The Baltimore Playwrights Festival Presents Play Reading Marathon, 1/14

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival (www.baltplayfest.org) kicks off the New Year, and our
31st Season with a public play-reading marathon to take place on Saturday, 14 January at The Strand Theater, 1823 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, (443) 874-4917, www.strand-theater.org. Beginning at 11:00 a.m. plays to be read are The Milwood Elementary School PTA by Sharon Goldner, directed by Steve Goldklang, followed at 1:00 p.m. by Shana Unsettled by Ronda Cooperstein, directed by Terry Moritz, and at 3:00 p.m. by Following Sarah by Rich Espey, directed by Josh Shoemaker. After each reading there will be a discussion of the script with the playwright, director and actors. The event is free, and the general public is encouraged to attend.

The premise of The Milwood Elementary School PTA, by Sharon Goldner, is that at the heart
of every elementary school lies the PTA (the Parent/Teacher Association), and Milwood
Elementary School is no different. Typically, PTAs are responsible for bake sales, candy sales,
and sponsoring a feel-good sentiment for its school. It is a way for parents to volunteer and
feel like they are a part of their children's education. But get a bunch of estrogen card-carrying
members together who are power hungry, bitch-wielding broads, and you have the behind-the-
scenes antics at Milwood Elementary School's PTA. Funny, smart, absurd, and scary, don't
cross these women unless you have eyes in the back of your head!

Sharon Goldner's award-winning plays have been produced by: Manhattan Repertory Theatre;
NYC Short Play Lab; Run of the Mill Theater; and The Women's Theatre Project. Readings
have been conducted at: Strand Theater; NYC Downtown Urban Theater Festival; Baltimore
Playwrights Festival; and Avatar Theater. Sharon is a member of Dramatists Guild, and is a 3-
time Pushcart Prize nominee.

In Shana Unsettled, by Ronda Cooperstein, Shana's warrior husband, Michael, has been killed
in battle and she now lives alone in the house he built on confiscated land. Feeling emotionally
abandoned and finding no comfort in her zealous settler community, she begins to question her
faith and identity. Two elderly peasants living on the fringes prick her conscience and force her
to make life-changing choices.

Ronda Cooperstein is a librarian, human and animal rights activist, and storyteller. She lives in
Baltimore with her family and works part-time as a prison librarian and as a substitute teacher/
librarian in Baltimore County schools. She has had several plays produced over the years, and
is grateful to all who have kindly supported her efforts as a playwright.

Following Sarah, by Rich Espey, is a play about young women coming to terms with the death

of a schoolmate. Sarah Gardner won the State Cross Country championship last season
and immediately jumped off a bridge to her death. Nearly a year later, her three surviving
teammates Maddy, Julia and Kat, who still attend Thwaite Academy, a boarding school full of
high achievers, receive an email from Sarah at the start of their senior season. Still deep in
school-sponsored denial about Sarah's suicide, the three survivors refuse to discuss or view this
chilling intrusion. Instead, they each pursue more strongly the self-destructive paths they first
embarked upon when they failed to accept Sarah's suicide. Kenya, a new student who's been
housed in Sarah's former room, starts probing for information about the mysterious Sarah and
consequently forces the three survivors to each begin a journey towards acceptance. Maddy,
Julia and Kat each eventually manage to open Sarah's email, acknowledge the truth, reveal
their fear and guilt, and ultimately correct their behaviors and successfully mourn the loss of
their friend.

Rich Espey’s plays have been produced throughout the United States. Recent highlights include
Rice Futures at the 2010 Source Festival and Three Andys produced by Single Carrot Theatre
at the Baltimore Museum of Art. His award-winning play Hope’s Arbor was produced by Gallery
Players in New York City in June, 2008. Rich is a two time winner of the Carol Weinberg
Award for best play at the Baltimore Playwrights Festival. He is a D.C./Baltimore Regional co-
representative of the Dramatists Guild, a member of DC’s Playwrights Gymnasium and the
Playwrights Group of Baltimore, has served as Chair of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival and
is currently the President of the Board of Single Carrot Theatre. Rich proudly teaches science
at The Park School of Baltimore. Check out samples of his work and a production history at
www.richespey.net.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has presented 273 scripts by 165 playwrights, produced
by 25 different companies, over the past 30 Years. Our mission is to provide an environment
that nurtures the talents of Maryland and DC playwrights through public readings, discussions,
critiques and workshopping of new plays. Our summer season is devoted to the presentation of
these newly developed works in cooperation with local area theaters. Further information can
be found at www.baltplayfest.org.

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