Eagle Theatre Highlights Local Playwright In Annual New Works Development Series

Eagle Theatre once again presents the New Works Development Series, which works to nurture local playwrights, while featuring professional actors and offering patrons an intimate experience with original work in its infancy.

As part of this series, Eagle Theatre will be presenting a staged reading of These Walls by local playwright, and soon to be Rowan University alumna, Salma Elwy. The reading will feature a cast of 7, and be directed by Anna Sorrentino. The staged reading will take place on April 3rd @ 6:00 PM at the Eagle's historic downtown Hammonton venue, and is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance's Stages Festival, the state's largest annual theatre festival, which provides free and discounted theatre events for all ages throughout the months of March, April, and May.

Tickets to this event are free, but can be reserved online at eagletheatre.org or by calling 609-704-5012 x. 1 between 10 am and 4 pm Monday-Friday. Following the reading, there will be a talkback with the creative team and cast, with light refreshments provided. Donations will be accepted on behalf of the playwright's chosen charity: the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (https://www.pcrf.net).

Two stories told two decades apart, These Walls is about a mother and daughter who grapple with their identities and loneliness during pivotal moments in each of their lives. In the present day, struggling to come to terms with a sudden death, Layla moves into her mother's childhood bedroom and grows increasingly hysterical trying to uncover pieces of who her mom once was. Meanwhile, in 1999, Nadine, Layla's mother, is desperate to grow up and get away from her traditional Arab-immigrant parents, but an unplanned pregnancy changes everything.

Eagle Theatre's New Works Development Series remains a critical component of the company's annual programming, an opportunity to elevate bold new voices in the state and give audiences a glimpse into the work it takes to get a new play from page to stage. Angela Longo, producing artistic director, shares her perspective on the New Works Development Series: "Having the opportunity to hear a play read aloud by a cast of professional actors is a pivotal experience for playwrights before their play hits the stage. Once actors give voice to the characters, it can allow the playwright to visualize the story they've penned and can encourage them to continue forward with the development, or hopefully, the production of their work. We're very excited to see where Salma's play goes after this process!"

These Walls is a part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2022 Stages Festival, made possible by support from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey; OceanFirst Foundation; New Jersey Historical Commission. The Stages Festival offers over 70 in-person and online performances, workshops, classes, and events at theatres, libraries, and other community venues throughout the state. The program was developed to encourage New Jersey's residents to attend their local professional theatres by making the experience affordable, accessible, and fun. A full calendar of events is available at njtheatrealliance.org/stages.

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