Writers Who Have Participated in Geva’s New Play Development and/or Productions 1996-2008:

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“To find a theater that is committed to new plays is rare enough; to find one that backs up that commitment not only with in-depth development but full-scale production opportunities is stop-the-presses stuff. And to find one that does all that AND has significant resources of talent and infrastructure feels positively luxurious. I've worked in a variety of play-development contexts and the work I had the pleasure and privilege of doing with Geva stands apart in its artistic quality, its smooth professionalism, and its quotient of plain ol' collegial good times. If Geva invited me again to work on a play with them I'd drop everything to be on the next flight to Rochester. And if Geva invited me to come sweep up the offices you'd still have to work pretty hard to talk me out of it.”

Eric Pfeffinger (Lost and Foundling, developed in Hibernatus Interruptus and given its premiere production in The Nextstage, co-produced with Childsplay in Arizona)

“Geva Theatre Center is a rare friend to new plays and their writers. That friendship extends beyond the designated workshop time or production -- it means attention is paid to the process over the long haul. One of the most impressive and moving things about Geva's commitment to new plays is their commitment to process, and their acknowledgment that every play must have its own peculiar and evolving process, that one size does not fit all, and that beauty is strange and slow, bright and fast, excruciating and unpredictable. There's nothing "cookie-cutter" about the process at Geva, nothing stale, nothing that resembles an assembly line. It's all about the moment at hand, all about helping the writer imagine what he/she might need, and most of all -- all about the play. It finally comes down to this: my work is better because of my time spent at Geva.”

James Still (Iron Kisses, developed in Hibernatus Interruptus and given premiere production in The Nextstage)

“To feel safe and creative, to allow the play to become what it wants to be, writers require virtuosic dramaturgs who can sing in every register. Sometimes we need a soprano's enthusiasm, sometimes an alto's patience; sometimes we need a tenor's tough questions, and sometimes a baritone so deep it is the sound of silence. That's what I've experienced at the Geva: an entire chorus of dramaturgical insight that has done nothing but hone my craft.”

Eisa Davis (Paper Armor, developed in Hibernatus Interruptus; The History of Light, current commission from Geva)