WAM Theatre Sets Cast for Final 2015 Fresh Takes Reading

WAM Theatre has announced the cast for the final offering in the 2015 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, The Effect by Lucy Prebble, directed by Kristen van Ginhoven, co-founder and Artistic Director of WAM Theatre. This second year of Fresh Takes - contemporary plays written by women and focusing on the unique stories of women and girls - has proven as popular as the sold-out 2014 inaugural season with the first four readings selling out. This final reading is also expected to sell out so all ticket buyers are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance.

WAM Theatre will present the reading on Sunday, September 13 at 3:00 p.m. at No. Six Depot Roastery and Café, 6 Depot Street in West Stockbridge, MA.

The cast of The Effect includes Tim Dugan (Associate Artistic Director/Director of Education of Saratoga Shakespeare Company, Doubt with Oldcastle Theatre Company) as Dr. Toby Sealey; Yvonne Perry (The God Game at Gulfshore Playhouse, Capital Rep & Hudson Stage) as Dr. Lorna James; Enrico Spada (Founder & Artistic Director, Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park, The Liar, Shakespeare & Company) as Tristan; and Kristyn Youngblood (They Built America: The Workers of the Erie Canal, Capital Rep) as Connie. For detailed information on the cast go to: http://www.wamtheatre.com/the-effect/

"This cast represents both the strongest established and up-and-coming actors from the Capital Region theatre scene," van Ginhoven said. "Yvonne Perry, one of the region's most sought after actors, is returning to work with us again, while Tim Dugan and Kristyn Youngblood are making their WAM debuts. Enrico Spada is an integral part of the WAM Team as our graphic designer, and is well known to Berkshire audiences through his work with Shakespeare & Company, and Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park, which he founded. We are excited to gather them together to present this intriguing script written by Lucy Prebble, a finalist for the 2013-2014 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, which garnered the Critics' Circle Award for Best Play."

In this clinical romance, two young volunteers, Tristan and Connie, agree to take part in a experimental drug trial. Succumbing to the gravitational pull of attraction and love they manage to throw the trial off-course, much to the frustration of the clinicians involved. This funny, moving and perhaps surprisingly human play explores questions of sanity, neurology and the limits of medicine. WAM Theatre presents this vibrant theatrical exploration of fate, loyalty and the inevitability of physical attraction.

"I read this play last year in one sitting and it has stayed with me," van Ginhoven explained. "The scientific debate around mental health, medication and it's effects are as interesting to explore as the human relationships and examining how we love. This play stretches me as a director and I'm excited to explore it with this wonderful cast in this Fresh Takes reading."

The Effect is the fifth and final presentation in the 2015 Fresh Takes Play Reading Series, curated by WAM Theatre's Artistic Associate Molly Clancy, which gives a stage to ground-breaking works - which have been successfully presented elsewhere but are new to our Berkshire audiences - that tell women's stories. Featuring local established and emerging actors and directors, the series explores the work of provocative contemporary voices. The series includes a post-reading discussion and will encourage feedback on which plays audience members would like to see WAM Theatre produce. Find out more about the series at http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015

There are only 25 tickets available for this reading. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or going online to http://www.wamtheatre.com/fresh-takes-play-reading-series-2015. Due to the limited availability, advance booking is highly recommended. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the café prior to the reading, which will begin in the gallery at 3:00 p.m.

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