Irvington Town Hall Theater to Present Three One-Acts as Part of Stage Door Reading Series

Irvington Town Hall Theater (ITHT) closes out a second season of their Stage Door Series, ( where new works are presented in a relaxed setting without sets, costumes, or props) with an afternoon of one-act plays. Three different one-acts by two diverse local playwrights will be read on Sunday, April 24 at 3:00pm. Two plays by Evelyn Mertens: Stray Gloves and Sleep Study and one by Stephanie Okun: Fishing. There will be a Q&A with the playwrights following the reading.

ITHT commissioner Beth Ryan and a selection committee read numerous plays this season before making their choices. "We knew we wanted to keep it local to the area, but had no idea the amount of scripts we'd receive," says Beth Ryan. "We found these three together will make for a wonderful afternoon and an incredible talkback with the playwrights."

Stray Gloves is a play about past and present worlds and how when the two collide at cross purposes they can threaten to derail the future. A couple in their 30s plans for a baby and a future together that appears bright and full of promise until the hint of a past misstep starts to stalk the present, raising unexpected doubts and fears. Increasingly it becomes clear that careless actions, even if long past and almost forgotten, cannot escape consequences. Sleep Study is an earnest, almost frantic, plea for forgiveness - not for a deed, but for a thought. On the eve of her young son's service in Kabul, Afghanistan, a mother kneels by his bedside while he sleeps and silently reveals a long-held secret, praying that she be granted mercy, not retribution. Actors Anthony Barresi, Jr., Jessica Fishel & Evelyn Mertens will lead this reading.

Evelyn Mertens, a new member of Axial Theatre in Pleasantville, has studied acting in Howard Meyer's Acting Program with Rachel Jones and Howard Meyer through the master class level. Earlier, she studied at Circle in the Square's summer program and took classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Evelyn has had short plays and monologues produced through Axial Theatre's Life on Earth, Twisted Valentines 2015 and 2016, the Monologue and Performance Workshops and the company's upcoming mainstage production in May. In addition, she has had short plays performed at Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT); the 20/20 Aery Theatre Festival where she was a finalist in 2015; and Manhattan Rep. Evelyn is a PR specialist and writer for a variety of private and nonprofit clients in theatre and in construction, architecture and related fields. She holds an M.A. in creative writing from Brown University and a B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College.

The reading committee also knew they wanted to feature a teen playwright this season and found a wonderful one in Stephanie Okun, a 16 year old Irvington based playwright that attends the Riverdale Country School in the Bronx. Her plays, short stories, poetry, essays, and works of creative nonfiction have been recognized both regionally and nationally by The Scholastic Writing Awards, Young Playwrights Inc., Writopia Lab, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, and The Blank Theatre. Stephanie has had professionally staged readings of her plays in New York City at The Producers Club, June Havoc Theatre, Lucille Lortel Theatre, and Cherry Lane Theatre. In addition to writing, Stephanie enjoys acting, paddle-boarding, ping pong, and tennis.

When a young man agrees to go on a fishing trip with his estranged father, old tensions rise to the surface. Fishing is an unflinching portrait of a broken relationship between father and son. Actors Mack Knapp & Harrison Kaufman will be reading.

Irvington Town Hall Theater is located at 85 Main Street in Irvington, NY. Tickets can be purchased in advance online at a discount of $10. http://bit.ly/ITHT_StageDoor_OneActs For more information, visit www.irvingtontheater.com.