Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series Presents EAST HAMPTON, LAST SUMMER, 11/3

'EAST HAMPTON, LAST SUMMER,' a new comedy with music by award-winning playwright Tony Finstrom, will be presented as a Staged Reading for one night only, at 7:30 PM on Monday, November 3rd, 2014, in Lynn University's Wold Performing Arts Center, as part of Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series. '

EAST HAMPTON, LAST SUMMER' tells the story of a retired opera star and her playwright companion who spend the summer of 1960 in the Long Island resort town of East Hampton, where they soon find themselves competing for social status in a snooty atmosphere.

"I have long been a "Luciaphile!," says Finstrom, referring to the 1920s-30s 'Mapp & Lucia' series of books by E. F. Benson, about Emmeline "Lucia" Lucas and Elizabeth Mapp.

"For the last thirty years I've wanted to write a play that spoofs these books, resetting them in The Hamptons, in more modern times," he says. "And this play reading series has allowed me to, at last, give it a go. But, as it happens, 'EAST HAMPTON, LAST SUMMER' has actually turned into quite a different animal. Still, a bit of Mapp and Lucia are in there, somewhere. I hope."

Directed by Wayne Rudisill, the cast includes Jan McArt, Iris Acker, Michael McKeever, Jay Stuart, Jeffrey Bruce, Beth Holland and Shari Upbin.

Finstrom's plays include 'LARGER-THAN-LIFE' (The Public Theatre of South Florida), 'AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, OR THE FAMOUS TRAGIC HISTORY OF LADY JANE GREY' (Footlights Inc Theatre Company; winner of City Link's 2001 Best Play Award, and a 2001 Carbonell Award Nomination for Best New Work), and 'KNISH ALLEY!' (Broward Stage Door; winner of Palm Beach Dramaworks' 2006 Playwright's Festival Best Play Award.)

Jan McArt, the "First Lady of Florida Theatre," is in charge of theatre development at Lynn University, where this fully staged reading will be the first in a series of staged readings presented this fall/winter/spring as part of 'Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series,' to develop new plays and musicals by Florida playwrights.

An ambitious, award-winning program, this play reading series gives playwrights the chance to work with a cast and a director for six days - rehearsing, re-writing, rehearsing, rewriting. Then, at the end of that time, they present their new, polished, reworked piece to the public in performance, with actors up-on-their-feet, scripts in hand, employing minimal costumes, sets, lighting, etc., to aid them in the presentation of the new work.

Upcoming shows to be presented in this 2014-15 play reading series at Lynn University include: 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' - a new dramedy by Michael McKeever, directed by Andy Rogow, January 12th, 2015; 'OUR TIME' - a new musical with book and lyrics by Dan Clancy and music by Lynn Portas, directed by Wayne Rudisill,March 9th, 2015; and 'MIRA' - a new play by Michael Leeds, directed by John Manzelli, April 20th, 2015.

Tickets for these Staged Readings are $10 each. For more information, call 561-237-9000 or go to www.lynn.edu/tickets.

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