The Playwrights Realm Announces 2009-2010 Pipeline Reading Series

PIPELINE READING SERIES- STRANGE LOOP - Sunday, November 8th

Beginning Sunday, November 8th at 7:00pm at ART New York's Bruce Mitchell Room (520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor) The Playwrights Realm will kick off the "Pipeline Reading Series" - a series of staged readings of new works by emerging artists - with STRANGE LOOP, a new musical by Michael R. Jackson, directed by Maria Goyanes.

By day, Usher is a young, black, gay songwriter in search of his dream. By night, Usher is, well, an usher, in search of his dignity. The new musical STRANGE LOOP follows his struggle to be heard in a world of entitled Broadway theatergoers, M4M Craigslist ads, his beloved Liz Phair, and one Lord-have-mercy of a mother and father. The reading of STRANGE LOOP features a cast which includes Chad Goodridge (last seen on Broadway in the Tony Award-winning musical PASSING STRANGE), Molly Hager, cabaret showstopper Lorinda Lisitza, John Andrew Morrison, Lucas Near-Verbrugghe (The Public's BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON, and Baron Vaughn (last seen on Broadway in DROWNING CROW).

Michael R. Jackson holds a BFA in playwriting from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Dramatic Writing Program and an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing from the Tisch School's Musical Theatre Writing Program where he was the recipient of the Yip Harburg Scholarship for lyricists. His work has been performed at the Developing Artists' Theatre Company, the New Professional Theatre, Dixon Place, the Henry Street Settlement and the Flea Theatre. He previously presented an evening of songs entitled "Michael R. Jackson: Believe It Or Not" at The Barrington Stage Company and more recently at The Laurie Beechman Theater. His musical ONLY CHILDREN, with composer Rachel Peters completed a sold-out run at NYU, courtesy of the Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Drama Department at NYU. Michael's songs have also been presented at Ars Nova as part of the "Uncharted" series in an evening entitled "Michael R. Jackson: Dirty Laundry." He recently made his Joe's Pub debut with an extended version of that evening entitled "Dirty Laundry 2.0: The Songs of Michael R. Jackson."

TIGERS BE STILL - Sunday, December 13th

The December, 2009 "Pipeline" reading will be Kim Rosenstock's new play TIGERS BE STILL on Sunday, December 13 at 7:00pm at ART New York's Bruce Mitchell Room (520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor).

Grace is having one helluva day - a Tiger is on the loose in the city, her depressed sister won't stop watching "Top Gun," and her art therapy job hinges on a house made of popsicle sticks and a boy obsessed with his dead mother's shoes. Will Grace pull it together in time to help the people in her life and save her job?

Kim Rosenstock is currently studying playwriting with Paula Vogel at the Yale School of Drama where she is the recipient of the Eugene O'Neill Memorial Scholarship. This past summer her play 99 WAYS TO F*CK A SWAN was workshopped at Portland Center Stage's JAW Playwrights Festival. Her work has also been developed by The Kennedy Center, Ars Nova, The Old Vic in association with The Public Theater, and New York Stage &Film. From 2005-2007 she was Associate Producer of Ars Nova in New York City where she developed and produced new works of music, comedy and theater. She recently served as the Artistic Director of the 2009 Yale Summer Cabaret, producing several shows including a new indie rock musical, FLY-BY-NIGHT, which she conceived and co-wrote. She has a BA in English from Amherst College where she first began writing plays under the mentorship of Constance Congdon. She is originally from Baldwin, Long Island.

CRANE STORY - Saturday, January 16th

The first "Pipeline" reading of 2010 will be Jen Silverman's play CRANE STORY, directed by Playwrights Realm Artistic Director Katherine Kovner on Saturday, January 16 at 4:00pm at ART New York's Bruce Mitchell Room (520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor).

After the mysterious suicide of her younger brother, Cassis returns to Japan to say goodbye to his memory, but instead journeys to the land of the dead on a quest to put his soul to rest. CRANE STORY discovers a world where cranes speak and people disappear down bathtub drains. Cassis must find peace for herself and her dead brother before time runs out for them both. Puppets for CRANE STORY are designed and built by The Puppet Kitchen.

Jen Silverman is currently an MFA candidate in playwriting at the University of Iowa Playwrights Workshop, and received her BA from Brown University. Her plays have been produced at Brown University; Rites &Reason Theatre in Rhode Island; NYC International Fringe Festival; Fusion Theatre Company in New Mexico; LiveGirls! in Seattle; Circus Theatricals in LA; and in the University of Iowa New Play Festival. Her play THE EDUCATION OF MACOLOCO was produced in the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Festival in July, 2009. Her work has been developed with New Georges; New York Stage &Film/Vassar College's Powerhouse Theatre Company in Poughkeepsie; at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival in San Francisco; and with The Playwrights Realm.

HEY YOUNG WORLD - Monday, February 22nd

The "Pipeline" reading set for February 2010 will be HEY YOUNG WORLD - a solo play by Nikiya Mathis, Antoinette Nwandu and Christine Williams, adapted from "Push" by Sapphire - on Monday, February 22 at 7:00pm at ART New York's Bruce Mitchell Room (520 8th Avenue, 3rd floor).

Overweight and illiterate teen, Clareece "Precious" Jones, is pregnant for the second time and lives with her dysfunctional family in Harlem. When she transfers to a remedial school, Precious must decide whether to trust her teacher and fight for her future, or continue to let life wash over her. Nikiya Mathis will perform the reading of HEY YOUNG WORLD.

Nikiya Mathis can currently be seen at The Public in Tarell Alvin McCraney's THE BROTHER/SISTER PLAYS. She originated the role of "Maima" in Danai Gurira's ECLIPSED at the 2009 IN-Festival at the McCarter Theatre. A 2008 graduate of NYU's Graduate Acting Program, her favorite credits include THE GLASS MENAGERIE, The Continuum Company's ROMEO &JULIET, Crumbs from the TABLE OF JOY, SPARKLE: THE MUSICAL, and THE BLUEST EYE.

Seating for the "Pipeline Reading Series" - which are free and open to the public - is limited. To make reservations please call 212-255-3089 or visit playwrightsrealm.org.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!