29th Street Playwrights Collective To Present Staged Reading Of WINTER WHEAT

The 29th Street Playwright Collective’s 2025 New Works Series will present a staged reading of Winter Wheat by Michael Wells-Oakes on Monday, October 20, at 7:00 p.m. at the Attic Studio at The Tank (312 W. 36th Street, 6th Floor, between 8th & 9th Avenues). The reading will be directed by Suze Allen.

Set in 1951 America, Winter Wheat follows Miriam Britton, a wife and mother of two who hungers for challenge, acceptance, and autonomy. To rediscover herself, she defies patriarchal rule—and faces the consequences. A semi-finalist for the Risk Theater Modern Tragedy Competition, the play reimagines Euripides’ The Bacchae through a mid-century American lens, exploring questions of power, freedom, and faith.

The cast features Carole Forman* (Touch, Bring Them Back), Jane Ives* (Transgression, Gone Before Your Eyes), Eleanor Jackson* (The Neighborhood Theatre Project), Joel Ripka* (Behind the Sheet, NY Times Critic Pick), Jeanne Smith (We Have to Hurry, When Queens Collide), and Gus Gretzinger.

(Actors appear courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.)

Director Suze Allen’s work spans playwriting, dramaturgy, and performance across both coasts and internationally. Recent credits include the world premieres of Richard Fouts’ The Birthday Lottery (Z Space, San Francisco) and Roland Tec’s What We Get to Keep (Hill Arts, Portland, Maine).