Philadelphia Theatre Company Hosts Free Reading In Its Stages Series 10/10

Philadelphia Theatre Company, the city's premier producer of new American theatre, reaffirms its commitment to supporting new plays by American Playwrights with its STAGES series, a new play reading series, beginning Monday, October 19 at 7PM at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets) during the run of its current production, Humor Abuse starring Lorenzo Pisoni. The opening program will be a reading of Silverhill by Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons, directed by Richard Corley, who has directed PTC's mainstage productions of Broken Glass by Arthur Miller, A Question of Mercy by David Rabe, The Woods by David Mamet, and Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies.

Admission to these readings is free, though attendees are asked to RSVP by calling the Philadelphia Theatre Company Box Office at 215-985-0420 or visiting PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

Since 1989, the STAGES program has developed more than 75 new works, of which more than half have gone on to publication or production on the PTC stage or around the country. In addition to readings and workshops, STAGES has also provided commissions to artists and playwrights such as Bill Irwin, Gina Gionfriddo, Bruce Norris and Stephen Belber as well as residencies to writers such as Charles OyamO Gordon and Tom Donaghy. This season, STAGES expands to six free readings.

"Our STAGES program affirms our longstanding commitment to supporting American Playwrights at every level of development," said Philadelphia Theatre Company's Producing Artistic Director Sara Garonzik.

"Theater is a living art and requires audiences as well as artists to thrive. PTC's STAGES new play development series offers artists the opportunity to hear new work in front of an audience and to receive audience feedback," said Jackie Goldfinger, PTC's Literary Manager who is curating the STAGES project.

Silverhill is set in a utopian society on the outskirts of Philadelphia in the late-nineteenth century. Isolated from the ostentatious wealth of the Gilded Age, the community of Silverhill thrives as a utopia founded on the principles of "Bible Communism" and free love. Generational conflict and a volatile love affair lead to a proposal that Silverhill abandon communism and become a corporation, distributing its wealth in the form of stocks. Now the members must vote either to preserve their way of life or transform it irrevocably.

Thomas Gibbons has won two Barrymore Awards for Outstanding New Play, seven playwriting fellowships from the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts, and is the author of Permanent Collection and Bee-luther-hatchee. Silverhill features an ensemble cast with Mary Martello, Amanda Schoonover, Mark Emerson, Julie Czarnecki, Charles Illingworth, and Bob Stineman.

Philadelphia Theatre Company is Philadelphia's only not-for-profit professional theater dedicated exclusively to producing world and regional premieres of works by contemporary American Playwrights. Sara Garonzik has been the company's Producing Artistic Director since 1982, and in 2007, Diane Claussen became its Managing Director. Philadelphia Theatre Company continues to experience ever-increasing national impact, having produced 34 world premieres of new American plays and musicals in its 33 seasons. Recent world premiere productions include: Unusual Acts of Devotion by Terrence McNally; The Happiness Lecture by Bill Irwin; Nerds://A Musical Software Satire by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Erik Weiner, and HAl Goldberg; Some Men by Terrence McNally (later produced at the Second Stage); Adrift in Macao, a musical by Christopher Durang and Peter Melnick (produced at Primary Stages); Bruce Graham's According to Goldman; Jeffrey Hatcher's A Picasso (later produced at Manhattan Theatre Club); Daniel Stern's comedy Barbra's Wedding (moved to the Westside Arts Theatre in 2003); John Henry Redwood's No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs (later produced at Primary Stages); J.T. Rogers' White People; David Ives' Lives of the Saints; three-time Tony Award-winning Master Class by Terrence McNally, starring Zoe Caldwell; Bunny Bunny by Alan Zweibel (Lucille Lortel Award, 1997); and the American premiere of Birdy by Naomi Wallace, among others.

Philadelphia Theatre Company has received numerous "Best Theater Company" citations from media sources such as the Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Magazine, Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia Style Magazine, and Philadelphia City Paper. Since 1995, Philadelphia Theatre Company has received 135 nominations and 36 awards from Philadelphia's Barrymore Awards.

PTC is currently presenting Humor Abuse starring Lorenzo Pisoni running now through October 25 at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). A touching homage to his father, Humor Abuse chronicles the story of Pisoni's unique childhood, growing up as the youngest member of San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus. Performing nightly with his brilliant but remote father, the play parallels their relationship both on and off stage, as the art of clowning and sleight of hand become universal metaphors for the promises, dreams and disappointments that lurk behind that red rubber nose.

PTC is in its third season in its new home, the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, designed by the award-winning firm of KieranTimberlake Associates LLP. This new state-of-the-art venue on Philadelphia's famed Avenue of the Arts was built as the result of an innovative partnership with Philadelphia developer Carl Dranoff. The project promotes the city's leading arts district both regionally and nationally and represents a model for civic development that capitalizes on the ability of the arts to reinvigorate urban districts for residential and commercial revival.

For further information on Philadelphia Theatre Company and the upcoming 2009/2010 season at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, call 215-985-0420 or visit PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.