Onion Man to Produce Collection of Short Plays

Each June for the past three years, Onion Man Productions has produced a collection of short plays by local playwrights at the Lionheart Theatre Company.

This year Onion Man Productions will present "Summer Harvest 2012," a new collection of 10-minute plays by local playwrights. This showcase gives playwrights the opportunity to be produced, while local actors and directors have the chance to work on original pieces.

Since January 2009, Onion Man has produced 33 new plays by Georgia playwrights, which resulted in 33 directing opportunities and 95 paid roles for actors. In addition, Onion Man has always performed staged readings of some of the submitted plays that do not make the show. All in all, every June is a rich harvest of talent and a treat for the Norcross community and the Atlanta theatre community.

But Onion Man Productions had to ask the question, who do we want to be on a year-round basis? Based on the experience that founder James Beck had while living in Chicago, it was clear that what the Atlanta theatre community needed was a more fertile field for creativity. More than yet another theatre company, what Atlanta needed was a theatre organization dedicated to providing opportunities for theatre artists from all backgrounds, or an "open door" where they could learn and grow. Whether performing on stage in shows, attending classes, or by participating in ongoing free and open programming, members of the local community, as well as current theatre artists, could find a creative home with Onion Man.

Therefore in 2011 Onion Man started the journey to becoming a well-rounded theatre arts education center while continuing to produce new plays annually. With the addition of some terrific talent like Programs Director--Joanie McElroy, Artistic Director--Daniel Carter Brown, Literary Manager--Daphne Mintz, and Director of Social Media and Marketing--Brandi Kilgore, who will work with James Beck as the Managing Director, the "open door" was created for the theatre community.

As 2012 begins, Onion Man has a home for classes and programs at the Norcross Garden Club located at 33 College Street, Norcross, GA 30071. This February, Onion Man will feature an Audition class taught by Daniel Carter Brown. Starting in March, Onion Man will also offer the first in a series of film classes, beginning with a screenwriting class and followed by an On-Camera acting class. All of the classes are affordably priced in the spirit of community outreach and participation.

Also, Onion Man hosts regularly scheduled, free events that the public is welcome to attend. A regular meeting of actors and playwrights called "Roots and Shoots" is held once a month, where writers are offered the chance to hear new works in progress read aloud by actors. Onion Man also hosts a reading of a new play on the "Second Saturday" of every other month.

In addition, Onion Man is always open to finding new ways to be a benefit to the local Norcross community, as well as the greater Atlanta theatre community.

For more information, about Onion Man Productions visit www.onionmanproductions.com. Onion Man can also be found on Facebook at facebook.com/onionmanproductions and on Twitter @OnionManNews