Kairos Italy Theater Announces The First Edition Of The Italian American Playwrights Reading Series

Kairos Italy Theater, the main Italian theater company in New York, in partnership with the Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies and Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, announced the first edition of The Italian American Playwrights Reading Series.

This new initiative celebrates contemporary Italian American voices by presenting staged readings of unproduced plays that explore the depth, diversity, and complexity of the Italian American experience.

Selected from 92 submissions, the five featured plays-some full-length and some one-acts-reflect the richness and diversity of Italian American storytelling.

KIT Artistic Director Laura Caparrotti shared: "We were overwhelmed by the many submissions for this very first edition. We knew there was a void to be filled for Italian American Playwrights, and we're thrilled to see how much talent is out there. We plan to grow this series in the coming years."

Reading Schedule

November 17, 2025 - 6:30 PM - Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, NYU
An Accidental Murder? by Diana Grillo

December 1, 2025 - 6:00 PM - Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies
The Rules by Domenick Scudera

March 23, 2026 - 6:00 PM - Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies
Loving Crazy by Theresa Carilli and Lifting the Veil by Maria Brandt

March 30, 2026 - 6:00 PM - Calandra Institute for Italian American Studies
Five Degrees Above Polaris by Karen Howes

About the Plays and Playwrights

An Accidental Murder? by Diana Grillo
Adapted from her award-winning short story, *An Accidental Murder?_ explores the hardships and prejudice faced by Italian Americans and how these pressures can erupt into violence.

Diana Grillo is an award-winning author and playwright whose short story collection An Accidental Murder and Other Stories won the 2021 Firebird Book Award. Her plays have been featured at The Theatre Artists Studio in Scottsdale, AZ, and her 10-minute play The Package was produced in the Studio's Summer Shorts. She is a member of the Arizona Authors' Association, Theatre Artists Studio, and the Dramatists Guild.

The Rules by Domenick Scudera
A sharp, funny, and heartfelt drama about two estranged brothers-one a Long Island mechanic, the other a successful drag performer-reunited for their mother's funeral. Their car ride home becomes a reckoning with tradition, masculinity, and unconditional love.

Domenick Scudera is a playwright, director, and performer based in Philadelphia. A Professor of Theater at Ursinus College, he has written numerous plays produced across the United States. His work often explores queerness, family, and identity. Scudera was born and raised in Massapequa, NY, to Sicilian and Barese parents.

Lifting the Veil by Maria Brandt
When Silvana goes to confession to reconcile a rift with her granddaughter, she is visited by the "ghost" of Jane Addams, forcing her to confront what she's forgotten through assimilation. The play reflects on memory, loss, and the immigrant experience.

Maria Brandt is a writer, playwright, and educator whose work has appeared in Arts & Letters, VIDA, and Cleaver. Her collection New York Plays was produced by Out of Pocket Theatre, and her novella All the Words won the Grassic Short Novel Prize. She teaches Creative Writing at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY.

Loving Crazy by Theresa Carilli
A powerful exploration of sisterhood and mental illness through the lens of Italian American family dynamics, this play examines how assimilation and cultural expectations shape identity and understanding within families.

Theresa Carilli, PhD, is Professor Emerita of Communication and Creative Arts at Purdue University Northwest. A prolific scholar and playwright, she has edited numerous books on media and culture, and her plays have been produced internationally. Her recent works include Performative Memoir and Intersectional Media: Representations of Marginalized Identities (Lexington Books, 2021).

Five Degrees Above Polaris by Karen Howes
Set in 1847, this witty historical comedy follows American astronomer Maria Mitchell as she travels to Rome to claim credit for discovering a comet-only to find herself caught in an Italian uprising, tangled with priests, professors, and passionate revolutionaries. Five Degrees Above Polaris blends science, faith, and Italian spirit in a story about recognition, resilience, and transformation.

Karen Howes is an award-winning playwright and lyricist whose works have been produced nationwide. Winner of the Bennett Prize for Best Comedy and the Mach33 New Science-Driven Play Award, she writes with heart, humor, and intellect. Her plays have been finalists for over two dozen national competitions, including the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Woodward/Newman Constellation Prize.

For more information and updates, visit www.kitheater.com