THE BOY KING IN QUEENS Readings to be Presented by The Leah Ryan Fund

The Leah Ryan Fund will present upcoming readings of Tammy Ryan's The Boy King In Queens, winner of the first Boost Commission grant and the play which inspired it, The Wire by Leah Ryan. The readings will take place on Monday May 19th at Shares at La Mama in the Downstairs Theatre at 4pm (The Wire) and 7pm (The Boy King In Queens). Directing The Boy King In Queens is Jessi Hill (the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle-nominated Small) and The Wire will be directed by Dev Bondarin & Ed Cheetham (Associate Artistic Director of Prospect Musicals and Producing Director of Powerhouse Theater at Vassar respectively).

Tammy Ryan's play The Boy King In Queens centers around the transport of the “Treasures of Tutankhamun” exhibit of 1978 into the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Told from the point of view of the working-class family whose patriarch is the Teamster truck driver responsible for moving the artifacts into the museum, the play explores themes of family, class, and the collisions between generations both contemporary and ancient.

The Boy King In Queens was inspired by Leah Ryan's The Wire which is about a family of high wire circus act performers all of whom, at one time or another have had “the dream,” the nightmare really, about being up on the high wire in front of thousands of people. In the dream, you start to fall. Then everyone else starts to fall. And then you wake up. Or else, you don't. And if you manage to survive, perhaps even the simple act of setting foot on the floor will seem impossible.

Leah Ryan Fund Board member Cusi Cram shares that “The Boost was created to shine a light on women, trans, and non-binary playwrights who are in the middle of their careers. While many development opportunities exist for emerging writers, there are far fewer resources available to mid-career playwrights who have spent years honing their craft often producing their most vital and accomplished work. We could not be more thrilled to support Tammy Ryan, whose buoyant, incisive, and hilarious voice captivated the selection committee. Her unique sensibility and depth of vision make us eager to see the play she will write in conversation with Leah Ryan's play The Wire.”

Tammy Ryan shared, “I am grateful for the financial support of this commission and for the inspiration Leah Ryan's work provided me. The Wire gave me permission to conceive The Boy King In Queens in a very intuitive and personal way. Engaging with Leah's work helped me to trust my own process.”

Tammy Ryan is a resident playwright of New Dramatists and the inaugural recipient of the Leah Ryan Fund's Boost Commission Award 2024. Her work has been performed, commissioned, and developed across the United States and internationally at such theaters as: The Alliance Theater, Barter Theatre, City Theater, Florida Stage, Marin Theater, People's Light, Pittsburgh Public Theater, Portland Stage and Theatre Lab, among others. Honors include the ATCA's Francesca Primus Prize for Lost Boy Found in Whole Foods (Premiere Stages), and the AATE'S Distinguished New Play Award for The Music Lesson (Prime Stage). Other works include Seven Cousins For A Horse (Thrown Stone Theater), Molly's Hammer (Repertory Theater of St. Louis), Tar Beach (Luna-Stage/">Luna Stage), and Soldier's Heart (Pittsburgh Playhouse). She is grateful for the support her work has received from the National New Play Network, New Harmony Project, Sewanee Writers Conference, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, The Heinz Endowments, and The Pittsburgh Foundation. The Boy King In Queens was also supported by a Bogliasco Foundation fellowship and developed in PlayTime at New Dramatists. For more information: www.tammyryanplays.com    

The Leah Ryan Fund helps sustain and support writers facing individual challenges and systemic oppression so they can keep writing, connecting, creating, and thriving. The Fund currently offers an annual playwriting prize (The Leah) and an annual award for writers facing a serious illness (The Vladimir), and the newly created commission (The Boost).