Kyra Sedgwick and More To Star in THE DEMAND OF AVARICE as Part of Cherry Lane Alternative Relaunch
The reading is part of the Cherry Lane Alternative relaunch, featuring a new iteration of works in progress and artist mentorships, following a six-year hiatus.
Cherry Lane Alternative is relaunching month with a new iteration of works in progress and artist mentorships, following a six-year hiatus, under the new leadership of Mary Geerlof as Artistic Director. Founded in 1997 by Angelina Fiordellisi, Cherry Lane Alternative's mission is to support playwrights and small theater companies whose programs uplift emerging writers, enhancing our culture’s literary landscape and, consequently, the future of American drama.
Cherry Lane Alternative separated from the Cherry Lane Theatre after the venue was acquired by the indie film studio A24, allowing the Alternative to continue its cultural development into the future. Cherry Lane Alternative’s programming includes the Obie Award-winning Mentor Project, the Tongues reading series, and various programs and grants that support emerging artists and new works.
The Tongues reading series, named in honor of director Joseph Chaikin and playwright Sam Shepard’s Cherry Lane play of the same name, relaunches with a staged reading of The Demand of Avarice, written by Matthew McLachlan, directed by David Zayas Jr., and co-presented by Clayton Howe of Roxedge Entertainment. The reading will be held Monday, April 27th at 7:00pm at The Clark Studio Theater at Lincoln Center (Samuel B. & David Rose Building, 165 West 65th Street). The cast stars Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winner Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer), Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), David Zayas (“Dexter”), and Screen Actor Guild Award winner Garret Dillahunt (“Raising Hope,” 12 Years a Slave). Casting is by Caparelliotis Casting / David Caparelliotis, CSA and Joe Gery. The reading will be general managed by Ampersand Theatrical Management. A reception will follow the reading. In The Demand of Avarice, the world’s three richest billionaires are kidnapped by a masked vigilante who demands a price their wealth cannot meet.
Cherry Lane Alternative is in development on Remember Me Remember by Lisa Ramirez and Esai’s Table by Nathan Yungerberg.
Cherry Lane Alternative’s Mentor Project is the Obie-Award Winning legacy program dedicated to launching the next generation of American dramatists. Mentor Project engages leading playwrights in one-on-one mentoring relationships with early-career writers. Over the course of a season, mentors guide their writers through the challenging process of new play development—from readings, rewrites, and casting, through rehearsals and performance. The program culminates in fully-staged productions, following the core belief that there is no better teacher for a playwright than experiencing a play as it was intended: in living, luminous shape on stage, in the company of an audience.
Previous Cherry Lane Alternative mentor & mentee pairings have included: Lina Patel & David Henry Hwang, Jocelyn Bioh & Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Nathan Yungerberg & Stephen Adly Guirgis, Antoinette Nwandu & Katori Hall, C.A. Johnson & Martyna Majok, Kate Cortesi & Anne Washburn, Rajiv Joseph & Theresa Rebeck, Jen Silverman & Lynn Nottage, and Bridgette Wimberly & Wendy Wasserstein. For a complete list of past Cherry Lane Alternative mentor/mentee pairings, please visit clalt.org.
For more information, please visit clalt.org.
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