Reading Theater Project Presents Original Play MAY BE HONEST, Now thru 8/11

The Reading Theater Project has created an original production based on the life and trial of Susanna Cox, infamous for infanticide and her subsequent public hanging. Performances begin tonight, August 2, 2013 at 8pm at the TEA Factory (580 Willow Street, Reading PA) and run Friday, Saturday, and Sundays nights at 8pm through August 11.

The story of Susanna Cox has been told over and over in Berks County. Artistic Director Vicki Graff says this is what drew her to the story as a topic for a production, "Why are we still learning her story? Many women bore children out of wedlock, and some committed infanticide. We don't remember their names, but we do remember Susanna's. Why do we keep retelling her story?"

The play, created collaboratively by core members of the Reading Theater Project through research, brainstorming, improvisation, and group writing, deconstructs the well- told story of Susanna Cox. By examining Susanna Cox's life and trial and drawing modern parallels, they revitalize this old story and bring up questions about how information travels, how we treat those who are "invisible" in our society, and we tell stories.

The play also includes a section that deconstructs the theater experience: in the second act, audience members will be asked to leave their seats and explore different rooms and spaces in the TEA Factory. In each room they will see a different scene that explores a specific part of the whole story - how information travels, what Susanna thought while in jail, how gossip can change a story, and how those around us can change our stories. The audience may not see every part of every scene. "That's part of the experience," says Graff, "We want the experience of the audience to mimic what we know of Susanna's story - no one knows the whole story, and much of what we do know is based on the way someone else remembered the story."

The production boasts a cast of local professional and community actors, including students from local colleges. Joel Gori, founder of Reading Theater Project, directs.

The production is supported by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, and the Reading Musical Foundation. The Berks County Historical Society was a great support with research on the project, as were Corinne Earnest and Partricia Suter, authors of the book The Hanging of Susanna Cox and historians of the

Earnest Archives and Library in Delaware. Earnest and Suter will be present on opening night, August 2, to sign books and participate in an audience discussion after the performance.

To purchase a tickets upcoming event or for more information, go to ReadingTheaterProject.com or call 484-706-9719.

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, visit www.readingtheaterproject.com or call 484-706-9719.