Cut Edge Collective
The Cut Edge Collective meets at ART-NY on 8th Avenue in the heart of midtown Manhattan to hear new work and discuss the plays. After hearing the new work, read by professional actors from our Collective of actors, we ask what people were warm about; what they might have been about, or which parts they “fell out”; then we ask rhetorical questions of the playwright (who is not invited to respond, just note down the questions) and finally, we ask the writer if he/she/they has any questions for the audience.
Then, we head into the night to find a welcoming locale to share a drink and bite, and continue the conversation.
Cut Edge actors prepare to read a new play
Cut Edge playwrights prepare to hear a new play
Cut Edge Collective 10-minute Play Festival
Every year in February, we hold a ten-minute play festival at The Tank, 312 W. 36th Street, to highlight what our writers have been thinking about and working on. We present the work over three evenings, with each playwright getting two productions of their plays.
Who We Are and What We Do
Founded by playwrights Tom Block and Kevin Kautzman in New York City in 2020, Cut Edge opens a space for non-traditional theater — theater which departs from and challenges historical conventions and contemporary aesthetics in some manner.
We are a yearly collective of experimental theatre writers in New York City, chosen from a growing number of interested writers looking for a home to work on and present their non-traditional work. Our writers create work that pushes at the boundaries of normative theater in some way.
We meet twice monthly: once in person to workshop freshly-minted plays, and once via Zoom for a salon on subjects pertaining to experimental writing for performance. Subject matter for salons has included the fungibility of time; what is “cutting edge” in an era which seems to offer no creative boundaries; mysticism in the theater; novel gender roles onstage; non-linear narrative structure; building theater without any narrative at all and many other issues of concern to the non-traditional playwright.
MEET SOME OF THE PLAYWRIGHTS AND ACTORS HERE
Welcome to our 2023 Playwriting Cohort
Tom Block
Lauren D’Errico
Sarah Feingold
David Hanson
Paul Hufker
Nathaniel Johnson
Ben Jones
Lisa Kimball
Al Lefcowitz
Monte Monteleagre
Elise Wein
From Our Writers
“Quick question – is this the best group ever? 🙂 Thanks, again, for yesterday’s reading. Actors, you are all fantastic and brought so much life and humor to my words. And everyone, you gave me so many notes and ideas to consider. My producer friend [producer of Sweeney Todd on Broadway] wrote me the nicest email. She’s going to make some introductions. Eee :)”
– Sarah Feingold
“Being a part of a group interested in stretching the fabric of theater to the near breaking point has helped me grow as an artist as well as introduce me to new theories and approaches to playwriting.”
– Libby Heily
“Our cohort of writers leaves me continually inspired to think critically about the many containers available to tell stories. The work we do at Cut/Edge brings together artists with wildly different goals and lived experiences, but always brings me back to the joys and practicalities of experimental performance work.”
– Sophia Valera Heinecke
“I thank you for your hard work. I woke this morning thinking that’s one of the best cold readings I have ever had for any of my plays. A key reason for my satisfaction was that, after you settled into the language, I forgot that it was my play and I just traveled with it.”
– Al Lefcowitz
Past NYC Playwrights have included:
Tom Block, Founder, 2020-present
Kevin Kautzman, Founder, 2020, 2021
Zizi Azah 2020, 2021
James Bosley 2022
Brynn Hambley 2021, 2022
Libby Heily 2021, 2022
Sophia Heinecke 2020, 2021
William Hugel 2020
Nick Jonczak 2021, 2022
Matthew Macca 2020
Grayson May 2021
Monte Monteleagre 2020 – present
Gregg Nanni 2022
Serena Norr 2021, 2022
Judah Skoff 2020, 2021, 2022
Brett Wolfe 2022
John Zoitos 2021