The 2014 - 2015 CPP Season is proud to present Dividing Lines, a new play written by Josh Billig!

It's 1952 and Mayor "Ed" has his town (and his wife) well under control. Or does he? Under the surface of congenial post-war Americana percolate vulnerable secrets, radical idealism and age-old prejudices that threaten the orderly business of this small, interwoven community. Award-winning playwright, Josh Billig explores the private versus the public and draws parallels between zeitgeists of the mid-20th century and present day in this Brecht style drama.
About CPP
The Project: To engage a specific group of actors in a collaborative playwriting process with an experienced playwright that culminates in the production of a new, full-length play.
The Process: The playwright explores character and circumstances through guided improv with actors, using the particular actors' ideas, skills, personalities and imaginations to develop a fully scripted theatrical work.
The Production: The project can be divided into three phases: 1) Improv and Exploration, 2) Writing and Development, 3) Production. During the Phase 1, the actors and playwrights use improv and imagination to explore and discover a variety of circumstances, themes, relationships and character together. At the end of this phase, the group has funneled down their discoveries into specific characters, relationships and the beginnings of the theme and circumstances of a play. During Phase 2, the playwright writes fully scripted scenes for the established theme, characters and relationships. In rehearsing these scenes, further plot points and circumstances are discovered and flushed out, and the scenes become part of a full-length scripted play. The play is then workshopped and fine-tuned through readings and the help of a director. At the end of Phase 2, the play is ready for a fully-staged production (Phase 3).
2014- 2015 CPP SEASON

The Playwright: Josh Billig holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU Tisch Asia. He is a recipient of the Tennessee Williams Playwriting Award, the Susan Nims Distinguished Playwriting Award, and has been a finalist in the San Fransisco Theatre Festival, the Eugene O'Neill Playwright's Conference, WordBridge Playwright's Lab and the Firehouse Theatre New Works Project, amoung others. Most recently, his award-winning play Outside Sitka was produced as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival. Josh's screenwriting credits include Dreaming America, Little Boats, and Egg (Palm Spring's Film Festival Best of the Fest, Comedy, 2011). He has also written the TV pilots Bad Apples and Indie. In addition, Josh is the author of Snapped's first theatrical production, Franklin.
The Actors: Tina Ward Alvarez, Gregory Couba, Jon Dalin, Ann Gulian, Matt Kelley, Juliet O'Brien and John Rengstorff.