The Theater Project To Host TWO BY TWO; Highlighting Two New Works By Gail Lou and Jim Benner

The Theater Project will continue its New Play Readings series with works by playwrights Gail Lou and Jim Benner on Saturday, September 19 at 2 p.m. at the Cranford Community Center in Cranford, New Jersey.

The program will feature Lou’s COUPLES CHAT which explores love languages and the mixed messages and missives of modern relationships. Also included is Benner’s HAPPY HOURS, a dark comedy following June and Jason as they drink their way through grief and regret following the death of a long-estranged friend. As the couple reflects on the man’s grieving widow and the state of their own marriage, the tangled relationships among the four gradually come into focus.

Gail Lou is a musician, musical director, actor and playwright whose previous credits with The Theater Project include Having Our Say, Crowns and The Actor’s Nightmare. She also co-authored the Billie Holiday-inspired one-woman show Billie and has received recognition from the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

Following a 34-year career in academia, Jim Benner turned his attention to playwriting. He has written 15 short plays and four full-length works, including American Dreaming, which received a staged production from The American Poetry Theater. His additional credits include The Bombing of Flint, Trumped, Black Lives and Gun Love. Benner is a member of the Dramatists Guild.

Each presentation will be followed by a discussion with the playwrights and audience, giving attendees an opportunity to participate in the development of the works.

The Theater Project’s New Play Readings are presented at 2 p.m. on the third Saturday of each month from September through November and January through May. The series is hosted by Friends of the Cranford Library with support from a Union County LAP Grant.

Admission is free and reservations are not required. Performances take place in the Cranford Community Center’s fully accessible, 110-seat theater, located at 220 Walnut Avenue in Cranford. Large-print programs and scripts are available with advance notice.