College of Saint Mary announces New Works Initiative one-act winner Glass Slippers
OMAHA, Neb. – College of Saint Mary (CSM) is pleased to announce the winner of its New Works Initiative call for original one-act play scripts: Glass Slippers by Quinn D. Eli. As part of its selection, Glass Slippers will be performed in a staged reading and the focus of a workshop in early May. The playwright will be on CSM’s campus for both of those events.
“It’s absolutely thrilling to announce the first winner of the newly established call for original one-acts through the CSM New Works Initiative,” said Sarah Klocke, director of theatre and communications at CSM. “This annual event will facilitate student engagement with theatre professionals and promote empowerment through public speaking and performance.”
Glass Slippers tells the story of Abigail, a newly-promoted TV executive who is frantically searching for a cast for her show The Cinderella Chronicles, and Cynthia, an underappreciated temporary worker assigned to work for the show. Like the fairy tale character Cinderella, both women struggle with insecurities and often lose themselves in a vain attempt to please everyone. Their interactions with each other and confrontations with the potential cast for the show ultimately help them to realize their self-worth and capabilities and achieve their own version of “happily ever after”.
Quinn D. Eli will be on campus for all the events relating to the play. A panel discussion with local theatre artists promoting original works will be held on Thursday, May 7th from noon - 1 p.m. in Hillmer Art Gallery. Then a staged reading of Glass Slippers, performed by the CSM community, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on May 8th in Warde Conference Center. A “talkback” session with the playwright, cast, and director will take place immediately following the performance.
In addition to these events, Glass Slippers will be published in the 2019-20 edition of the Saint Mary’s Review, CSM’s literary magazine.
“This is a huge honor,” said Quinn D. Eli. “My daughter attends a similar institution, so I know firsthand that plays with strong roles for young women can be tough to find, especially ones that celebrate the values and priorities of places like CSM. I’m really looking forward to visiting campus and sharing Glass Slippers with the community.”
Eli’s short plays have appeared in Best American Ten-Minute Plays and been produced throughout the country. His longer works include In Common, Chasing Waves, and HOT BLACK/ASIAN ACTION. Eli teaches in the theater program at the Community College of Philadelphia and has served as a playwright-in-residence at Philadelphia’s historic Plays and Players Theatre. He’s a two-time recipient of Fellowships in Literature from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Eli currently resides in Philadelphia.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, please contact Sarah Klocke, director of theatre and communications, at 402-399-2619 or SKlocke [at] csm.edu.
