Southampton - After a very successful, inaugural Children's Literature Conference, Stony Brook Southampton begins its 33rd annual Summer Writers Conference with two very special events this week in the newly renovated Avram Theater.

"I Must Be Off," a staged reading of two one-act plays by Roger Rosenblatt, premieres at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 19. The event is already sold out. "Blueberry" and "The Oldsmobiles" will be directed by Jim Simpson and star Sigourney Weaver, Havilah Brewster and Alan Alda.

Then at 8 p.m. on Monday, July 21, "Two Very Funny People, One Wonderful Evening," offers a staged reading of new plays by Winnie Holzman and Christopher Durang.

Seating for "Two Very Funny People" is limited. Tickets are $15, $10 for seniors/students and may be reserved by calling 631-632-5032.

SUNY Distinguished Professor Roger Rosenblatt is a journalist, author, playwright and teacher. He was the Edward R. Murrow Visiting Professor of the Practice of the Press and Public Policy at Harvard University and held the Parsons Family Chair at Long Island University. His essays for "The NewsHour" on PBS have won a Peabody and an Emmy award. His essays for Time magazine have won two George Polk Awards, awards from the American Bar Association, the Overseas Press Club and others. He is the author of 10 books that have been published in 13 languages, including a collection of his writings, "The Man in the Water, Coming Apart: A Memoir of the Harvard Wars of 1969," and the national bestseller, "Rules for Aging." His "Children of War" won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Prize. His first novel, "Lapham Rising," was published in 2006, and the highly acclaimed "Beet" debuted this year.

Winnie Holzman is an award-winning dramatist, screenwriter and poet, best known as the creator of the Emmy-nominated TV series "My So-Called Life." She made her Broadway debut in 2003 when she wrote the book for the Stephen Schwartz musical "Wicked," based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. For "Wicked," Holzman received a Tony Award nomination in 2004 for Best Book of a Musical.

Christopher Durang's plays, "The Nature and Purpose of the Universe," "Titanic," "A History of the American Film," "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You," "Beyond Therapy" and "Baby With the Bathwater," among others, have appeared both on and off Broadway. His screenplays include "Beyond Therapy," "The Nun Who Shot Liberty Valence" and "The Adventures of Lola and The House of Husbands" (co-authored with Wendy Wasserstein). Durang has received numerous honors, including an Obie Award, a Guggenheim fellowship and a Tony nomination. A graduate of both Harvard and the Yale School of Drama, he now co-chairs the playwriting program at Juilliard.

Upcoming Events
Friday, July 25 - An Evening with Billy Collins. This is the Gala Launch of The Southampton Review
Avram Theater, at 7 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 1 - An Evening with Screenwriter and Director Robert Benton. The Southampton Screenwriting Conference presents an evening with the Award-winning director and screenwriter of "Bonnie and Clyde," "Places in the Heart," "Nobody's Fool," "Kramer vs. Kramer" and "Empire Falls" at the Avram Theater, at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 2 - A Tribute to Director Alan J. Pakula. Author and critic Molly Haskell presents a retrospective of Alan Pakula's films including "All the President's Men," "Klute," "Parallax
View," "Pelican Brief" and "Presumed Innocent."
Avram Theater, at 7:30 p.m.