Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series Presents Jack Gilhooley's THE LONG REUNION
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 12, 2017
Bradenton playwright Jack Gilhooley's latest work, 'THE LONG REUNION,' will be given a Staged Reading for one night only, as part of the award-winning 'Jan McArt's New Play Readings' series, at 7:30 PM on Monday, January 23rd, 2017, in Lynn University's Wold Performing Arts Center, Boca Raton, FL.
Gilhooley, whose works have been presented over the years at the New York Shakespeare Festival, Circle Repertory Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, Theatre for the New City, 59E59, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, etc., says "I must be a late blooming playwright. I was winning awards and getting productions forty years ago for far lesser plays. Now productions are hard to come by since the theatre world is liberal in many respects but not in regard to age."
His new play 'THE LONG REUNION' tells the story of Daisy, Billy and Jimmy, who attend their high school reunions over the course of 65 years, sharing magic moments, laughter, grievances and more than a little animosity.
"I didn't set out to write a climate change comedy," says Gilhooley. "But when I realized that it would end in an oceanside town 40-years from now, the environment couldn't very well be ignored."
Directed by Peter Pileski, the cast includes Antonio Amadeo, Laura Hodos, Tom Wahl and Meagan Nagy.
Jan McArt is in charge of theatre development at Lynn University, where this reading is the second in a series of Staged Readings presented this winter/spring to develop new works by Florida playwrights.
"If there's one thing I love, it's making things happen," McArt says. "And I'm working as hard as ever to make them happen here at Lynn."
Of the past sixteen plays presented at her 'New Play Readings' series, six have gone on to full productions in Florida and around the country, including one that's now heading to New York this spring. They include: Dan Clancy's 'PROPOSITION 8,' which landed at the Desert Rose Playhouse in Rancho Mirage, CA under the title 'POSTER BOYS' in the spring of 2014;Christopher Demos-Brown's 'CHILD'S PLAY,' which was presented at Miami's Zoetic Stage to great acclaim under the title 'STRIPPED' in the winter of 2015; Michael McKeever's 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND,' which wound up at Fort Lauderdale's Island City Stage in the summer of 2015, winning several Carbonell Awards including 'Best New Work,' and will next be produced at New York's Primary Stages this April; Dan Clancy's 'MIDDLETOWN,' which was presented at the Boca West Theatre in December, 2016; Michael McKeever's 'FINDING MONA LISA,' which will be unveiled in Coral Gables at Actors' Playhouse this summer; and Stuart Meltzer's 'THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS,' which will be produced this summer at Island City Stage.
Upcoming Staged Readings of new plays this season at Lynn include 'LOVE AND OTHER UNNATURAL ACTS' by Don Webster, directed by Wayne Rudisill on February 13th, and 'THE CAMP' by Michael McKeever, directed by Michael Leeds on March 6th.
For tickets to this play reading series, call 561-237-9000 or go to www.lynn.edu/tickets.
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