Readings in Winter: An Exploration of New Works to Feature Two Plays by Local Playwrights

This season Counter-Productions will present its second annual staged
reading series of new works. The program is called "Readings in Winter: An Exploration of New Works" and will feature two plays by local playwrights. The first is "Choke" by Matt Greene, an exploration
of life in the professional world of mixed martial arts. The second is "Isabella" by David J Valentin, the story of a young homeless girl with a remarkable talent, fueled by a remarkable rage.

"Choke" tells the story of Marcus, a professional MMA fighter who has
fallen on hard luck after sustaining a subdural hematoma during a
fight. He's working as a janitor at the gym where he once trained, when the owner invites him to mentor Diego, a troubled young fighter who's facing his own demons and disappointments. Playwright Matt Greene explores the dark and seedy world of competitive fighting in this compelling drama.

 

"Isabella" is a tragic tale of how low a family can fall after tragedy strikes, and how an artist uses her craft to escape her unbearable circumstances. The story revolves around the title character, a teenager who lives on the streets with her addict mother, Karen, and the mother's manipulative boyfriend, Eddie. When Eddie gets into a scrape with his regular drug dealer, the "family" is forced down an unfortunate path. Playwright David J Valentin creates an intimate look at life on the streets.

The plays will be read by actors from around the state in one night only engagements.
"Choke" will be performed on December 22nd, and "Isabella" will be performed on January 12th, both beginning at 7pm.

AS220's Blackbox
95 Empire Street, Providence, RI
Free admission
For more information go to WWW.CPTCRI.COM

Bios:

Matt Greene (Choke) recently spent six years as a Blue Man in the popular Blue Man Group. He performed more than 1,000 shows, playing in front of millions. He has helped the company create new works and implement new techniques that have gone on to be smash hits. He has either written, acted in or directed more than 70 pieces of theatre and film, and enjoys the freedom to move from one discipline to the next. Matt's work has been seen at such theaters as the Charles Playhouse, Astor Place Theatre, Hartford Stage, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, Dean College, and Carnegie Hall to name a few. Matt has had the fortune to work alongside Horton Foote while serving as Fight Director on the 50th anniversary production of The Trip to Bountiful at Hartford Stage. A graduate of the University of Connecticut's Drama Department, he has also done graduate work in Directing at Indiana University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing (Stage and Screen) from Lesley University. His plays/screenplays include The East, CHOKE, For the Love of Dog, 160 North, The Heist, god in a 747, Black Diamond, The Architect, Betta Fish, Rattlesnake Suitcase, Son of Valor, The American Dream, Taped, The Long Road to Light and In Deep. Local directing credits include: In The Heights, Cabaret, The Crucible, Noises Off, The Boys Next Door, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Almost, Maine. His original play, The East, written with Craig Handel, will premiere this October on Dean College's Main Stage in Franklin, MA.

David J Valentin (Isabella) is a playwright and an actor. His past writing credits include the full length play Neighbors, which was produced at the Artists Exchange in Cranston and The Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, as well as ten short plays which were featured in Flux 13, both with Rather Dapper Productions. David has served as Vice President of Rather Dapper Productions since 2012, and he currently studies Nursing at Rhode Island College. Past acting credits include Mr. Forbes, Driver, and Roger Osterman in Seven Deadly Sins with the CCRI Players, Creature in Frankenstein and Gratiano in The Merchant of Venice with Mixed Magic Theatre, Dad in We Might Be Heroes with Epic Theatre Company, and Harry in LUV and Lincoln in Topdog/Underdog with Counter-Productions Theatre Company, the latter performance for which he won a 2015 Broadwayworld Award for Best Lead Actor in a Semi-professional Play.

 

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