Leah Ryan Reads Her Play THE WIRE At The Linda Gross Theater 6/15

Please join family, friends, and fans of Leah Ryan for a reading of her remarkable play The Wire, directed by Dev Bondarin (Raised by Lesbians), featuring Ronan Babbitt (The Wild Inside at Fordham University), Liz Canavan (The Little Flower of East Orange), Maria McConville (Memorial Day), and Dallas Roberts (Nocturne) at the Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th Street, NYC, June 15th at 7PM.

Playwright, Christopher Durang (Why Torture is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them) will be on hand to commemorate Leah and her work. The evening will also mark the launch of the Leah Ryan Fund for Emerging Women Writers (Leah's FEWW) and the annual competition to award a cash prize to an emerging woman playwright for a significant theatrical work.

Ryan's play The Wire is about a family of high wire circus act performers all of whom, at one time or another have had the dream, the nightmare really, about "being up on the high wire in front of thousands of people. In the dream, you start to fall. Then everyone else starts to fall. And then you wake up. Or else, you don't. And if you manage to survive, perhaps even the simple act of setting foot on the floor will seem impossible."

The Leah Ryan Fund for Emerging Women Writers intends both to encourage brilliant and unrecognized women playwrights with an annual cash prize and a New York City showcase of the winning work. In addition, the fund plans to provide financial support to women writers afflicted with a serious illness. Both the prize and the work honor the memory and artistry of Leah Ryan (1964-2008.) For more information about both Leah's FEWW and the prize see www.leahryansFEWW.com.

While admission to The Wire is free, seating is limited and reservations are encouraged. To reserve seats email: Reservations@leahryansFEWW.com or telephone: (212) 799-5000 x654. For further information contact: contact Ed Cheetham at: (845) 437-5902 or edcheetham@vassar.edu.