New Perspectives Theatre Company To Present Benefit Reading to Support WOMEN’S WORK PROJECT

As part of the “16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence Against Women,” which began on White Ribbon Day and runs through Human Rights Day, NPTC will present a benefit reading of two short plays by Joanna Pickering,

The Endgame and Don’t Harm The Animals. The event begins at 7 p.m. and runs 70 minutes, followed by an informal talkback and refreshments. Tickets are $20 and available on Eventbrite or at the door.

“I am delighted to be able to raise funds for the Women's Work LAB that supported my plays and gave me a voice when I needed it most. The LAB gives space to women to develop female narrative stories that are usually silenced. My plays directly break down myths for women who have been assaulted and address the impact when you hold others accountable," said Joanna Pickering.

THE ENDGAME

The Endgame examines acquaintance rape and under-discussed issues on stage, taking place over a game of chess. The play was first developed and produced in the Women’s Work Short Play LAB at NPTC in 2022 and later sold out black box theaters in London and Paris in 2023. It has been described as “brutally, honest and intense.”

DON’T HARM THE ANIMALS

Don’t Harm The Animals follows the same character one year later and addresses PTSD, the lack of support shown to victims by peers, and the impact of secondary re-victimization. It premiered at The Chain Theater in 2023 in Pickering’s debut one-woman performance directed by Melody Brooks, where it was described as “scorching writing and a power house of a performance.” Both plays require a trigger warning.

CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM

The original casts from prior productions will return for the benefit evening. The Endgame will be performed by William Franke and Marie Eléna O’Brien, directed by Illana Stein, with Julia Colier joining the cast. Don’t Harm The Animals will be performed by Joanna Pickering and directed by Melody Brooks.

All proceeds will support the Women’s Work Short Play LAB, which is free for six writers each year. The LAB provides a development process guided by six director-dramaturgs and leads to production within six months. Writers create 20–30 minute plays written to an assigned theme, culminating in the annual August festival. Since 2008, 86 plays have been developed and produced in the LAB.

Joanna Pickering is a multi-award-winning British actress and playwright represented by 3 Arts Entertainment. She has sold out stages in New York City, London, and Paris, and her plays are available from The Drama Book Shop, Google Books, and Next Stage Press. Her works include Bad Victims, Cat and Mouse, Sylvie and Sly, and the award-winning Beach Break. This year she secured a three-play deal for her one-woman shows Crash Landing, Cease and Desist, and Laughing in the Dark, beginning off-Broadway in 2026. She holds a BSc in Pure Mathematics and is a member of The Actors Studio PDU, The Actors Gym, The International Center of Women Playwrights, and The League of Professional Theater Women. She has collaborated with U.N. campaigns and gender rights initiatives.

Melody Brooks is the founder and Artistic Director of NPTC and leads the Women’s Work Project. An award-winning producer, director, and dramaturg, she has worked in professional and educational theatre for 40 years. Her dramaturgy credits at NPTC include the 2025 multi-media production It CAN Happen Here: Hallie Flanagan and the Federal Theatre Project, How to Melt ICE by Amalia Oliva Rojas (Winner: 2024 LATA Award), and She Calls Me Firefly by Teresa Lotz (Winner: 2019 NY Innovative Theatre Award), as well as NPTC’s OOBR-winning productions of The Taming of the Shrew and JIHAD – The Play. Brooks has received honors from RhythmColor Associates, Speranza Theatre Company, and the League of Professional Theatre Women.

Illana Stein directed The Endgame in the 2022 Short Play LAB and returns for this benefit reading. Her international directing credits include Julius Caesar Tour for Hudson Valley Shakespeare and Hans & Sophie at Amphibian Stage, which received five DFW-critic awards. She has served as a guest director at NYU Tisch, Stella Adler, and The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute. Her associate directing credits include Tamburlaine the Great (TFANA), Pericles (TFANA), and Fingersmith (A.R.T.). She is a Drama League First Stage Residency recipient and a member of the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab.

NPTC is a multi-racial theatre company founded in 1991 and based in the Theatre District, with performances across New York City and internationally. Its mission is to develop and produce new plays and playwrights, especially women and people of color; to present classic plays in ways that address contemporary issues; and to extend theatre to communities in need.