'Title Wave: New Works Festival' Brings Exciting Theater To Hamptons

SAG HARBOR, NY — Every exciting new Broadway debut or international smash musical begins with a writer who has a dream.

But every writer, emerging or world-renowned, needs a stage — and an audience — where new works can be unveiled, revised, and nurtured as they evolve.

At the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor the "Title Wave: New Works Festival," now in its 11th year, affords playwrights the chance to bring their stories to the stage and see them blossom with professional actors and directors — with astute audiences able to enjoy the shows at an affordable price.

This year's festival, comprised of four new plays in development and featuring staged readings and talk-back sessions after the shows, kicks off Monday at 7 p.m. with "Mister Halston," written by Raffaele Pacitti.

On Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m., "CURVY WIDOW: Owning It," by Bobby Goldman, debuts, with music and lyrics by Drew Brody.

On Monday, June 9 at 7 p.m. "Ajax," by Habib Yazdi, will be presented.

And on Friday, June 13 at 3 p.m. U.X. by Jason Gray Platt rounds up this year's performances.

Here's a look at the shows:

Mister Halston: "Mister Halston" is a one-person play exploring the life and times of famed American fashion designer Halston. "It traces his meteoric rise, stunning fame and ultimate fall set against a tumultuous, thrilling time in New York history," a description reads.

"CURVY WIDOW: Owning It:" "In this new vision of the hilarious sex-comedy musical, middle-aged Bobby finds herself alone in a penthouse she didn’t choose, living a life she didn’t choose. With the encouragement of her best friend, she throws caution to the wind to brave the internet and New York dating scenes in search of a new beginning and new version of herself."

Ajax: "It’s a hot summer in August, 1953, when a clean-cut American arrives at a peaceful villa in North Tehran. Kambiz, the villa’s gardener and pool boy, wonders if the new guest may be his ticket to a better life. As their friendship deepens, Kambiz finds himself entangled with the Shah of Iran and the country’s elected prime minister. How will it end? Only the pool knows."

U.X.: "A social media giant designs a virtual reality experience for racial sensitivity training with (obviously!) only the purest of intentions. The project quickly and hilariously gets out of hand, pitting the programmer against his own creation. When technological Utopianism meets the realities of race in America, what could possibly go wrong? Nothing, right?"

Tickets to all shows cost $15 and are available here.

Speaking with Patch, Bay Street Theater's Artistic Director Scott Schwartz described his vision for the festival. "One of the first things I did when I started at Bay Street 12 summers ago was my own analysis of the history of theater and the shows that seemed most popular. What I discovered was that, during the 20-plus years at Bay Street, it was new works that seemed to do best. I thought, 'This is an audience that's sophisticated, real theater-goers who want to experience new and fresh things. Let's create a whole festival around that."

Part of the reason for the festival, Schwartz said, was to discover works that might be produced at Bay Street. "You learn, by trying things out in front of an audience, what an audience sparks to, and what they find interesting and funny about a play or musical."

Seeing a performance live is much different than just reading a script, he said. Something that seems fabulous on the page might not resonate in the same way; that's why the live experience is critical to the process.

"With new works and new musicals, if you just keep at it and revising things, they can get better and better," he said. "That's also the point of the festival — giving writers an opportunity to see their plays performed by wonderful, professional actors and with professional directors, in front of smart audiences. They're going to learn from that and hopefully, their next draft will be even better, because they've learned from the experience what's working and what's not."

Indeed, works from the festival have gone on to be produced on stage, including "The Prompter," by Wade Dooley and "Double Helix," a musical, both saw their world premieres on the Bay Street stage; "Double Helix" now has Broadway producers looking to bring the show to wider audiences, Schwartz said.

Other shows that debuted at the festival have also soared: "The Roommate," by Jen Silverman, was presented during the festival's third season and went on to star Patti Lupone and Mia Farrow on Broadway. Another show, "Walden," was produced on London's West End and at the Second Stage Theater Off-Broadway.

"Any of the shows we've done in our festival that have gone on to be produced, they've all been revised, based on what's been learned. It's fun and it's interesting. Sometimes, I find plays and musicals, when done really simply — just actors going by instinct, with quite limited rehearsal, for the festival — there can be a kind of magic in it, this kind of alchemy that happens when something comes alive in such an exciting way. Sometimes, it's actually even better in this simple, stripped-down form. Asking the audience to use their imagination enlists the audience in the experience."

The readings, he added, are not just actors sitting at a table, they're staged, and audiences can see the full performance, albeit sans scenery and costumes.

Explaining how the open submission process works for the competition, Schwartz said it's publicized, on social media and on the website, in September. The number of plays accepted is limited to 300, and within 24 hours, all 300 have been received — so entrants should be mindful and watch social media for the entry date, he said.

That number is culled to between 8 to 10 finalists and then, the final four. In addition to the open submissions, formal submissions are also sent in year-round from agents and writers.

The goal, he said, is to pick the best work and create a festival that's "diverse in its voices. We just want people to feel, if they are coming to the whole festival, that they are seeing four very, very different versions of what theater can be," he said.

New this year, Schwartz said, is the presentation of the four shows over the month of June, rather than just during a weekend in May, as has been done in years' past. The New Works festival is running concurrent with the Mainstage production of "Bobby and Jean." "June becomes new works' month, and audiences can get this incredibly full experience of what theater can be right now," he said.

The most fulfilling part of the festival for Schwartz has been the ability to meet and experience an array of different writers at different points in their lives and careers — it's a special time when ongoing collaborations and friendships are forged, he said.

During uncertain times, theater must remain vibrant, Schwartz said. "It's important to continue what we're doing — telling stories. And continuing to entertain. I want Bay Street to be a place where you get entertained when you come as an audience member. It's deeply important, no matter what your political beliefs and strifes are — I want you to feel Bay Street is a place for you to have conversations, to hear new ideas and to enjoy the experience and the performance. Theater is not a threat. Theater is an opportunity for discussion, for new ideas — and it's also an opportunity just to come together, again and again. That's what we're trying to do at Bay Street."

Also fulfilling for both the playwrights and audiences are the talk-back sessions after each show. The audience can ask questions and share their feelings; the writers can learn what's working.

To any new writer hesitant to submit a piece, Schwartz said: "We can't be totally objective evaluators of ourselves or of our own work. We are more often more critical of ourselves than others. And, as the old saying goes, 'You've gotta be in it, to win it.' If you're going to write a play, eventually, people are going to have to see it live, so why not give it a shot? There's no harm. It's free — except maybe a little bit of bravery. Go for it! If your work gets picked, it can be a powerful experience. And it doesn't, maybe something will be, next year."

Schwartz urged audiences to attend the festival: "It's a very affordable way to experience exciting new voices and new ideas in theater. And it's something we can all do together, to give life to new artists and support new works for the stage."