Description:

The Purple Crayon Players - a Northwestern University group recognized by the American Alliance for Theatre Education as the "Winifred Ward Outstanding New Children's Theatre" - is seeking an assistant director and/or dramaturg for a staged-reading of Wave Goodbye, by Talya Kingston, premiering at the 12th Annual PLAYground Festival of Fresh Works!

PLAYground is Purple Crayon Player's annual, international festival of new works for young audiences. Directors/dramaturgs have the opportunity to partner with professional playwrights as they develop their new TYA scripts, whether it's the work's first reading or its final workshop before publication/production. After a collaborative 15 hour rehearsal process with flexible scheduling, we present these fresh works in a week of workshops, staged-readings, and post-show discussions.

Due to the new COVID world we're living in, this year's festival will be entirely remote, which allows us to connect and engage with audiences our in-person festival would never have been able to reach! Not only do we hope to reach a much wider scope of young adult audience members, but the festival will also include feedback from TYA professionals: a great way to connect with the industry!

Wave Goodbye premieres October 17th. It is of the utmost importance that the integrity of these characters and this story is protected and respected. As such we are specifically looking for an assistant director and/or dramaturg with an ethnic identity that resonates with those portrayed in the show. See below for a synopsis:

Wave Goodbye, by Talya Kingston
Directed by Susie McCollum
Byrony and Celeste have grown up on the shores of an atoll nation in the South Pacific. While they appreciate the island's beauty, they are growing frustrated by its limitations. As a storm approaches, the girls are pulled between their understanding of the science of climate change and local custom. However, the wave they meet is like them: afraid and angry. Meeting the wave forces Celeste to confront her private grief at the loss of her mother, and inspires Byrony to speak up publicly, carrying her all the way to the 2015 signing of the United Nations Climate Accord in Paris.