Opening the Box

Opening the Box: Play Development Series

Opening the Box offers local playwrights an opportunity to develop a stronger sense of their voice, refine and expand their vision for their play, and produce a finished script. This individualized mentorship puts the writer at center stage with a focus on early dramaturgical work, two rehearsals, a produced script-in-hand reading, and a moderated discussion with an audience. By connecting new works to live public audiences, playwrights discover whether or not their script is telling the story they intend to tell and to make revisions every step of the way as they move forward. Eligibility: Writers residing in the six-county Greater Rochester area are selected by invitation. Producers/Mentors: Jean Gordon Ryon and Alexa Scott-Flaherty Questions or concerns: Please contact Chris Fanning at [email protected].

Jean Gordon Ryon

Jean Gordon Ryon served as New Plays Coordinator at Geva Theatre Center, where she produced the Regional Writers Showcase and the Young Writers Showcase. She was dramaturg for many plays, including 1776, John Bull’s Other Island, That Was Then, The Clean House, Almost Maine, The Music Man, Company, The 39 Steps, Wait Until Dark, Little Shop of Horrors, and A Christmas Carol. She has directed plays for Blackfriars, JCC’s CenterStage, RCP’s Irish Players, and RCP’s Shakespeare Players. Ms. Ryon is also the Artistic Director of The Geriactors, a traveling troupe of mature actors. She holds a degree in drama from Tufts University and a masters degree in Arts Administration from Goucher College.

Alexa Scott-Flaherty

Alexa Scott-is an actress, director, producer, and teacher. A proud member of Labyrinth Theatre Company in New York City, she works locally at Blackfriars, Geva Theatre Center, and The JCC Centerstage. She has worked as an actress in New York City at The Public Theatre, SoHo Rep, and PS 122; with the Royal Shakespeare Company of London; and The Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, D.C. Alexa is a visiting lecturer in the Department of Performing Arts at the Rochester Institute of Technology; serves on the Key Bank Rochester Fringe Festival’s Board of Directors; and is an ensemble member of Impact Interactive LLC, a unique theater-based training company in Rochester. Alexa has been teaching at the Writers & Books for over a dozen years.