer around the country". [9]
The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 caused officials to scrap the festival and defer to 2021.
Housed on the university's campus, the CATF uses three performance spaces. The first is the 416 seat Frank Center for the Arts Stage, a conventional proscenium performance space without a curtain. [10] The second is The Stanley C. and Shirley A. Marinoff Theater, a 180-seat flexible seating space, located in the recently completed Center For Contemporary Arts II(CCA II). [11] This space replaced the Studio Theater, an adapted space in Sara H Cree Hall. [12] The third space is a smaller adapted black box space in Room 112 of Center For Contemporary Arts I. [13] The CATF scene shop and costume shop are also located in the new CCA II.
The following is a complete list of the festival's productions. [25]
Production Notes
* world premiere
** world premiere; commissioned by CATF
^ National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere
+ staged reading
++ staged reading; commissioned by CATF
~ CATF Actors' Lab Workshop
The plays are professionally produced using the LORT D contract of the Actors' Equity Association (AEA). The festival operates under agreements from AEA, United Scenic Artists, and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. [34]
The festival is a member of the Theatre Communications Group. [35]
The festival is a member of the National New Play Network. [36]
Annually, CATF holds Hostel YOUTH! - a theater immersion program for young adults (ages 14–18) [37]
In 2013, the festival hosted the American Theatre Critics Association Annual Conference. [38] [39] [40]
In 2008, the first phase of the new Center for Contemporary Arts was dedicated. [41] Phase One houses the CATF administration offices and one of large studios has been adapted for a third performance space.
In 2013, Center for Contemporary Arts Phase Two opened, adding a 180-seat studio (black-box) theater as well as dressing room, scene shop and prop shop facilities. [10] [42] [43]
A future Phase Three will contain two 250-seat theaters, one thrust stage and one end-stage. [44]
In 2008, the festival had an economic impact of $2.1 million to the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia. [45]
In 2013, the festival brought $3 million of revenue to Shepherdstown, and attracted nearly 14,000 people — primarily from the D.C. region, but also from 30-plus states and various foreign countries. [19]
The Festival is a Blue Star Theatre - part of a collaboration between the Theatre Communications Group and Blue Star Families offering discounted admission to all military personnel and their families. [46]
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