Crowded Fire Theater Company's 2009 Matchbox Reading Series To Feature Urueta & Lee

Crowded Fire Theater Company's 2009 Matchbox Reading Series will feature the work of two emerging Bay Area playwrights, Enrique Urueta's FOREVER NEVER COMES and J.C. Lee's INTO THE CLEAR BLUE SKY.

Crowded Fire, greatly valued for its development of new work, strongly champions playwrights who offer a vital contribution to the American theater landscape. In addition to producing two to three mainstage productions each season, Crowded Fire offers development opportunities through The Matchbox, a program supporting playwrights in various stages of their process. The Matchbox Reading Series provides Mr. Urueta and Mr. Lee the opportunity to work closely with directors and actors, culminating the process in a free public reading.

In FOREVER NEVER COMES, by Enrique Urueta, directed by Mary Guzman, a young transgender man returns home to rural Virginia under the watchful gaze of a shape-shifter, The Fox Confessor, where he discovers sweet new love amidst a culture of fear. The public reading for Forever Never Comes will take place on Monday, September 14 at 7pm at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market St.

INTO THE CLEAR BLUE SKY, by J.C. Lee, directed by Marilee Talkington, reimagines an ancient French myth about the rise and fall of the sun and moon. Kale and Mika live in post-apocalyptic New Jersey. Desperate to solve the mystery of her blackened hands, Mika flees to the moon pursued by her older brother in an adventure fit for a sci-fi graphic novel. The public reading for Into the Clear Blue Sky will take place on Monday, September 21 at 7pm at the Boxcar Playhouse, 505 Natoma St. in San Francisco, where Crowded Fire is a Company in Residence.

Crowded Fire's ensemble produces poetic, bold theater created by new and contemporary artists. We seek to engage our community by producing adventurous work, innovative in structure, which addresses the diverse political and social concerns of our audiences.

The Matchbox is Crowded Fire's works in development program. It includes Matchbox Reading Series, featuring annual readings of new plays, Matchbox Productions, producing experimental original work generated by Crowded Fire Resident Artists, and Matchbox Workshops, providing playwrights with access to directors and actors during various stages of their writing process. Presentations through The Matchbox are free.