Taming the Lion by Jack Rushen at Music Theatre of CT

TAMING THE LION is the true story of the contentious relationship between film mogel Louis B. Mayer and William Haines, the first openly gay actor in the studio system in the early 30's.

Jack recently won second place at the Las Vegas Little Theater for his comedy Haven’t Met You Yet (formerly Spring Chickens). He is a two-time semifinalist at the Eugene O’Neill Conference and won first place in the Julie Harris Playwriting Competition, sponsored by the Beverly Hills Theatre Guild, for Image, selected from more than 500 submissions. Image has been produced in Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, New York City, and Connecticut. Other full-length plays include Mitsvah, Taming the Lion, Chappy in Paradise, and What It Takes. An actor, director, and playwright with more than 30 years of experience in theatre, television, and film, Jack began his professional acting career in Michael Moriarty’s production of Richard III at the Kennedy Center. He is a member of Emerging Artists Theatre, the Writers Guild, Actors’ Equity Association, and SAG-AFTRA. His additional writing honors include first place in the East/West Theatre Festival and finalist recognition from the Arts and Letters Prize, Boston Theatre Festival, and Princeton Theatre Group.

MTC’s Reading Series returns! Experience exciting new works by local, Connecticut playwrights brought to life by Broadway and professional actors. This is your chance to see a show in its early stages of development before it moves on to larger productions at theatres across the country. Presented in MTC’s intimate space, each reading offers a close-up, immersive look at the creative process, followed by a talkback with the playwright.

Generously sponsored by THE BURRY FREDRIK FOUNDATION