Actors & Playwrights Collaborative is a group of like-minded actors, directors, and playwrights dedicated to the development of new scripts and to the production of new stage works.
Our most recent workshop production was Evening with Stephen Crane August 24-25, 2018 at Manhattan Repertory Theatre, New York, NY. Soldier’s Christmas was produced Dec. 12-21, 2014 at Northern Kentucky University’s Corbett Theatre.
Actors & Playwrights Collaborative was founded by Philip Paradis in 2008 to provide an incubator for new plays. In 2009 Phil partnered with Herb DuVal to present the wildly successful Cincinnati Spring Briefs Festival at the PermaFringe on Main St. in Cincinnati in April. Six brand new short plays (comedy and drama) were presented featuring the amazing talents of Mindy Heithaus, Jim Stump, Mike Dennis, Don Volpenhein, Dan Britt, Jeffrey K. Miller, Jay Goldfarb, Stephanie Freihofer, and Dan Parsley.
In 2008 Phil working with award-winning actor & acting coach Bob G. Elkins developed the scope of A&PC, involving interested actors, directors, and playwrights in ongoing developmental readings and workshops. The A&PC workshops and readings were held at Bob’s Howling Wolf actors Studio at the Essex Studios in Cincinnati and remained there some years under the radar helping actors to develop their skills and a few lucky playwrights to develop their scripts.
In 2011 Bob G.’s studio moved to Sharonville, OH and Phil teamed up with award-winning actor and director Robert Allen and Elizabeth A. Harris, founders of the Essex Theatre Arts Studio to further develop scripts and eventually present the same year a studio production of what would become Love Knots (a love-fest of short plays), and would go on cause a sensation at the 2012 CincyFringe. Love Knots was directed by Bob Allen and featured the awesome acting talents of Paul Eisenman, Ryan Fissel, Mindy Heithaus, Marisa Holzman, Connor Lawrence, Madeline McKenzie, Barbara Manning, Tom Manning, Rachel Mock, Callie Schuttera, Nick Tsangaris, Sarah Vargo, Nathan Wallace, Anne Wrider, and Trey Wright.
Since 2012 actor/ director/dramaturg Bob Allen has been working closely with Phil on several short scripts and longer full-length plays: Soldier’s Christmas, Evening with Stephen Crane, When New York Was Young, and North Country Holiday. With the close of ETAS, Actors & Playwrights was invited by the Fort Thomas Woman’s Club to set up shop with the Village Players of Fort Thomas, KY, where Saturday morning workshops continued for two years.
“The goal from the beginning,” says Phil, “has always been to get actors, directors, and playwrights together to read scripts-in-progress and to share insights, collaborate, stimulate and challenge each other in a respectful, rigorous yet encouraging and productive setting. An informal drop-in on Saturday mornings with like-minded people. I think we’ve been successful judging from the number of scripts that have gone on to some form of production.”
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