About The New Works Festival

The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It is not just an event, but a celebration of a continuously ongoing process-the creation of new work. The help from our extended essay writing service is usually needed when writers finish with their projects and need additional editing.

Inaugurated in 2001 as a new play festival, The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival was created and named in honor of David Mark Cohen, former head of playwriting within The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. Cohen was killed in a car crash on December 23, 1997, but during his life, he was an adamant supporter of new work. Today, The New Works Festival has evolved to include not just plays, but all mediums of student-generated new work. It is the largest festival of its kind, being run and organized entirely by a committee of graduate and undergraduate students, with the support of faculty co-producers. 2009 will mark the fifth New Works Festival in 10 years.

Our Mission

The University Co-op presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It exists as an incubator for innovative and original forms of theatre, dance, music, film, design, visual art and architecture. It provides a nurturing environment and practical resources for the creation, development, production and discussion of new and interdisciplinary work by students, faculty, guest artists and scholars who come together in the spirit of collaboration and critical inquiry.

Our Vision

Embraced and invigorated by the energy of a university setting, the Festival provides a safe place for artists to take risks, a bridge between potential and the profession, and a forum for a national conversation on the value and future of the arts in society.

Three Core Values

The following values support our mission and our overall vision. They inform our practice and guide all aspects of decision-making and implementation.

Empowerment and Responsibility

Our goal is to create an environment in which each individual is empowered to take responsibility for his or her own artistic, entrepreneurial and intellectual development with the support of mentors who care.

Access

Our goal is to provide access to the production resources and guidance necessary to realize individual creative visions and to encourage collaborative connections with guest artists and scholars on a national level.

Integration

Our goal is that the Festival will serve as a positive and productive force within the cultural ecosystem of the Department of Theatre and Dance, the College of Fine Arts, the University of Texas and ultimately within the arts themselves to further the development of new works and new artists.

Definitions

New: (adj)
Recently made, created or invented: Innovative in its ways of exploring form and content, development and discovery of skills and abilities, opportunity to try on unaccustomed roles in the production process.
Works:
(n) Product of original compositions: Plays, dances, films, installations, solo and site specific performance, etc.
(v) Process of making something happen or causing a specific result: Including all stages of planning, implementation and reflection.
Festival: (n)
A period of celebration, often one of cultural significance:An ongoing activity that comes together in a series of performances, readings, workshops, panel discussions, and other related events, but extends in influence and importance well beyond the period of its duration.

The Festival is Now!

The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival is graciously funded by The University Co-op, and hosted by The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance.

?2006-2009, University Co-Op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival

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