Telos Ensemble to Bring PURGATORY Reading Series to San Francisco
The series arrives at Little Boxes Theater, featuring new works by playwright Dan Blick and a Meisner-trained cast.
Telos Ensemble will make its California debut this Thursday, July 9 at 7:30pm, bringing its developmental reading series Purgatory to Little Boxes Theater for the first night of a special two-city West Coast run, continuing in Los Angeles on July 16.
The San Francisco edition will feature original pieces written by Telos Ensemble co-founder and resident playwright Dan Blick, including extracts from 'Carlos' Story', 'Paris is Dead', 'Peptide Club', and 'Concupiscence' - the latter of which was selected for the Chain Theatre's One-Act Festival in New York following its first Purgatory reading. The pieces will be performed by a company of Meisner-trained actors including Mitchell Pope, Dan Blick, Sofia Graziani, Siddharth Kumar, Adryan Williams, Keren Southall, and Malik Willcot. The reading will be followed by conversation and drinks.
Purgatory is an intimate, bi-monthly reading series offering audiences an exclusive opportunity to experience new, original works undergoing development by Telos Ensemble for the stage and screen, performed by professional actors in a limited-seating setting. Launched in December 2024 at the PRIV.Y Gallery in Lower Manhattan, the series has since travelled to Tribeca, Brooklyn, and London - where its sold-out April 2025 edition at the Omnibus Theatre marked the company's international debut. The San Francisco and Los Angeles performances mark the series' first appearances on the West Coast.
Blick's previous works include the plays 'Telos', 'Lake George', 'Akrasia', 'Concupiscence', and 'Ellipsis', as well as his directorial feature film debut 'Black Lake' - an adaptation of his original stage play 'Lake George' - which is currently undergoing submissions to international film festivals. 'Ellipsis' will receive a full production at the Drayton Arms Theatre in London this autumn.
Telos Ensemble is a production company co-founded by Mitchell Pope and Dan Blick, operating across New York, London, and Stockholm. Rooted in the Meisner technique and the training of the William Esper Studio, the company is dedicated to the development of original works across theatre and film through its distinctive "page to stage to screen" model. In under three years, Telos Ensemble has produced six theatrical productions and one feature film across two continents, including 'Telos', 'Lake George', 'Concupiscence', and 'Castles' at venues including the Chain Theatre in New York and the Omnibus Theatre in London. Telos Ensemble is a fiscally sponsored artist with The Field.
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