Primary Stages Announces Read-A-Longs Of Leah Nanako Winkler's KENTUCKY

Primary Stages will present two public "read-a-longs" of Leah Nanako Winkler's Kentucky, a companion piece to her play God Said This, later this month. Presented by Primary Stages, God Said This begins performances at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St) on January 16, 2019, with an opening night set for January 29, for a limited run through February 15, 2019.

These special readings of the play will have a group of actors as well as participants from the audience read the show aloud together. These hands-on events, which will allow audiences to dig deeper into Leah Nanako Winkler's work in a new way, will be moderated by Primary Stages' Associate Artistic Director, Erin Daley, and will feature a light reception and post-reading discussion. The readings will begin with a meet-and-greet, followed by a group read-along of the play featuring some roles assigned to actors and other roles given to various attendees. The readings will be held at Primary Stages (307 W 38th Street, Suite 1510) in Studio A on Thursday, January 24 at 5pm and Sunday, January 27 at 12pm. The readings are free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved at kentucky-read-a-long.eventbrite.com.

Hiro is a self-made woman making it in New York. But she is also single, almost thirty, and estranged from her dysfunctional family who lives in Kentucky. When her little sister, a born-again Christian, decides to marry at twenty-two, Hiro takes it upon herself to do whatever she can to stop the wedding and salvage any shred of hope she had about her sister's future. In Kentucky, the themes of identity, religion, and love collide in this unique coming-of-age story.

God Said This is a provocative and surprisingly funny new drama about five Kentuckians facing mortality in very different ways. With her mom undergoing chemotherapy, Hiro, a NYC transplant, returns home to Kentucky after years away, struggling to let go of the demons she inherited. Sophie, her born-again Christian sister, confronts her faith while tackling inevitable adversity. James, their recovering alcoholic father, wants to repair his fractured relationship with his daughters. And John, an old classmate and thirty-something single dad, worries about leaving a lasting legacy for his only son. Wry and bittersweet, God Said This is a portrait of five Godless and God-loving people finding that their struggles bring them together in unexpected ways.

The Primary Stages 2018/19 season began with Final Follies, written by A.R. Gurney and directed by David Saint; followed by Downstairs written by Theresa Rebeck, and directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt. The 2018/19 season will conclude with Little Women, written by Kate Hamill, based on the novel by Louisa May Alcott, and directed by Sarna Lapine, Little Women will take place in May-June 2019.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy