Blank Theatre's Living Room Series Kicks Off 28th Season

The Blank Theatre's Living Room Series will begin its 28th season with a benefit evening on Monday, September 17, with the reading of a new musical, Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story?. With book by Vanessa Claire Stewart, lyrics by Brendan Milburn and Stewart, and music by Milburn, Nathan C. Jones will feature Amir Levi and will be directed by Daniel Henning.

Nathan C. Jones: A Love Story? is a one-man musical told through a series of conversations Nathan has with himself over the course of his 'love' story with Chad. The conversations are all sung, with varying tempos and styles, while the audience watches Nathan's evolution of blossoming love turning ... extremely sour. With a running time of 60 minutes, Nathan C. Jones explores the pathos of one slightly deranged man as he fosters, then misinterprets, then destroys the relationship of which he's always dreamed.

A reception will immediately follow the performance, providing an opportunity for audience members to mingle with the actor, writers, and director and learn more about the LRS initiative. Since 1991, The Blank Theatre has developed over 600 new plays and emerging playwrights in the LRS series of staged readings.

Now in its 28th year, The Living Room Series is a new play development program that embodies The Blank's commitment to developing new work by diverse voices from both established and emerging writers. Submissions by women, playwrights of color, and other under-represented voices are strongly encouraged. The Blank is firmly committed to supporting gender parity and diversity. The Living Room Series (LRS) takes place on Monday evenings at the 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood between Labor Day and Memorial Day. LRS offers a week-long rehearsal process for the playwright, director, and actors to explore and refine the play before presenting it to an audience. The performances are minimally staged, with actors carrying scripts, and are a wonderful opportunity for the playwright to get a sense of the play's full potential.

The Blank's 2nd Stage Theatre is located at 6500 Santa Monica Boulevard (at Wilcox), in Hollywood, 90038. Admission to this benefit evening is $25. Reservations may be made online at theblank.com/livingroomseries or by phone at (323) 661-9827.