Reading Series History
2006-current
December 2006-Chasing the Wolf by Nathan Singer
Directed by Che'Rae Adams
Cast: Leandro Pari DiMonriva, Michelle Flowers, Michael Dempsey, Bruno Gianotta, Marc Ewing, Kelli McNeil, Indira Gibson etc.
(World premiere by The Performance Gallery, Reading at The Road Theatre Company)
A tender look into the madness of love, the madness of hate, and the dark secrets that lie along the banks of the muddy Mississippi
Directed by Che'Rae Adams
Cast: Leandro Pari DiMonriva, Michelle Flowers, Michael Dempsey, Bruno Gianotta, Marc Ewing, Kelli McNeil, Indira Gibson etc.
(World premiere by The Performance Gallery, Reading at The Road Theatre Company)
A tender look into the madness of love, the madness of hate, and the dark secrets that lie along the banks of the muddy Mississippi
November 2006-Carol's Christmas by Marni Penning Coleman
Directed by Che'Rae Adams
Cast: Alexis Chamow, Eileen O'Connell, Marc Ewing, Seth Cooperman, etc.
(World Premiere at PinkySwear Productions, Readings at The Road Theatre Company, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre, also Robert J. Pickering Award Winner for Playwriting Excellence)
A modern take on the classic Dickens Christmas Carol. Our heroine went through a hellish divorce and locked herself in her apartment for six months. Her sister, Marley, sends a trio of ghosts of relationships past, present, and future. Through this journey, Carol learns what it takes to reconcile her past, move on, and change her future. A touching, hilarious romp. What more could you want for Christmas?
Directed by Che'Rae Adams
Cast: Alexis Chamow, Eileen O'Connell, Marc Ewing, Seth Cooperman, etc.
(World Premiere at PinkySwear Productions, Readings at The Road Theatre Company, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre, also Robert J. Pickering Award Winner for Playwriting Excellence)
A modern take on the classic Dickens Christmas Carol. Our heroine went through a hellish divorce and locked herself in her apartment for six months. Her sister, Marley, sends a trio of ghosts of relationships past, present, and future. Through this journey, Carol learns what it takes to reconcile her past, move on, and change her future. A touching, hilarious romp. What more could you want for Christmas?
May 6, 2006-DANCER IN THE DARK adapted for the stage by Napoleon Ellsworth
Directed by Vincent Paterson
CAST: Jacqueline Wright, Christopher Cass, Kim O’Kelley Leigh, Christopher Foster-Shaw, Maria Nicolacakis, William Salyers, Cameron Covell, Marianne Savell, Ryan Honey, Bradford Tatum, Don Rob, and Cynthia Cervini
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
The stage adaptation of Lars Von Trier and Bjork’s Oscar-nominated film Dancer in the Dark. Cursed with a disease that threatens to take her sight, Selma Yeskova struggles to raise money for an operation that could save her son from the same fate. To ease her anxiety, Selma relies on a dream life that takes the form of elaborate musical numbers. After she’s accused of stealing, Selma’s musical reverie helps her persevere against mounting odds.
September 23, 2006-HERITICS OF ALEXANDRIA by Jon Bastian
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Jennifer Pennington, William Salyers, John DiFusco, Marc Ewing, Sean Corvelle, Michelle Flowers, and Christine Krench
(New Century Writer Award finalist, Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
(Egypt, at the beginning of the Fifth Century A.D., was a crossroads of the world, with a population made up of Jews, Christians and Pagans. At the time of the play, these groups were in conflict. Riots, mob violence and other outrages were not uncommon. During the century previous, the Roman Empire had experienced a power-shift after Constantine made Christianity the official religion. The various pagan factions were gradually being outlawed and persecuted, just as the Jews had been and continued to be. This world is still hearing the echoes from the break-up of the Roman Empire less than eighty years earlier, and hearing the approaching rumble of the Western Empire’s final fall just over sixty years later. Alexandria is a divided city balanced on the edge of a razor and Hypatia, its leading philosopher and teacher, is one of the few forces keeping that balance.
October 28, 2006-BALLING THE JACK by Rob Mersola
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Ryan Honey, Shawn MacAulay, Jeni Pearsons, John Schumacher, Bart Tangredi, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
Set in 1952, this full length comedy follows a perfect couple as their lives get inextricably entwined in the lives of a group of beatniks. Sex, drugs and Kerouac’s On the Road lead the couple to question how perfect their lives really are.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Ryan Honey, Shawn MacAulay, Jeni Pearsons, John Schumacher, Bart Tangredi, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
Set in 1952, this full length comedy follows a perfect couple as their lives get inextricably entwined in the lives of a group of beatniks. Sex, drugs and Kerouac’s On the Road lead the couple to question how perfect their lives really are.
November 18, 2006-SAINT FRANCIS XANADU by Mark Wild
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Peggy Billo, Kelli McNeil, Heather Fox, Ryan Honey, Richard Azurdia, Tom Knickerbocker, and Dominic Rambaran
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
This full length drama revolves around a 60’s throw back mother who has devoted her life to political activism, a commitment made at the expense of attention to her children. When her son returns from war, both she and her daughter see, in different ways, an opportunity to bring the family back together. But her son has his own problems, and the police detectives on his trail threaten to destroy the family once and for all.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Peggy Billo, Kelli McNeil, Heather Fox, Ryan Honey, Richard Azurdia, Tom Knickerbocker, and Dominic Rambaran
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
This full length drama revolves around a 60’s throw back mother who has devoted her life to political activism, a commitment made at the expense of attention to her children. When her son returns from war, both she and her daughter see, in different ways, an opportunity to bring the family back together. But her son has his own problems, and the police detectives on his trail threaten to destroy the family once and for all.
December 16, 2006-BAD PANDA by Megan Gogerty
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Martin Bedoian, Heather Witt and Marc Ewing
(World Premiere at the Baltimore Theatre Project)
A bittersweet comedy about love, procreation, desire, and death, this play follows a gay panda, his prescribed mate, and his secret crocodile lover, all of whom are endangered in one way or another. There are two panda bears left on the earth. It’s mating season. One of them is gay. In this relationship comedy, Gwo Gwo the panda must come to terms with his budding sexuality in the face of his mate Marion’s ever-increasing desire to have a baby. Funny and heartbreaking, Gwo Gwo is torn between Chester, his smooth-talking crocodile lover, and his obligations as the last of a dying breed.
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Martin Bedoian, Heather Witt and Marc Ewing
(World Premiere at the Baltimore Theatre Project)
A bittersweet comedy about love, procreation, desire, and death, this play follows a gay panda, his prescribed mate, and his secret crocodile lover, all of whom are endangered in one way or another. There are two panda bears left on the earth. It’s mating season. One of them is gay. In this relationship comedy, Gwo Gwo the panda must come to terms with his budding sexuality in the face of his mate Marion’s ever-increasing desire to have a baby. Funny and heartbreaking, Gwo Gwo is torn between Chester, his smooth-talking crocodile lover, and his obligations as the last of a dying breed.
February 10, 2007-ONE WHITE CROW by Dale Griffiths Stamos
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Alexis Chamow, Michael Dempsey, Tamara Zook
(World Premiere at Edgemar Center for the Arts)
Journalist TESS O’NEILL is given the assignment to profile popular television medium JUDITH KNIGHT. Given that her recently deceased father, Pulitzer prize winning science writer, Robert O’Neill, was a rationalist of the first order, Tess takes on this assignment only at the insistence of her editor. On the first day of their meeting, Judith claims that it is not she who chose Tess for the job, but her dead father. This, of course, only adds fuel to the fire, and makes Tess determined to get to the truth of Judith’s claims. Tess consults ALEX RIMBAUD, Robert O’Neill’s former protégé and now celebrated professional skeptic, who is also Judith Knight’s most outspoken critic. To complicate matters, back when Tess was still a college girl of 19 and Alex was 29, a furtive attraction had developed between them which had culminated in a stolen kiss. Now, 15 years later, with a personal axe of his own to grind, Alex is happy to help, hoping Tess will expose Judith as a fraud. But things don’t go necessarily as planned. Tess becomes more and more entangled in Judith’s “visitations,” while at the same time becoming re-entangled in her feelings for Alex. And as their three lives intertwine, Tess must deal with both her grief and a shifting certainty of where belief ends and truth begins.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Alexis Chamow, Michael Dempsey, Tamara Zook
(World Premiere at Edgemar Center for the Arts)
Journalist TESS O’NEILL is given the assignment to profile popular television medium JUDITH KNIGHT. Given that her recently deceased father, Pulitzer prize winning science writer, Robert O’Neill, was a rationalist of the first order, Tess takes on this assignment only at the insistence of her editor. On the first day of their meeting, Judith claims that it is not she who chose Tess for the job, but her dead father. This, of course, only adds fuel to the fire, and makes Tess determined to get to the truth of Judith’s claims. Tess consults ALEX RIMBAUD, Robert O’Neill’s former protégé and now celebrated professional skeptic, who is also Judith Knight’s most outspoken critic. To complicate matters, back when Tess was still a college girl of 19 and Alex was 29, a furtive attraction had developed between them which had culminated in a stolen kiss. Now, 15 years later, with a personal axe of his own to grind, Alex is happy to help, hoping Tess will expose Judith as a fraud. But things don’t go necessarily as planned. Tess becomes more and more entangled in Judith’s “visitations,” while at the same time becoming re-entangled in her feelings for Alex. And as their three lives intertwine, Tess must deal with both her grief and a shifting certainty of where belief ends and truth begins.
June 16, 2007-STRANGE FRUIT: ACT I by Jon Bastian
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Brent Ryback, Marc Ewing, Indira Gibson, Matt Ryan, Michelle Flowers, Dan White, William Salyers, Maria Nicolacakis, and Shawn MacAulay
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
The first of four parts of the epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Brent Ryback, Marc Ewing, Indira Gibson, Matt Ryan, Michelle Flowers, Dan White, William Salyers, Maria Nicolacakis, and Shawn MacAulay
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
The first of four parts of the epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
September 15, 2007-FEELS LIKE HOME by Evan D’Angeles
Directed by Troy Magino
CAST: Donna Cherry, Jack Curenton, Sarah Dale, Marc Ewing, William Katt, Maura Knowles, Ashley Moniz, Brandon Michael Perkins, Stasha Surdyke, Judith Walton, Erika Whalen and Thomas Web
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
A musical based on “The Notebook” with the music of Nora Jones.
Directed by Troy Magino
CAST: Donna Cherry, Jack Curenton, Sarah Dale, Marc Ewing, William Katt, Maura Knowles, Ashley Moniz, Brandon Michael Perkins, Stasha Surdyke, Judith Walton, Erika Whalen and Thomas Web
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
A musical based on “The Notebook” with the music of Nora Jones.
October 13, 2007-CANIS MAJOR by Alisa Wilson
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
Cast: Liz Herron, Will Klipstine, Staci Lawrence, Dominick Rambaran, Bart Tangredi, Ivana Zbozinek
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
A funeral for a dog, an imaginary childhood friend, a nosy police detective and the Sinclair family all serve this dark comedy about the unburying of one family’s tragic secret.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
Cast: Liz Herron, Will Klipstine, Staci Lawrence, Dominick Rambaran, Bart Tangredi, Ivana Zbozinek
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
A funeral for a dog, an imaginary childhood friend, a nosy police detective and the Sinclair family all serve this dark comedy about the unburying of one family’s tragic secret.
November 17, 2007-STRANGE FRUIT: ACT II by Jon Bastian
Directed by Daryl Johnson
CAST: Dominic Rambaran, Marc Ewing, Shawn MacAulay, Damien Midkiff, Michelle Flowers, Maria Nicolacakis, Indira Gibson, and Martin Bedoian, Ryan Honey, and Christine Krench
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
The second of four parts of the epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
Directed by Daryl Johnson
CAST: Dominic Rambaran, Marc Ewing, Shawn MacAulay, Damien Midkiff, Michelle Flowers, Maria Nicolacakis, Indira Gibson, and Martin Bedoian, Ryan Honey, and Christine Krench
(Reading at Sidewalk Studios)
The second of four parts of the epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
December 15, 2007-SWEET TOOTH by Mark Wild
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Alisa Wilson, Kennedy Kabasares, and Judith Scott
(World Premiere at The Alleyway Theater)
Rosie, a historian who can’t make decisions, must make one when a dashing, laughing-gas inhaling dentist proposes to her two days after they meet. But accepting his offer means abandoning her dissertation and a budding friendship with its 250 year-old subject. What’s a girl with a chronic decision making problem to do?
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Alisa Wilson, Kennedy Kabasares, and Judith Scott
(World Premiere at The Alleyway Theater)
Rosie, a historian who can’t make decisions, must make one when a dashing, laughing-gas inhaling dentist proposes to her two days after they meet. But accepting his offer means abandoning her dissertation and a budding friendship with its 250 year-old subject. What’s a girl with a chronic decision making problem to do?
January 26, 2008-THE GIANT & THE PIXIE by Jonathan Josephson
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: William Salyers, Lauren Dunagan, Kent Minault, Ken Metz, Martin Bedoian
(World Premiere Production at the Chance Theater)
A contemporary fairy tale set simultaneously in a magical realm and a shopping mall. The story centers on Arthur – a contentious Giant who works by day as a janitor – trying to win the heart of Cipriana, a Pixie who also works in the mall. Sebastian – the hotheaded Knight – is not happy with this and wants to get rid of Arthur, but Arthur’s homeless buddy Gregory (the “Troll with a soul”) won’t have anything of it. All the while, Cipriana’s father, the Magician, watches from a distance with an agenda of his own.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: William Salyers, Lauren Dunagan, Kent Minault, Ken Metz, Martin Bedoian
(World Premiere Production at the Chance Theater)
A contemporary fairy tale set simultaneously in a magical realm and a shopping mall. The story centers on Arthur – a contentious Giant who works by day as a janitor – trying to win the heart of Cipriana, a Pixie who also works in the mall. Sebastian – the hotheaded Knight – is not happy with this and wants to get rid of Arthur, but Arthur’s homeless buddy Gregory (the “Troll with a soul”) won’t have anything of it. All the while, Cipriana’s father, the Magician, watches from a distance with an agenda of his own.
February 16, 2008-BLUE JAY SINGING IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT by Dale Griffiths Stamos
Directed by John DiFusco
CAST: John DiFusco, Amy Honey, Mark McClain Wilson, Kevin McCarthy, Ryan Honey
(World Premiere Production at Pacific Resident Theatre)
The story of Jay Jarrell, a once legendary disc jockey from 60′s underground radio who finds himself a decade later stuck in the era of less talk, more hits radio. Now in his late forties, he’s been relegated to a graveyard shift and to working with a martinet engineer, Max, who is determined to squeeze him into the mold of the AM DJ, all gloss and no substance. Meanwhile, Jay’s much younger songwriter girlfriend, Laura, whose career he’s been nurturing, is wanting to try her own wings, and secretly begins to work with a musician, Steve, on the side. This relationship satisfies her deepest musical longings, but also inadvertently veers into the romantic. When these two realities converge for Jay, they propel him into a final act that some might call inspiration, others, lunacy, but that is ultimately a proclamation of the self against the odds.
Directed by John DiFusco
CAST: John DiFusco, Amy Honey, Mark McClain Wilson, Kevin McCarthy, Ryan Honey
(World Premiere Production at Pacific Resident Theatre)
The story of Jay Jarrell, a once legendary disc jockey from 60′s underground radio who finds himself a decade later stuck in the era of less talk, more hits radio. Now in his late forties, he’s been relegated to a graveyard shift and to working with a martinet engineer, Max, who is determined to squeeze him into the mold of the AM DJ, all gloss and no substance. Meanwhile, Jay’s much younger songwriter girlfriend, Laura, whose career he’s been nurturing, is wanting to try her own wings, and secretly begins to work with a musician, Steve, on the side. This relationship satisfies her deepest musical longings, but also inadvertently veers into the romantic. When these two realities converge for Jay, they propel him into a final act that some might call inspiration, others, lunacy, but that is ultimately a proclamation of the self against the odds.
March 15, 2008-STRANGE FRUIT: ACT III by Jon Bastian
Directed by Daryl Johnson
CAST: Shawn MacAulay, Marc Ewing, Michele Flowers, Indira Gibson, Damien Midkiff, Sean Lewis, Matt Ryan, Kelli McNeal, and Charles Reese
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The third installment of this epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
Directed by Daryl Johnson
CAST: Shawn MacAulay, Marc Ewing, Michele Flowers, Indira Gibson, Damien Midkiff, Sean Lewis, Matt Ryan, Kelli McNeal, and Charles Reese
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The third installment of this epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
May 2, 2008-BORDERLINE by Kelli McNeil
Directed by Ernest Figueroa
CAST: Amy Honey, Francisco Garcia, Angel Ortiz, Tina Sanchez, Mark Wilson, Richard Azurdia, Sarah Scott Davis, Jon Schumacher, Patricia Berry
(Reading at Grove Theater Center and The Tank in New York )
A two-act contemporary drama about a young Hispanic-American soldier and his battle with the State of California to get custody of his two younger siblings.
Directed by Ernest Figueroa
CAST: Amy Honey, Francisco Garcia, Angel Ortiz, Tina Sanchez, Mark Wilson, Richard Azurdia, Sarah Scott Davis, Jon Schumacher, Patricia Berry
(Reading at Grove Theater Center and The Tank in New York )
A two-act contemporary drama about a young Hispanic-American soldier and his battle with the State of California to get custody of his two younger siblings.
May 17, 2008-TARMAC book and lyrics by Maura Knowles and music by Will Collyer
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Chuck Bergman, Sharyn Gabriel, Judy Norton, Mike Lee, Ken Hanes, and Peter Weilkin
(Reading at Mark Anton Singers Studio)
A new musical about passengers stuck on a tarmac for hours, all of whom need desperately to get where they are going. In the madness, they turn their misery into much needed friendships and some even find love!
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Chuck Bergman, Sharyn Gabriel, Judy Norton, Mike Lee, Ken Hanes, and Peter Weilkin
(Reading at Mark Anton Singers Studio)
A new musical about passengers stuck on a tarmac for hours, all of whom need desperately to get where they are going. In the madness, they turn their misery into much needed friendships and some even find love!
June 21, 2008-STRANGE FRUIT, ACT IV by Jon Bastian
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Maurice McRae, Brett Ryback, Michelle Flowers, Alisa Wilson, Shawn MacCaulay, Indira Gibson, Maria Nicolacakis, William Salyers, Jon Schumacher, Matt Ryan
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The fourth and final installment of this epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Maurice McRae, Brett Ryback, Michelle Flowers, Alisa Wilson, Shawn MacCaulay, Indira Gibson, Maria Nicolacakis, William Salyers, Jon Schumacher, Matt Ryan
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The fourth and final installment of this epic story dealing with issues of racism, bigotry, prejudice and hatred in America in the 20th Century and beyond…
July 26, 2008-LAEHMLY PARK by Alisa Wilson
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: William Salyers and Mark McClain Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A black comedy about two men, a bench and several highly suspicious ball-bearings.
CONFIDENCE by Alisa Wilson
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Heather Fox and Amy Honey
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A successful Manhattanite arrives home after work one evening to discover a roommate she has no recollection of living with. Tension (and a bit of hilarity) builds as the woman tries desperately to remember – and some of the resurfacing memories are decidedly unpleasant.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: William Salyers and Mark McClain Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A black comedy about two men, a bench and several highly suspicious ball-bearings.
CONFIDENCE by Alisa Wilson
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Heather Fox and Amy Honey
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A successful Manhattanite arrives home after work one evening to discover a roommate she has no recollection of living with. Tension (and a bit of hilarity) builds as the woman tries desperately to remember – and some of the resurfacing memories are decidedly unpleasant.
August 16, 2008-ARIADNE’S TALE by Jennifer Kenyon
Directed by Amanda Weier
CAST: Heather Fox, Rebecca Rosenak, Jennifer Pennington, Weston Blakesley, Shawn MacAulay, Mark Thomsen, Dylan Maddalena, John Schumacher, Benjamin Burdick, Joe Holt, Terri Smith, Ami Shukla, Marianne Bennett, Sam Saldivar
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
When the only connection a lonely princess feels is to the monster at the heart of the labyrinth, will the gods allow her to find love in a foreign prince…or is she better off alone? This is an adaptation of the myth of the Minotaur from the Heroine’s point of view.
Directed by Amanda Weier
CAST: Heather Fox, Rebecca Rosenak, Jennifer Pennington, Weston Blakesley, Shawn MacAulay, Mark Thomsen, Dylan Maddalena, John Schumacher, Benjamin Burdick, Joe Holt, Terri Smith, Ami Shukla, Marianne Bennett, Sam Saldivar
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
When the only connection a lonely princess feels is to the monster at the heart of the labyrinth, will the gods allow her to find love in a foreign prince…or is she better off alone? This is an adaptation of the myth of the Minotaur from the Heroine’s point of view.
September 20, 2008-THREE LIONS by Jon Bastian
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Bart Tangredi, Shawn MacAulay, William Katt, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
In May, 1941, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s right hand, flew solo from Germany to the UK, crash-landing in Scotland. He was captured, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming was put in charge of his interrogation. Fleming contemplated bringing in famed occultist Aleister Crowley to assist, but, officially, he never did. Unofficially, he may have, and “Three Lions” is the story of what could have happened, as three influential men of the 20th century — and one increasingly liberated woman — come together to figure out secrets, lies and the meaning of life, all before tea time on a pleasant spring day in London. Received reading with LA Writers Center/Syzygy New Alignments Reading Series in 2008.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Bart Tangredi, Shawn MacAulay, William Katt, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
In May, 1941, Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s right hand, flew solo from Germany to the UK, crash-landing in Scotland. He was captured, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming was put in charge of his interrogation. Fleming contemplated bringing in famed occultist Aleister Crowley to assist, but, officially, he never did. Unofficially, he may have, and “Three Lions” is the story of what could have happened, as three influential men of the 20th century — and one increasingly liberated woman — come together to figure out secrets, lies and the meaning of life, all before tea time on a pleasant spring day in London. Received reading with LA Writers Center/Syzygy New Alignments Reading Series in 2008.
October 25, 2008-LEGACY OF BLOOD by Neal Alvarez
Directed by Oanh Nguyen
CAST: Evan D’Angeles, Fay Kato, James Taku Leung, Nghia Luu, Jack Ong, and Michael Yama
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Unit 751 performed some despicable experiments with human life during World War II. Now an ancestor of one of the men who played a lead role in the experiments must face the ghosts of his past and decide whether or not to forgive his relative for the atrocities that he committed.
Directed by Oanh Nguyen
CAST: Evan D’Angeles, Fay Kato, James Taku Leung, Nghia Luu, Jack Ong, and Michael Yama
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Unit 751 performed some despicable experiments with human life during World War II. Now an ancestor of one of the men who played a lead role in the experiments must face the ghosts of his past and decide whether or not to forgive his relative for the atrocities that he committed.
December 6, 2008-Pitbulls and Daffolils by Levy Lee Simon
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Michelle Bonilla, Dane Errisson, Marc Ewing, Michelle Flowers, Abner Genece Bradford, Indira Gibson, Davon Philips, Eddie Velez, Kevin Vavasseur, Edwin Walker
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Inspired by A Street Car Named Desire, this contemporary drama, set in East Harlem, deals with issues of morality, greed, respect, community, relationships, family and friendship.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Michelle Bonilla, Dane Errisson, Marc Ewing, Michelle Flowers, Abner Genece Bradford, Indira Gibson, Davon Philips, Eddie Velez, Kevin Vavasseur, Edwin Walker
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Inspired by A Street Car Named Desire, this contemporary drama, set in East Harlem, deals with issues of morality, greed, respect, community, relationships, family and friendship.
January 17, 2009-CIRQUE DE LUMIERE OR EVERYMAN’S APOCALYPSE by Joshua Ansley
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Lauren Dunagan, Aaron Lyons, Shawn MacCaulay, Tom Pelphrey, Joshua Bitton, and John Schumacher
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The world, as we know it, is coming to an end. The once faithful man, Megiddo, has had his faith slowly stripped from him as a result of his long, lonely sojourn in the hellish prison they call Patmos. As Megiddo’s daily prayers finally morph into an unholy accusation, one by one, four Clowns/Angels/Generals in the Army of Light and the Ringmaster are thrown into prison with him. Each has a test for him to pass and a gift to impart to Megiddo as he will be the leader in the new world when this one passes.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Lauren Dunagan, Aaron Lyons, Shawn MacCaulay, Tom Pelphrey, Joshua Bitton, and John Schumacher
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
The world, as we know it, is coming to an end. The once faithful man, Megiddo, has had his faith slowly stripped from him as a result of his long, lonely sojourn in the hellish prison they call Patmos. As Megiddo’s daily prayers finally morph into an unholy accusation, one by one, four Clowns/Angels/Generals in the Army of Light and the Ringmaster are thrown into prison with him. Each has a test for him to pass and a gift to impart to Megiddo as he will be the leader in the new world when this one passes.
February 21, 2009-TWO MOONS RISING IN ANTIOCH by Jon Bastian
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Grayson DeJesus, Johanna McKay, and Mark McClain Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Psychologist Kara Soynes has a problem. She’s been accused of the murder of one of her patients. She’s neither admitting it nor denying it – but the body in her kitchen and the head in her freezer are pretty incriminating evidence. It’s State Prosecutor Sam Lamont’s job to interview her and decide whether to indict – but his search for the truth and her struggle to explain what happened lead them both down a rabbit hole where cultures collide, reality is slippery, and a young man is convinced that he’s been possessed by a cannibalistic Native American demon…
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Grayson DeJesus, Johanna McKay, and Mark McClain Wilson
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Psychologist Kara Soynes has a problem. She’s been accused of the murder of one of her patients. She’s neither admitting it nor denying it – but the body in her kitchen and the head in her freezer are pretty incriminating evidence. It’s State Prosecutor Sam Lamont’s job to interview her and decide whether to indict – but his search for the truth and her struggle to explain what happened lead them both down a rabbit hole where cultures collide, reality is slippery, and a young man is convinced that he’s been possessed by a cannibalistic Native American demon…
April 2009-Here Comes Trouble! by Mark Wild
Directed by John Schmucker
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A small town will strange folks deal with a mystery...
Directed by John Schmucker
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
A small town will strange folks deal with a mystery...
June 20, 2009-Killer in Drag book by Mark W. Knowles and Mark B. Perry
based on Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s novelette, music and lyrics by David G. Smith, accompaniment and arrangements by Matt Davis (keyboard) and David Nielson (guitar)
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
(Reading at Cirque School LA)
A new musical based on Ed Wood’s novel about a 1940′s hit man who dresses in drag to do his dirty deeds. During one of his gigs, he finds love with the local town whore and hopes to settle down with her and start a family.
based on Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s novelette, music and lyrics by David G. Smith, accompaniment and arrangements by Matt Davis (keyboard) and David Nielson (guitar)
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
(Reading at Cirque School LA)
A new musical based on Ed Wood’s novel about a 1940′s hit man who dresses in drag to do his dirty deeds. During one of his gigs, he finds love with the local town whore and hopes to settle down with her and start a family.
July 11th 2009-SOMEWHERE IN YELLOWSTONE by Jessica Smith
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Landry Allbright, Gwen Van Dam, Heather Fox, William Salyers, Alisa TangrediI and Mark Thomsen
(Reading at The Road Theatre Company)
A journey into the backwoods of West Yellowstone National Park that brings 3 generations of women to discover the truth. When Betty – a stiletto wearing senior citizen who goes by the name of “Boops” – moves into a nursing home, she begins to feel her mortality. With the help of her granddaughter, she gains the courage to face her wounded past and the Baptist, bootlegging grandmother that haunts her childhood.
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Landry Allbright, Gwen Van Dam, Heather Fox, William Salyers, Alisa TangrediI and Mark Thomsen
(Reading at The Road Theatre Company)
A journey into the backwoods of West Yellowstone National Park that brings 3 generations of women to discover the truth. When Betty – a stiletto wearing senior citizen who goes by the name of “Boops” – moves into a nursing home, she begins to feel her mortality. With the help of her granddaughter, she gains the courage to face her wounded past and the Baptist, bootlegging grandmother that haunts her childhood.
August 15, 2009-eggs by Ann-Giselle Spiegler
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Barbara Tarbuck, Jennifer Pennington, Anastasia Coon
(Reading by the Will Geer Theatrical Bontanicum)
When Eminent Domain threatens their homes, three Angelino women fight to save their courtyard and in the process save themselves. Join Angie, an aging hipster, Aine, a “GenY” artist and Annie P., a septuagenarian survivor of the Hollywood Blacklist as they wrestle with life, love, and a pair of unruly squatter doves in the City of Angels. Three generations of very different women take on everything from birds to bulldozers in this dramady that asks the question, “What does it REALLY mean to nest?” Inspired by current events.
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: Barbara Tarbuck, Jennifer Pennington, Anastasia Coon
(Reading by the Will Geer Theatrical Bontanicum)
When Eminent Domain threatens their homes, three Angelino women fight to save their courtyard and in the process save themselves. Join Angie, an aging hipster, Aine, a “GenY” artist and Annie P., a septuagenarian survivor of the Hollywood Blacklist as they wrestle with life, love, and a pair of unruly squatter doves in the City of Angels. Three generations of very different women take on everything from birds to bulldozers in this dramady that asks the question, “What does it REALLY mean to nest?” Inspired by current events.
February 13, 2010-BREATHE by Javon Johnson
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Chadwick Boseman, Richard Brooks, Ella Joyce, Ron Morehouse, Kim Dilts, Bart Tangredi
(World Premiere at The Lark Play Development Center, in partnership with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (HHTF) and Queens Theatre in the Park)
This play is a timely and poignant play is about two teenagers (one black, one white) who are in involved in two separate acts of violence in which the consequences are not only based on the evidence, but on the color of their skin. Using a combination of Urban poetry and dramatic action, Breathe explores the tensions, decisions, and conditions that lead the boys to prison and the effect their imprisonment has on their families.
Directed by Martin Bedoian
CAST: Chadwick Boseman, Richard Brooks, Ella Joyce, Ron Morehouse, Kim Dilts, Bart Tangredi
(World Premiere at The Lark Play Development Center, in partnership with the Hip-Hop Theater Festival (HHTF) and Queens Theatre in the Park)
This play is a timely and poignant play is about two teenagers (one black, one white) who are in involved in two separate acts of violence in which the consequences are not only based on the evidence, but on the color of their skin. Using a combination of Urban poetry and dramatic action, Breathe explores the tensions, decisions, and conditions that lead the boys to prison and the effect their imprisonment has on their families.
March 13, 2010-PORNOCRACY by Jon Bastian
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Ron Morehouse, Shawn MacAulay, Jennifer Pennington, Johanna McKay, Rodney Sciba, and Matthew Wrather
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
Stalin. Hitler. Manson. Amateurs…Tenth Century Rome, a time when most women are property or prostitutes, except for Marozia – lover of one Pope, mother of another, she would have been ruler of the world except for the one person she could not control: The son she did not make Pope. Pornocracy is a dark comedic tale in verse of a very dysfunctional family, for whom betrayal and murder are the norm, and incest, cannibalism and parricide are not unheard of. Grand Guignol, puppets, the World Cup, and comedy high and low all come together and it’s fun for the whole family – if the family name is Borgia.
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Ron Morehouse, Shawn MacAulay, Jennifer Pennington, Johanna McKay, Rodney Sciba, and Matthew Wrather
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
Stalin. Hitler. Manson. Amateurs…Tenth Century Rome, a time when most women are property or prostitutes, except for Marozia – lover of one Pope, mother of another, she would have been ruler of the world except for the one person she could not control: The son she did not make Pope. Pornocracy is a dark comedic tale in verse of a very dysfunctional family, for whom betrayal and murder are the norm, and incest, cannibalism and parricide are not unheard of. Grand Guignol, puppets, the World Cup, and comedy high and low all come together and it’s fun for the whole family – if the family name is Borgia.
April 17, 2010-SER: L.A. vs B.A. by Karen Anzoategui
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Karen Anzoategui
(Produced at Downtown Urban Theatre Festival & LATC)
A transnational queer tale of choosing between Buenos Aires: the soccer mecca burning in her heart, and Los Angeles: the land of peace and plenty. In the middle of it all she fights her way out of dresses and into soccer gear and faces yet another question: Who will be the object of her affection, the boys on the field or the girls in the stands?
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Karen Anzoategui
(Produced at Downtown Urban Theatre Festival & LATC)
A transnational queer tale of choosing between Buenos Aires: the soccer mecca burning in her heart, and Los Angeles: the land of peace and plenty. In the middle of it all she fights her way out of dresses and into soccer gear and faces yet another question: Who will be the object of her affection, the boys on the field or the girls in the stands?
May 8, 2010-TEN NINE by Michael Barmish
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Heather Fox, Jennifer Kenyon, Ron Moorehouse, Mark Thomson and John McKenna
(Placed 2nd winner for the MRT New Play Competition, and Reading at McKinney Repertory Theatre)
Two single Londoners, Theresa and Maryann, have been looking forward to their two weeks vacation in New York City. To save money, they have agreed an apartment swap with Kurt and Hank, also both single. When Theresa and Maryann show up to Kurt and Hank’s apartment a month early, thinking the guys are on their way to London, the hilarity ensues. Now forced to cohabitate, the two pairs clash on lifestyle, philosophy, and just about everything. With the exception of Hank, who sees the situation as a chance for a party. But in the case of “opposites attract,” sparks begin to fly between the more uptight Theresa and party-boy Hank while Maryann and Kurt grow closer.
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Heather Fox, Jennifer Kenyon, Ron Moorehouse, Mark Thomson and John McKenna
(Placed 2nd winner for the MRT New Play Competition, and Reading at McKinney Repertory Theatre)
Two single Londoners, Theresa and Maryann, have been looking forward to their two weeks vacation in New York City. To save money, they have agreed an apartment swap with Kurt and Hank, also both single. When Theresa and Maryann show up to Kurt and Hank’s apartment a month early, thinking the guys are on their way to London, the hilarity ensues. Now forced to cohabitate, the two pairs clash on lifestyle, philosophy, and just about everything. With the exception of Hank, who sees the situation as a chance for a party. But in the case of “opposites attract,” sparks begin to fly between the more uptight Theresa and party-boy Hank while Maryann and Kurt grow closer.
June 10th 2010-SMELL THE POWER by Levy Lee Simon
Directed by Levy Lee Simon
CAST: Joe Alvarez, James Black, Jay Jones, Barbara Roberts, Derek Shaun, Katherine Taylor, Nefertiti Thomas, Virginia Watson
(Reading at Group Repertory Theatre)
In this roller coaster family drama, set in contemporary Queens, NY, the four grown children of retired educator Korina Davis come back home upon Kenneth Davis release from prison where he spent fifteen years as a political prisoner. Sibling rivalry, conflicting politics and family dynamics lead to dramatic life and death circumstances which only the power of a mother’s might resolve. A mother’s love? You can feel it, chances are you can touch it, hopefully you can see it, you can definitely hear it but sometimes it’s so strong you can smell it.
Directed by Levy Lee Simon
CAST: Joe Alvarez, James Black, Jay Jones, Barbara Roberts, Derek Shaun, Katherine Taylor, Nefertiti Thomas, Virginia Watson
(Reading at Group Repertory Theatre)
In this roller coaster family drama, set in contemporary Queens, NY, the four grown children of retired educator Korina Davis come back home upon Kenneth Davis release from prison where he spent fifteen years as a political prisoner. Sibling rivalry, conflicting politics and family dynamics lead to dramatic life and death circumstances which only the power of a mother’s might resolve. A mother’s love? You can feel it, chances are you can touch it, hopefully you can see it, you can definitely hear it but sometimes it’s so strong you can smell it.
July 17, 2010-ST. JOHN OF GOD by Mark Wild
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Gregg Daniel, Michelle Flowers, Bruno Patrick, Disreali Ellison
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
Rev. Greer was once among Chicago’s most popular preachers, but now he’s been banished to a dying church in the middle of nowhere. As he plots his return to the big city, he must deal with a congregant in need of extraordinary ministry, a groundskeeper bent on destroying the church he’s supposed to maintain, and a wife (at least, she looks like his wife) with an unexplainable exuberance for their new home.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Gregg Daniel, Michelle Flowers, Bruno Patrick, Disreali Ellison
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
Rev. Greer was once among Chicago’s most popular preachers, but now he’s been banished to a dying church in the middle of nowhere. As he plots his return to the big city, he must deal with a congregant in need of extraordinary ministry, a groundskeeper bent on destroying the church he’s supposed to maintain, and a wife (at least, she looks like his wife) with an unexplainable exuberance for their new home.
November 13, 2010-LEAVING VERO by Ann-Giselle Spiegler
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Karen Anzoategui, Gwen Van Dam, John Schmaker
(Reading at Moving Arts Theater)
What happens to the small town of Vero when the Dodgers suddenly change home cities, which turns this tourist town into more of a ghost town?
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Karen Anzoategui, Gwen Van Dam, John Schmaker
(Reading at Moving Arts Theater)
What happens to the small town of Vero when the Dodgers suddenly change home cities, which turns this tourist town into more of a ghost town?
December 4th, 2010-INSULT TO INJURY , a play with music by Maura M. Knowles
Lyrics by Maura M. Knowles, Music by Alby Potts
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Jennie Fahn, Reece Holland, Maura M. Knowles and Jennifer Pennington
(Reading with The Musical Theatre Guild, World Premiere at The Western Stage's Playwrights' Festival)
…a colorful collection of Christmas, crutches and casts
Lyrics by Maura M. Knowles, Music by Alby Potts
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Jennie Fahn, Reece Holland, Maura M. Knowles and Jennifer Pennington
(Reading with The Musical Theatre Guild, World Premiere at The Western Stage's Playwrights' Festival)
…a colorful collection of Christmas, crutches and casts
January 22nd, 2011-IMPS by Mark Wild
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Martin Bedoian
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
A one man monologue in which a prisoner develops an obsession with his strange new cellmate, whose relationship with a woman has electrified the boys in the yard. But is the woman even real? The prisoner embarks on an extravagant con-game, even as he becomes more dependent on, and drawn to, the man who presented him the opportunity.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Martin Bedoian
(Reading at the Grove Theater Center)
A one man monologue in which a prisoner develops an obsession with his strange new cellmate, whose relationship with a woman has electrified the boys in the yard. But is the woman even real? The prisoner embarks on an extravagant con-game, even as he becomes more dependent on, and drawn to, the man who presented him the opportunity.
Feb 26th 2011-ART IS USELESS WHEN YOU ARE BEING MAULED BY A BEAR by Alisa Wilson
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Lauren Dunagan, McKerrin Kelly, Johanna McKay, Kevin McCarthy, Mark McClain Wilson
(Production at The Loft Theater Ensemble)
A full-length drama that also incorporates humor and ballet. One woman’s unusual and fantastical journey through the grief process after losing a loved one.
Saturday, March 19th 2011-SIX NIGHTS IN THE BLACKBELT by Lowell Williams
Directed by Che’Rae Adams and McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Michael Dempsey, Damon Gupton, Kwana Martinez, Michelle Flowers, Alexa Clare Shoemaker, Alisa Wilson
(Semi-finalist at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Produced at the The Amato Center in NH, Reading at The Carrie Hamilton Theater at The Pasadena Playhouse )
In the spring of 1965, Martin Luther King and others organized the now famous march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge. Among the many who participated in that March from Selma to Montgomery was a twenty-six year old seminary student named Jonathan Daniels. He attracted the attention of another young man who had much more experience in the business of organizing protests and the other activities of what we now call the civil rights movement. Stokely Carmichael had spent the previous summer in the Mississippi heat, and knew all too well what was a stake for the people of Selma’s African-American community… and what the risks were.
Directed by Che’Rae Adams and McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Michael Dempsey, Damon Gupton, Kwana Martinez, Michelle Flowers, Alexa Clare Shoemaker, Alisa Wilson
(Semi-finalist at the O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, Produced at the The Amato Center in NH, Reading at The Carrie Hamilton Theater at The Pasadena Playhouse )
In the spring of 1965, Martin Luther King and others organized the now famous march across the Edmund Pettis Bridge. Among the many who participated in that March from Selma to Montgomery was a twenty-six year old seminary student named Jonathan Daniels. He attracted the attention of another young man who had much more experience in the business of organizing protests and the other activities of what we now call the civil rights movement. Stokely Carmichael had spent the previous summer in the Mississippi heat, and knew all too well what was a stake for the people of Selma’s African-American community… and what the risks were.
May 21, 2011-OH BOY! OH BOY! OH GIRL! by Michael Barmish,
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Maria Nicolacakis, John Schumacher, Mark McClain Wilson, Lauren Dunagan, Jennifer Pennington, Ron Morehouse, Alisa Wilson, Bart Tangredi
(Reading at The Carrie Hamilton Theater at The Pasadena Playhouse)
Based on Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, this play explores gender roles. Valerie is tired of battling men in the dating pool and in the business world. When she poses as a man to see what life is like living as the other half, a business opportunity with rich playboy Denny comes Valerie’s way that forces her to maintain the charade. Denny has ulterior motives in that he wants Valerie to help him woo Allison, who wants nothing to do with Denny. In the process, both Denny and Allison begin to fall for Valerie with farcical results.
Directed by McKerrin Kelly
CAST: Maria Nicolacakis, John Schumacher, Mark McClain Wilson, Lauren Dunagan, Jennifer Pennington, Ron Morehouse, Alisa Wilson, Bart Tangredi
(Reading at The Carrie Hamilton Theater at The Pasadena Playhouse)
Based on Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, this play explores gender roles. Valerie is tired of battling men in the dating pool and in the business world. When she poses as a man to see what life is like living as the other half, a business opportunity with rich playboy Denny comes Valerie’s way that forces her to maintain the charade. Denny has ulterior motives in that he wants Valerie to help him woo Allison, who wants nothing to do with Denny. In the process, both Denny and Allison begin to fall for Valerie with farcical results.
June 25, 2011-PRESIDENTIAL FOOLS by Jon Bastian
Directed by Ann-Gisele Speigler
CAST: Shawn MacAaulay, Bill Salyers, John Schumacher, Mark McClain Wilson, and Bart Tangredi
(Reading at Moving Arts Theater)
Five connected Short Plays-Five presidents meet privately with five comedians – Abraham Lincoln and the world’s most successful clown, Dan Rice; Teddy Roosevelt and Fatty Arbuckle; JFK and Lenny Bruce; Bill Clinton and George Carlin; and George Washington and George W. Bush
Directed by Ann-Gisele Speigler
CAST: Shawn MacAaulay, Bill Salyers, John Schumacher, Mark McClain Wilson, and Bart Tangredi
(Reading at Moving Arts Theater)
Five connected Short Plays-Five presidents meet privately with five comedians – Abraham Lincoln and the world’s most successful clown, Dan Rice; Teddy Roosevelt and Fatty Arbuckle; JFK and Lenny Bruce; Bill Clinton and George Carlin; and George Washington and George W. Bush
August 20, 2011-SOUTH OF LIBERTY by Jessica Blaire Smith
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: John McKenna, Michael Dempsey, Devon Philips, Bruno Patrick, Ron Trejo and Michelle Flowers
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Rural Kansas, the very near future. Burger is an inmate at Liberty Residential Facility: America’s first and only open prison, established by Congress in response to severe overcrowding and nearly 90% recidivism rates. The Liberty facility has no walls, weapons or cells; the inmates roam free, working in the surrounding towns before returning to the grounds each night. At the end of his 10 year sentence, Burger vows to find his now 11 year-old daughter and is scheduled for release tomorrow… until a deadly fire at the local diner where he works ignites the nation, jeopardizing not only Burger’s freedom, but the fate of the other Liberty inmates and the future of America’s justice system.
Directed by Alexis Chamow
CAST: John McKenna, Michael Dempsey, Devon Philips, Bruno Patrick, Ron Trejo and Michelle Flowers
(Reading at Grove Theater Center)
Rural Kansas, the very near future. Burger is an inmate at Liberty Residential Facility: America’s first and only open prison, established by Congress in response to severe overcrowding and nearly 90% recidivism rates. The Liberty facility has no walls, weapons or cells; the inmates roam free, working in the surrounding towns before returning to the grounds each night. At the end of his 10 year sentence, Burger vows to find his now 11 year-old daughter and is scheduled for release tomorrow… until a deadly fire at the local diner where he works ignites the nation, jeopardizing not only Burger’s freedom, but the fate of the other Liberty inmates and the future of America’s justice system.
Sept 17, 2011-DELICATE BLOSSOMS by Jennifer Kenyon
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Sabrina Bernasconi, Heather Fox, Charley Knapp, Di Koob, Shawn MacAuley, Rebecca Metz, Jennifer Pennington, John Schumacher, Bart Tangredi , Mark Thomsen, Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Son of Semele Theater)
Luscious Demeter dotes on her daughter, the untried but true Persephone. Demeter instructs her precious flower in the family business – Fertility, Fecundity and Fruitfulness – while keeping her favorite creation close and safe. Persephone, however, is desperate to leave the nest. To demonstrate her budding independence, Persephone runs away and takes up with her mother’s nemesis, the Lord of the Underworld. Naturally, Demeter tries to get her baby back from the dark side, but finds no help – except from Auntie Hecate, who can only really provide some comforting poetry and a couple of guard dogs. As Persephone gestates in the belly of the Underworld, Demeter’s self-imposed death march threatens the survival of humankind and sparks a war amongst the Immortals. (This is a super sexy neo-feminist update of the ancient Greek myth – no classical education required.)
Directed by Che’Rae Adams
CAST: Sabrina Bernasconi, Heather Fox, Charley Knapp, Di Koob, Shawn MacAuley, Rebecca Metz, Jennifer Pennington, John Schumacher, Bart Tangredi , Mark Thomsen, Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Son of Semele Theater)
Luscious Demeter dotes on her daughter, the untried but true Persephone. Demeter instructs her precious flower in the family business – Fertility, Fecundity and Fruitfulness – while keeping her favorite creation close and safe. Persephone, however, is desperate to leave the nest. To demonstrate her budding independence, Persephone runs away and takes up with her mother’s nemesis, the Lord of the Underworld. Naturally, Demeter tries to get her baby back from the dark side, but finds no help – except from Auntie Hecate, who can only really provide some comforting poetry and a couple of guard dogs. As Persephone gestates in the belly of the Underworld, Demeter’s self-imposed death march threatens the survival of humankind and sparks a war amongst the Immortals. (This is a super sexy neo-feminist update of the ancient Greek myth – no classical education required.)
July 28th 2012-TRANSORBITALS by Nathan Singer
directed by Che'Rae Adams
CAST: Michelle Lema, Doug Oliphant, Shawn MacAulay, Matt Ryan, William Salyers, John Schumacher, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Son of Semele Theater)
With his trusty ice pick in hand and his loyal (though erratic) sidekick riding shotgun, superstar lobotomist Dr. Walter Freeman drives his Lobotomobile coast to coast across post-war America, determined to save the country from its own troubled mind. With messianic fervor, an evangelist’s sense of righteousness, and a jazzman’s gift for improvisation (and showmanship), Doc Freeman is quickly gaining converts, and notoriety. All is going just swell, until a number of Freeman’s former protégés start turning up dead, and only Freeman’s assistant The Kid is able to recognize that something sinister is afoot. Will The Kid be able to keep his demons at bay and get to the bottom of things before the bodies really start piling up? Creepy, grimy, and darkly humorous, Transorbital is an off-kilter twist on the old pulp whodunit.
directed by Che'Rae Adams
CAST: Michelle Lema, Doug Oliphant, Shawn MacAulay, Matt Ryan, William Salyers, John Schumacher, and Alisa Wilson
(Reading at Son of Semele Theater)
With his trusty ice pick in hand and his loyal (though erratic) sidekick riding shotgun, superstar lobotomist Dr. Walter Freeman drives his Lobotomobile coast to coast across post-war America, determined to save the country from its own troubled mind. With messianic fervor, an evangelist’s sense of righteousness, and a jazzman’s gift for improvisation (and showmanship), Doc Freeman is quickly gaining converts, and notoriety. All is going just swell, until a number of Freeman’s former protégés start turning up dead, and only Freeman’s assistant The Kid is able to recognize that something sinister is afoot. Will The Kid be able to keep his demons at bay and get to the bottom of things before the bodies really start piling up? Creepy, grimy, and darkly humorous, Transorbital is an off-kilter twist on the old pulp whodunit.
June 2013-Victor At The Vanguard by Jon Bastian
directed by Che'Rae Adams
With: Bart Tangredi, Ron Morehouse, Alisa Wilson, and Alec Fraiser
The tale of Victor and his adventures at the Vanguard.
August 20th and 21st 2016-Killer in Drag book by Mark W. Knowles and Mark B. Perry
based on Edward D. Wood, Jr.’s novelette, music and lyrics by David G. Smith, accompaniment and arrangements by Matt Davis (keyboard) and David Nielson (guitar)
Directed by Mark W. Knowles
(Workshop at the Moss Theater)
A new musical based on Ed Wood’s novel about a 1940′s hit man who dresses in drag to do his dirty deeds. During one of his gigs, he finds love with the local town whore and hopes to settle down with her and start a family.
- December 9th 2017-A Portrait in the Dark by John DiFusco
- Directed by Che'Rae Adams
- CAST: John DiFusco and Tania Verafield
- (World Premiere at the United States Veterans’ Artists Alliance Theater)
A meditation on aging and depression, a performance poem.