Premiere Stages Closes Spring Reading Series, 3/13

Premiere Stages at Kean University will hold its annual Spring Readings on Thursday, March 11, Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center Little Theatre, located on Kean's Central Campus, 1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.

The three plays, selected as festival finalists from more than 300 submissions, will be given a professional reading and will be considered for expanded development as part of the Premiere Stages 2010 summer season. One new play is read and discussed each evening and the public is encouraged to actively engage in the new play developmental process through post-reading dialogues with the writers and written evaluations. Based on audience response and input from a panel of theatre professionals, two plays will be chosen for further development by Premiere Stages. One of the three plays will be selected for an Actors' Equity Association (AEA) staged reading in June, and the most promising play will be awarded a fully produced AEA production in July. The schedule for the readings is as follows:

The Jag, by Gino DiIorio

Thursday, March 11 at 7:30 pm

A father and son struggle to track down missing pieces as they reconstruct a classic car that was never meant to be finished.

The Morini Strad, by Willy Holtzman

Friday, March 12 at 7:30 pm

A craftsman hired to restore a priceless violin gets more than he bargained for when he makes a pact with the aging virtuosa who made it famous.

Wonderful Counselor, by Kathryn Grant

Saturday, March 13 at 7:30 pm

A bright young public defender, hounded by his community and haunted by his past, struggles to defend two neglectful mothers, one his client, the other his own.
The Premiere Spring Readings kick off the annual Premiere Stages Play Festival, which encourages and cultivates the careers of emerging dramatists in New Jersey and the greater metropolitan area. The Premiere Spring Readings give participating playwrights the opportunity to hear their work in front of an audience and work with a director and dramaturg to think about the next steps in the play's development process.
"The Premiere Stages Festival format affords our audience the unique opportunity to see three plays in a developmental forum, make suggestions and recommendations to the playwrights, and return a few months later to see two of the three plays produced under an Equity contract," said John Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages.

This year's three finalists were selected from a batch of more than 300 submissions. The pool of semi-finalists included Kara Lee Corthron, Dan Dietz, Michael Hollinger, Stacey Letts, Dano Madden, Julie Marie Myatt, Rocco Natale, Lia Romeo, Ken Scarborough, Deborah Stein, and Victoria Stewart.
"It was a real challenge narrowing down to three finalists, given the high quality of this year's submissions," said Erica Nagel, Premiere Stages' producing associate and resident dramaturg. "Ultimately, we chose three plays that tackle big questions and explore compelling characters with compassion, humor and a unique perspective. We are thrilled to share these three promising plays with our audience, and look forward to their feedback as we choose which to produce this season."
Admission and parking for the Premiere Spring Readings is free. Please call 908-737-4092 for more information or visit www.kean.edu/premierestages.

Premiere Stages operates in part through funding from The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, TD Bank, The Provident Bank Foundation, The Turrell Fund, the Westfield Foundation, the Gleason Family Foundation and through the generous support of patrons. Premiere Stages offers free or discounted tickets to patrons with disabilities. All Premiere Stages facilities are wheelchair accessible spaces. Please call for a list of sign-interpreted, audio-described or open-captioned performances. Assistive listening devices and large print programs are available at all times. Publications are available with advanced notice in alternate formats.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.