Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre Announces Third Annual Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright's Festival

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The third annual festival will feature staged readings of three new plays at Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston.

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Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre has announced the return of the Annual Gloria Bond Clunie Playwright's Festival for a third year. This festival will take place over two weekends (July 10th-12th and July 17th-19th) at FJT's home, the Noyes Cultural Arts Center at 927 Noyes St. in Evanston.

The first weekend will be for the playwrights to connect with each other and spend uninterrupted time developing their play with a team of directors and actors. The second weekend will offer rehearsal time with their team, culminating in a public staged reading for each of the three plays chosen from 70 entries this year. In keeping with FJT's mission statement, our plays speak to the Black American experience and explore African Diaspora-centered storytelling. Audiences will have an opportunity to participate in a post-reading conversation after each performance.

The festival will feature these three new plays in development. There will be a double bill of two short one-act plays – BLACK ENOUGH and VISITATION – on Saturday, July 18. The full-length play MISS SPENCE'S PLAY will be performed on Sunday, July 19.

by Beckett Thompson Directed by Lip Lewis Saturday, July 18th at 5:00PM

by Caitlin Frazier Directed by Faramade F. Oladapo Saturday, July 18th at 7:00PM

by Annie Janeiro Randall Directed by Rashaad Bond Sunday, July 19th at 3:00PM Tickets $15.00

This new play development initiative honors the incredible career and legacy of Gloria Bond Clunie, the founder of Fleetwood-Jourdain. She is also a founding member of the Playwriting Ensemble at Victory Gardens Theater where she premiered her plays NORTH STAR, SHOES, and LIVING GREEN. Her work as a theater artist and educator has been recognized by the NAACP, the Joseph Jefferson Awards, Chicago Black Theatre Alliance Awards, and Evanston Mayor's Award for the Arts, among many others.

The festival producers are Taria Michelle Abram and Eileen Tull and Tim Rhoze is Artistic Director of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/GLORIA-BOND-CLUNIE-PLAYWRIGHTS-FESTIVAL-to-Return-to-Fleetwood-Jourdain-Theatre-20260625)._