(Posted November 8, 2013)

HUNTINGDON, Pa. -- Peggy Stafford, a New York City-based playwright and screenwriter, will hold a workshop reading of a new project she is working on as part of Juniata College's "Hothouse" project, at 7:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 11, and Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the movement studio in the Halbritter Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition, Neal Utterback, assistant professor of theatre at Juniata, also will hold a reading of a current play he is working on.

Inspired by such programs as "Page to Stage," where theatre professionals work on plays or musicals that are still in the writing stage, "Hothouse" will be held every November to showcase readings, open rehearsals and other "workshop" experiences.

The workshop is free and open to the public.

Inspired by such programs as "Page to Stage," where theatre professionals work on plays or musicals that are still in the writing stage, "Hothouse" will be held every November to showcase readings, open rehearsals and other "workshop" experiences.

Stafford is 2013's featured playwright and her plays have been produced or developed by P73, Women's Project, Soho Rep, Dixon Place, Annex Theatre, On the Boards and Empty Space Theatre.

Stafford is a member of the Soho Rep's Writer/Director Lab and the play "Little Miss 1565" was developed there. She also wrote the film "A Problem with Sharks."

She earned a master's degree in fine arts in creative writing from Bennington College. She has studied playwrighting with Paula Vogel, Marie Irene Fornes, Mac Wellman and Jeff Jones. She also teaches playwrighting at PS10 school in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Utterback joined the Juniata faculty in 2012 and earned a bachelor's degree in theatre in 1998 from Coastal Carolina University, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He went on to earn a master's of fine arts degree in acting in 2001 from the University of Florida, in Gainesville, Fla. He recently completed his doctoral degree in theatre in 2012 from Indiana University, in Bloomington, Ind.

He also has trained professionally at the Atlantic Acting School in New York City and studied Viewpoints, Suzuki and Compositions at SITI Company in New York.

He has written and staged several plays, including "American Western" and "second." He also has written several short plays, such as "Crisis," "Mr. Wrinkles" and "Thanksgiving" and adapted the latter two productions into screenplays.

He is a member of several professional organizations, including, the Association of Theatre Movement Educators, the American Society of Theatre Research and the Modern Language Association.

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.