The Theater Project to Launch Fall New Play Readings Series With TWO BY TWO
Gail Lou and Jim Benner will present original short plays in a series hosted by the Friends of the Cranford Library.
The Theater Project will launch its Fall 2026 New Play Readings series at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, at Cranford Community Center's 110-seat theater. Admission is free, with no registration required. The Friends of the Cranford Library will host the series, which is made possible in part through a Union County Local Arts Grant. The Cranford Community Center is located at 220 Walnut Avenue.
“Think of it as a sneak preview of what may someday be a fully produced play,” said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. “It's like being invited to sit in on a rehearsal. The actors carry scripts as they perform and move from scene to scene. The post-reading discussions are always interesting and exciting, not only for the audience, but also for the playwrights. The conversations allow audiences a rare opportunity to contribute to the development of a dramatic work. Likewise, the discussions give the playwrights immediate insight into how their work is received.”
The September 19 program, titled Two by Two, will feature the following short plays:.
- Couples Chat by Gail Lou, explores the multiple languages of love. “I wrote this piece to preserve some of the funniest conversations my husband and I have had over the course of 42 years of marriage,” she said. Gail Lou is also an actor, a musician, composer, and musical director. Her acting credits with The Theater Project include Having Our Say, Crowns, and The Actor's Nightmare.
- Happy Hours by Jim Benner, a dark comedy in which two characters, June and Jason, drink their way through grief and regrets about the death of a long-estranged friend, about his grieving widow, about their own marriage, and mostly, about the tangled relationships among the four of them. “There's grim humor in how people's romantic and marital lives can get so tangled,” Benner said. After 34 years in academia, Benner retired and dedicated himself to writing plays. His one-act play Gulls was selected for the Emerging Playwrights Competition of the Phillips' Mill Community Association in New Hope, PA. He is a member of Dramatists Guild of America.
After the readings, audience members will have the opportunity to offer feedback to the playwrights. Large-print programs and scripts are available with advance request.
Founded in 1994 and based in Union, The Theater Project introduces New Jersey audiences to new plays and supports rising playwrights and theater artists. It develops new audiences for theater by service to the community, providing programs for children, and using theater as a forum to address current issues.
Prefer BroadwayWorld in Google Search?
|
Jessica Vosk Mayo Performing Arts Center (9/18-9/18) |
|
What the Constitution Means to Me Pioneer Productions Company/Morris Museum (9/19-9/20) |
|
The Lost Virginity Tour Barn Theatre (9/18-10/04) |
|
Yamato Drummers of Japan State Theatre New Jersey (1/31-1/31) |
|
The Rocky Horror Picture Show with Barry Bostwick State Theatre New Jersey (10/03-10/03) |
|
Golden Girls The Laughs Continue Mayo Performing Arts Center (10/10-10/10) VIDEOS |
|
Mozart & Ravel Richardson Auditorium (1/08-1/08) |
|
Gil Shaham Plays Dvořák Mayo Performing Arts Center (2/21-2/21) |
|
Joshua Bell Leads Beethoven New Jersey Performing Arts Center (3/13-3/13) |
|
New Jersey Ballet -- Ballet Insider Morris Museum (10/04-10/04) |