Awarding theater achievement

What better way to start the Pacific Playwright’s Festival Friday at South Coast Repertory than to have its artistic directors presented with a prestigious national award the night before?

In a ceremony at 6 tonight, David Emmes and Martin Benson will be awarded the 2007-08 Margo Jones Medal for their achievements in pioneering the living theater.

South Coast Repertory was founded by the pair, who over the years the theater presented Pulitzer-winning works including Margaret Edson’s “Wit,” and “Rabbit Hole,” by David Lindsay-Abaire.

The medal, presented by the Ohio State University Libraries and College of the Arts, is given to honor “those who have demonstrated a significant impact, understanding and affirmation of the craft of playwriting, and who have encouraged the living theater everywhere.”

The 11th annual Pacific Playwright’s Festival at South Coast Repertory will present seven new plays in three formats: two fully staged, world-premiere productions, four staged readings and one workshop directed by Emmes.

Tony Award-winner Richard Greenberg’s new play, “The Injured Party,” opened several weeks ago and will anchor the weekend’s schedule along with “Six Feet Under” writer Kate Robin’s “What They Have,” which will end its run at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on the Segerstrom Stage.

Lynn Nottage, winner of the 2004 New York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play for “Intimate Apparel,” will unveil her latest work, “By The Way, Meet Vera Stark.”

The three rising young writers are Sharr White, John Kolvenbach and Lauren Gunderson. Kolvenbach’s “Goldfish” was presented earlier this year as part of the repertory’s NewScript Series, then picked up as an entry in this year’s festival.

Festival co-director John Glore described preparing for the festival as “a combination of exciting and incredibly hectic,” with a lot for theater lovers to choose from.

“We all feel this festival offers a strong lineup of plays, and it will be hard to figure out what to produce. We’ll be facing some hard choices after the festival,” Glore said.

Glore also acts as dramaturg, the person who works alongside writers to help develop their work for the stage. He said it’s very similar to the role an editor plays with a novel.

“We’re there to facilitate the rewriting by asking probing questions and helping to realize the playwright’s intention to the best possible degree,” Glore said.

Choosing what to see often depends on what type of format theatergoers are interested in.

The staged readings require audience members to utilize their imaginations more, Glore said, since there are no props, costumes or lighting to enhance performances.

“Audience members supply those elements, so there’s more active participation, and in reality some plays work better in readings.”

It’s also easier to get more well-known actors for the staged readings since the time commitment is shorter, Glore said, and while it isn’t guaranteed, often that person can be persuaded to reprise their role if the reading is selected to become a fully staged production.

“We lured Gregory Itzin here for the reading of ‘Shipwrecked’ and then it was easier to get him when we cast ‘Shipwrecked’ as a full production,” Glore said.

Several well-known actors and actresses including Kathy Baker and Robert Foxworth are on the roster this year, although Glore is quick to point out what’s important to festival organizers is the content of the material and the playwrights.

“We don’t cast stars for the sake of casting stars. If we cast an actor with some recognition, that’s a bonus,” Glore said.

Foxworth is one of the actors in “Sunlight,” the workshop production written by White and directed by Emmes about a charismatic college president who thrives on controversy.

A workshop is one or two steps from a full production, Glore explained, with a four-week rehearsal schedule and ample time for rewrites. Not to mention having Emmes at the helm.

“The advantage of having David direct is that he’s fully aware of all the practical parameters in the theater itself, since he’s directed in that space many times,” Glore said.

Glore believes the five works in this year’s festival represent a good balance in content and variety, and he wants members of the community to know that the festival is as much for local theatergoers who like to see new plays as it is for the out-of-town audience it brings in.

“The most important thing is to have the five best plays available to share with colleagues from around the country and the community.”

“At the Festival, people are drawn by the excitement of encountering new plays,” Glore said.

WHAT: 11th Annual Pacific Playwright’s Festival

WHEN: Friday through Sunday

WHERE: South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa

COST: $12 for staged readings, $20 for workshop production of “Starlight” and $31 to $62 for fully-staged productions of “What They Have” and “The Injured Party”

INFO: Call (714) 708-5555 or go to www.scr.org