Congratulations to Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence Edith Freni and Sewanee visiting assistant professor Elyzabeth Wilder! Both Sewanee playwrights were selected for Ensemble Studio Theatre and Radio Drama Network's 36th Marathon of One-Act Plays.

"Inspired by the format in which Tennessee Williams and Eugene O'Neill honed their craft, Ensemble Studio Theatre held the first Marathon in 1977 and has since premiered new work from David Mamet, Tina Howe, Julia Cho, Qui Nguyen, John Guare, and more."

Both Freni and Wilder will travel to New York City for the festival's production of their plays.

In Edith Freni's Female Beginner, on the night of an important fundraising dinner for her father's reelection campaign, 18-year-old "Golden Child" Amelia challenges the content of a speech she's been asked to give in his honor. Daddy insists she must do the speech as written but Amelia demands that they revise the ending. When she reveals her reasons for the last-minute change, Daddy is forced to justify the foundational myths of their family's local political dynasty or risk exposure.

In Elyzabeth Wilder's Santa Doesn't Come to the Holiday Inn, when Annie and Peter get stuck together in a hotel room, they try to keep the magic of Christmas alive for their daughter, despite their failed marriage.

Edith Freni is the current Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence at the University of the South. Elyzabeth Wilder spent three years as the Tennessee Williams Playwright-in-Residence at Sewanee, where she is now a visiting assistant professor of English. Both Freni and Wilder are proud alumni of Youngblood at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York.