Premiere Stages to Present Free Public Readings of 2015 Play Festival Finalists

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has announced its four finalists for the 2015 Premiere Stages Play Festival, and will offer free public readings of the plays by professional actors during its 11th Annual Spring Readings Series. The readings will take place Thursday, March 19 through Saturday, March 21 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, March 22 at 3:00 pm in the Zella Fry Theatre, located in Vaughn Eames Hall on Kean's central campus (1000 Morris Avenue, Union, N.J.).

This year's readings will feature the following finalists: Great Kills by Kate Cortesi, a recipient of the 2014 Princess Grace Playwriting Award and Columbia University's Karen Brownstein Award; Redeemed by Keli Goff, a current columnist for The Daily Beast and staff writer on the hit television series, "Being Mary Jane"; The People Before the Park by Keith Josef Adkins, a co-founder of The New Black Fest, a theatre organization dedicated to new and provocative playwriting, music and discussion from the African Diaspora; and Halftime with Don by Ken Weitzman, whose previous productions include The Catch (Denver Center Theatre Company), Fire in the Garden (Indiana Repertory Theatre), The As If Body Loop (Humana Festival), Arrangements (Atlantic Theatre Company), and Spin Moves (The Summer Play Festival). One new play will be read by professional actors at each performance, and the public is encouraged to actively participate in the new play development process through post-reading dialogues with the writers. Patrons are also afforded the opportunity to provide written evaluations.

The Premiere Stages Play Festival is an annual competition for unproduced scripts that offers developmental opportunities to playwrights born or currently residing in the greater metropolitan area (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut). Four finalist plays are selected from more than 400 submissions, given professional readings and considered for expanded development as part of the Premiere Stages 2015 Season. One of the four plays will be selected for an Actors' Equity Association (AEA) staged reading in June, and the most promising play will be awarded a fully produced AEA production in September. All of the finalists also receive cash awards ranging from $500 to $2000.

The schedule for the March events is as follows:

Thursday, March 19th at 7pm - Great Kills by Kate Cortesi

A high school achiever's college application reveals a secret from her past, sending her Staten Island family into a tailspin. But is this ambitious young woman traumatized by violence, as her essay claims, or by a culture of achievement that has trained her to market herself at any cost?

Friday, March 20th at 7pm - Redeemed by Keli Goff

In the years before the same-sex marriage revolution begins sweeping the nation, Avery Jackson surprises her family and friends by quitting her job at a New York law firm to try to help elect the first openly gay candidate to Congress. In addition to the bruising political campaign, Avery finds herself at odds with her father, who is one of the South's most prominent anti-gay pastors.

Saturday, March 21st at 7pm - The People Before the Park by Keith Josef Adkins

1857. New York City. A hard-working man and his son live in a respectful African-American community called Seneca Village. However, their solitude and safe haven are threatened when the City decides to remove the community from their homes to create the world-renowned Central Park.

Sunday, March 22nd at 3pm - Halftime with Don by Ken Weitzman

Retired NFL player Don Devers has had over thirty surgeries, experiences violent outbursts, and relies on a blizzard of yellow Post-It notes to offset his ravaged memory. When a longtime fan appears at his doorstep, Don seeks to salvage his life with a single act of heroic self-sacrifice.

The heart of Premiere Stages' mission, the Play Festival has quickly become known for being a launch pad for regional dramatists. Numerous plays developed through the Festival have been published, subsequently produced in New York and regionally, and honored by the American Theatre Critics Association.

"We are very excited to share with the public four uniquely compelling and thought-provoking new plays. Premiere Stages is committed to providing topical plays the attention they deserve while they are still relevant. By engaging in talk-backs with the writers and providing written evaluations, our patrons are afforded the opportunity to play an important role in the developmental process," stated John J. Wooten, producing artistic director of Premiere Stages.

Admission and parking for the Spring Reading Series is free. As seating is limited, reservations are highly recommended; please call 908-737-4092 or email premiere@kean.edu to reserve. For more information, please visit www.kean.edu/premierestages.

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