One of the most generous new play development opportunities in the field, the Ruth Easton New Play Series has sent more than half of its plays on to full productions around the world. This season’s playwrights will workshop their plays with a hand-selected team of collaborators, and bring audiences into the artistic process over the course of two staged readings.

“The challenge with developing a play like MEAT SUIT is that the text is only one of the layers of the play, in addition to the performance style which is married to costumes, and the music. In other words, it’s impossible to see and understand how the play is working without having all of those elements and layers in play. Having access to the time with actors—on our feet—is crucial. I wouldn’t be able to see what this play needs without the support I’ve had from Playwrights’ Center.”

–Aya Ogawa on their Ruth Easton workshop of MEAT SUIT in November 2024

Funders of the Ruth Easton New Play Series

Actress Ruth Easton (nee Edelstein) was born in North Branch, Minnesota and graduated from North Branch High School. She attended the University of Minnesota for one year and the following year attended Macalester College before finishing her collegiate career at Cumnock School in Los Angeles. She went on to New York where she studied acting with Oliver Morosco. Mr. Morosco opened a stock theater company in upstate New York where Ms. Easton starred in several plays. After performing with other stock theater companies she returned to New York City where she appeared in five Broadway plays over a period of seven years. They included Exceedingly Small, Privilege Car, Town Bay, Buckaroo and Charlie Chan. Exceedingly Small was directed by Ethel Barrymore and Easton played opposite Eric Dressler. New York critics praised her performance as “thoroughly touching” and “highly spirited and excellent.” She starred in radio dramas on the Rudy Vallee Hour and the Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour opposite such actors as Walter Huston, Judith Anderson and Lionel Barrymore. She also appeared with Clark Gable, Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson during the course of her career. Ms. Easton’s legacy, her commitment to theater and the development of new works continues through the charitable gifts made by the Ruth Easton Fund of the Edelstein Family Foundation.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.