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Life, Death, and Ethnic Representation: New Plays Dive Deep

Two of the four playwrights featured during the annual Ashland New Plays Festival at Southern Oregon University October 16-20 are Novid Parsi (The Life You Gave Me) and Keiko Green (You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World). They join host, Vanessa Finney, on The Creative Way.

The Life You Gave Me depicts a son's attempt to extricate his mother from an abusive marriage. He faces two challenges: the mother’s own reluctance to leave, and two theater gatekeepers who critique the playwright’s representation of a Middle Eastern family. You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World connects the terminal illnesses of Earth and one man.

Founded in 1992 and managed by a volunteer board of directors, Ashland New Plays Festival is a nonprofit theatre that encourages playwrights in the creation of new works through public readings. It also offers an educational forum to the community through discussions and workshops. The international playwright competition culminates in the reading of four new plays chosen by a team of volunteer readers from hundreds of submissions. Staged readings feature professional actors from Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Southern Oregon University’s Theatre Department, the local community, and regional theatre hot spots.

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Vanessa Finney hosts <i>All Things Considered</i> on JPR and produces two segments for The Jefferson Exchange: <i>My Better Half</i> and <i>The Creative Way</i>.