HOUSE RULES To Have Staged Reading With The Theater Project
Jack McGrath’s House Rules, a play inspired by The Odyssey, will have free staged reading.
The Theater Project’s 2026 New Play Readings series will present a staged reading of Jack McGrath’s House Rules, a play inspired by The Odyssey.
House Rules tells the story of Bobby Ray, who has walked across the United States to return home in an effort to come to terms with a family tragedy. The problem: He’s ten years too late. Located in a Florida trailer park, the home Bobby goes back to is full of dark secrets that nobody in the family wants to face or even remember. Bobby, however, is determined to reconstruct the night the tragedy took place so he can absolve himself of guilt.
“I’ve just moved to New Jersey from Florida, where I was involved in writing and producing new plays for many years with quite a few theaters,” said McGrath. “I was thrilled to find The Theater Project and immediately joined the playwriting workshop. Even though I had been working on House Rules for a while, it was really refreshing to get such insightful feedback from the group.”
Commenting on the New Play Readings series, Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project, said “The discussions after the readings are always lively, frank, and respectful Audiences gain insight into what’s involved in creating and producing a play. At the same time, playwrights find out immediately how their new work is received.”
The Friends of the Cranford Library will host the series. The reading will take place on Saturday, May 16 at 2pm, at Cranford Community Center’s theater, located at 220 Walnut Avenue. Admission is free, with no registration required. Following the reading, the audience will be able to have conversation with the playwright, cast, and director.
