COYOTE to Open 29th Street Playwrights Collective 10th Season

The 29th Street Playwright Collective NEW WORK SERIES 2026 opens its tenth season with a staged reading of COYOTE, by Maxine Kern, on Friday October 2 and Saturday October 3, 7pm, at The Actors Theatre Workshop.

In COYOTE, a transforming Spring Thaw reveals a hidden world in magical, mysterious ways when the human inhabitants confront the natural inhabitants in an invariable "standoff" with the appearance of a wounded Coyote. Gert and Sam, a couple now in their eighties, must decide for a future based on the messages the Coyote conveys.

Directed by Dennis Elkins, the 4 hander features Christina Britton* (Rose Marie: Light Opera of Manhattan), Chuck Willey* (Charles Bukowski's SOUTH OF NO NORTH) as Gert and Sam; with Jacob Harran* (BEYOND ENCOUNTERS at Teatro Circulo), Lucy McMichael* (MARCH MADNESS) and Isabel Ginsberg (THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST at Stone Circle Theatre. The Production Stage Manager is Jay Chacon.

Playwright Maxine Kern's plays include EMILY'S WILL and TOTEMS, based on the life of Canadian artist Emily Carr, workshopped by The Tempest Ladies/ Wild Banshees; DOSTOYEVSKY, a play about two sisters facing the magical unknown on a starry night, presented by Cosmic Orchid @ The Theater for the New City; and RED EMMA based on the life of social activist Emma Goldman, presented by Parity Productions. RED EMMA received an “Outstanding Playwriting” Award in the Global Connections Festivity. GLOBAL EXCURSIONS was performed at Bernie Wohl Theatre as part of 29PWC New Works Series in 2022. A professional dramaturg, Maxine was the Resident Dramaturg for The Negro Ensemble Theater Company, George Street Playhouse, and DiverseCity Theater Company.

Director Dennis Elkins focused much of his life on academic theatre for 25 years. He currently resides in New York (or his car). Directing credits include MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR and COMEDY OF ERRORS for New Mexico Shakes, JERSEY BOYS and COMPANY for Thingamajig, THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, SPRING AWAKENING in Colorado and LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST, THE LEARNED LADIES and LITTLE WOMEN elsewhere. Elkins is a certified Associate Teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework and created three original solo pieces celebrating the escapades of "mr. dennis" in the N TRILOGY: BOX, BAG and BLOOD. His latest work, SHAKESPEARE SHOWDOWN, won glowing accolades at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival this past August.

UPCOMING in the 29PWC New Works Series is MARSHLIGHT by Marthe Gold on Friday, November 6 and Monday, November 9, at 7pm at The Tank, 312 West 38th Street, 6th Floor, NYC

Followed by PARK SLOPE TRILOGY by Catherine Rogers, directed by Kathy Gail MacGowan, on November 13 & 14 at 7pm at The Actors Theatre Workshop, 145 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor.