Reading Theater Project to Present ONE BODY, 5/30-6/1

The Reading Theater Project will present an evening of theater, music, and dance inspired by local artist Pamela Shields' charcoal drawings. Performances will be at the GAPS Gallery Above Penn Square 128 North 5th Street, Reading, PA 19601 from Friday to Sunday, May 30, 31 and June 1, each night at 8pm. Tickets are $15, and parking is free in the Abraham Lincoln Garage.

The evening is comprised of short, personal performances written or compiled in response to Shields' large-scale charcoal drawings of "monumental, weighty figures, complete with cellulite and folds of fat, that confront and question what is considered 'acceptable' and 'normal'." Shields invited the Reading Theater Project to perform at her Ceres Gallery opening in New York City this winter. She said of the New York performance: "Each piece examined what is and isn't acceptable in a different way. The pieces went in unexpected directions, immediately capturing the audience. The performance became a continuation of my drawings - a part of the creative process."

The performers, Nathan Bellott, Christine Cieplinski, Rachel Degler, Joel Gori, Chris Heslop, Sue Lange, Jane Ney, and Amy Shea, are directed by Vicki Graff, who is also a performer and Artistic Director of the company. Each performer connected with a unique theme in Shields' work, ranging from acceptance of one's own body, to exploring sexuality, to aging and society's view of female sexuality. After each evening's performance, the audience will be invited to share reflections on the performance and visual art and talk with the artists about the process and product. Due to images and themes explored, this production is recommended for mature audiences.

As part of their mission, the Reading Theater Project is committed to creating new theater in Berks County. This particular project fulfills that mission by providing an opportunity and platform for theater artists to create and perform new work. It further develops our artistic community by collaborating with a visual artist.

The Reading Theater Project is multigenerational collective of performing artists who create new theater in Reading, PA. Since 2003, Reading Theater Project has given local professional performing artists an artistic home, with opportunities for collaboration, development, showcasing, and personal growth. For more information, please visit www.ReadingTheaterProject.com or call 484-706-9719.

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