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Meet the Artist: New Play Readings 2024
Wednesday Evenings in May
All “Meet the Artist” New Play Readings will take place
at the Summit Community Center
100 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ
Vivid Stage's “Meet the Artist” series is a forum that showcases new theatrical works. The series provides audiences an opportunity to experience new shows and participate in discussions with playwrights, directors and actors.
The series’s goal is to expose the adult public to the evolution of a theatrical presentation and to give the playwright valuable feedback to be used in the development of the play.
For more information on submitting a new play for consideration, click here.
Come Again
By Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend
Wed., May 1, 2024 @7:00 pm
Directed by Nabeel Jan
With
Hari Bhaskar, Scott McGowan,
Daria M. Sullivan and Thomas Vorsteg
Miami hospice nurse, Marina Johnson, wakes one day to find a stranger in her apartment, telling her she has been tapped to be God’s climate change prophet. A comedy for a species on the brink of self-destruction.
Dr. Hydra and the Eye
By Philip J. Kaplan
Wed., May 8, 2024 @7:00 pm
Directed by Scott Mc Gowan
With
Clark Carmichael and Virginia Johnston
Marta has sacrificed her life to care for her ailing father, Herman. Enter Ken, an awkward comic book historian, searching for proof that Herman wrote Dr. Hydra and the Eye, a short-lived, but influential comic book. And now, there are boxes to explore and secrets to uncover.
The Totality of All Things
By Erik Gernand
Wed., May 15, 2024 @7:00 pm
Directed by Joshua Schnetzer
With
Peter Bisgaier, Donald Danford, Laura Ekstrand, Troi Gaines,
Jenna Kuerzi and Becca Landis McLarty
After the Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage across the country in 2015, a progressive journalism teacher nearing retirement in a small Indiana town bucks her conservative school board and hangs a bulletin board celebrating the historic milestone. When a vandal defaces it though, all hell breaks loose in ways no one could have imagined.
Crooked Lake
By Laura Ekstrand
Wed., May 22, 2024 @7:00 pm
Directed by Betsy True
With
Harry Patrick Christian and Harriett Trangucci
It's getting close to midnight, and Bert's estranged wife, Tessa, pops up at the lakeside house they once shared. As they slip back into their once comfortable friendship, they consider whether it's finally time to get a divorce. But what they really need is a resolution to their story, which will necessitate both of them coming to terms with their own secrets, fears and history.
At readings actors typically hold scripts as they sit or stand in front of the audience. There are no sets, costumes or props.
Clark Carmichael & Harriett Trangucci read “Backfire” from “Random Horrible Thoughts About Love” on May 11, 2011.
With feedback from you, the show had its world premiere as “The God Game” on May 6, 2014 at Capital Rep in Albany, NY.
At readings actors typically hold scripts as they sit or stand in front of the audience. There are no sets, costumes or props.
The new play reading series is a chance for the audience to participate in the development of new works, both to hear the play read by professional actors and also to discuss the project with the playwright, director and actors afterward. Feedback from these evenings helps the playwrights to further refine their scripts and also gives them a first-hand experience of how the audience will respond to the finished work. These evenings provide a fun and lively way to interact with the creative process, and to receive a preview of plays that may be performed on Dreamcatcher's mainstage in the future.
What is a “Reading”?
A reading is a performance of a play that focuses on the words of the script and the interaction of the actors without sets, props and costumes. Readings are a way to present plays in front of live audiences without the expense of a fully staged production. While readings can be of new or existing works, Dreamcatcher chooses to read new plays only. Readings of new shows can help a show’s creative team see what works and what might need a rewrite. When a reading goes particularly well, Dreamcatcher will consider the play for a fully-staged production in an upcoming season.
What to Expect
Just like in a staged performance, Dreamcatcher company members and guest actors will perform all the roles in the play. Typically, the cast will be seated in chairs onstage, and they will read their lines from the script. They might occasionally stand up and move about. There may also be a narrator, who reads aloud stage directions and describes scenery or movement as written in the script. There will be no costumes or sets.
Are readings appropriate for kids?
The themes of most chosen plays are probably “of interest” to those approximately 12 and up.
Overall, play readings are similar to reading non-picture books to your children at home. If your child can focus, listen, pay close attention, and imagine the setting for the play, she or he will probably enjoy the reading. Remember: there are no costumes or sets, and there is no action.
Why would I attend a reading if I can wait for a fully staged production?
Play readings at Dreamcatcher are about discovering new artists and their works, and including yourself in the development cycle of the plays. You will get to witness a work in progress, and afterwards you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to the creative team. Playwrights often use readings to test new characters and lines in front of live audiences. And if you do come back for a fully staged production, you might notice some of your suggestions incorporated into the final performance.