Stephanie Styles and More Will Lead Reading of New Play SPARKLER

Sparkler, a new play by Erik Champney (Dead Brains), will receive an industry reading tonight, Monday, October 27th at 6:15pm at 25 Columbus Circle, directed by Ryan Dobrin (The Last Five Years).

The cast of Sparkler stars Michael J. Burg (“Orange Is The New Black”, The Actors Studio member), Theatre World Award recipient Stephanie Styles (Kiss Me, Kate; Apple TV’s “Loot”), Cameron Forster, and Daniel Mitura (Launch at Paradise), with stage directions read by Kate Flanagan.

Hollywood, 1964: Clayton Boyd (Mitura) is America’s favorite movie star and every woman’s fantasy. For years, studio moguls have maintained an aggressive publicity campaign to promote the unstoppable power of Clayton’s masculinity. They’ve even provided him with the perfect wife, cherished television icon Carol Hayes (Styles). Behind the scenes, Clayton nurtures a wild love affair with Jack Halpon (Forster), a former Mouseketeer with radical politics and big ideas. This flock of celebrity royals is governed by talent agent Henry Willson (Burg), whose methods of persuasion have become frighteningly draconian. The time has come for Clayton, Carol, and Jack to escape this counterfeit kingdom. Their newfound defiance is stirring up ample friction to light a fuse that could galvanize an explosion hot enough to melt the silver off every screen in Tinseltown. A mouthwatering soufflé, served with razor blades, Sparkler uncovers the corrupt dynasty of a tyrannical studio system, guarded by structures of tarnished metal once known as The Golden Age of Hollywood.

“Through the lens of 1964, on the heels of the Civil Rights Act and mere breaths away from the total transformation of America, the play speaks to the urgent call of truthful identity in the here and now. It was important not to bind myself to the biographies of actors from the past,” said playwright Erik Champney. “I didn't want to tell Rock Hudson's story. I wanted to tell the story. The legacy of gay men who were suffocated by studios, agents, and the expectations of society. All of this continues to this day. The characters, except for Henry Willson, may be fictional, but I think audiences will believe in them. I sure as hell do.”

For more information and to inquire about attending, please email sparklerreading@gmail.com.