Crowded Fire Theater's 2014 Matchbox Readings to be Held 12/1-9

Crowded Fire Theater (CFT) announces the four featured playwrights and plays for the 2014 Matchbox Readings Series, public staged readings of plays in development. New plays by playwrights Geetha Reddy, Andrew Saito, MJ Kaufman, and Eugenie Chan in readings from December 1-9, 2014 at the Thick House Theater. Crowded Fire champions playwrights whose work offers a vital contribution to the American theater landscape with a commitment to diversifying the canon of contemporary plays.

"We believe art is always political," says Crowded Fire Artistic Director Marissa Wolf, "and that in order to move toward a more just society, theaters must offer a wider range of aesthetics and voices on our stages."

The Matchbox: Commissioning and Developing New Plays grew out of CFT's need to bolster playwrights' revision processes in order to strengthen the scripts before rehearsals for the professional productions began.

The plays featured in CFT's 2014 Matchbox Readings Series are: (TBD) by Geetha Reddy (Dec. 1, 7pm); La Lechera by Andrew Saito (Dec. 2, 7pm); Murmur Rock by MJ Kaufman (Dec. 8, 7pm) and 19 Wentworth Alley by Eugenie Chan (Dec. 9, 7pm).

Award-winning playwright Christopher Chen, whose upcoming The Late Wedding and 2012 hit The Hundred Flowers Project were both commissioned and developed through The Matchbox remarks, "By giving a still-emerging playwright a pathway to a full production, Crowded Fire facilitated a major turning point in my career. They steadfastly believed in my project and me as a writer through the entire process, making sure I had all the resources necessary to bring the play into fruition. To my mind, The Matchbox Commission's emphasis on specifically working towards a full production clearly sets it apart from similar, less ambitious programs in comparably-sized theater companies."

The Hundred Flowers Project was a co-commission with Playwrights Foundation as is A Wonderverse by Geetha Reddy which will kick off this year's Matchbox Reading Series. A Wonderverse is slated for the Crowded Fire mainstage in 2015.

Crowded Fire 2014 Matchbox Readings Series Features New Plays by Geetha Reddy, Andrew Saito, MJ Kaufman, and Eugenie Chan Reading Dates: December 1-9 A Wonderverse by Geetha Reddy (Dec. 1, 7pm); La Lechera by Andrew Saito (Dec. 2, 7pm); Murmur Rock by MJ Kaufman (Dec. 8, 7pm) and 19 Wentworth Alley by Eugenie Chan (Dec. 9, 7pm). At: Thick House, 1695 18th St., SF (between Carolina St.& Arkansas St. in Potrero Hill ) Readings: 7 PM Tickets: Free to the public RSVP at http://www.crowdedfire.org Box Office by phone (415) 746-9238 Photos: http://www.crowdedfire.org

"We strive for a balance of styles, stories, and voices in our Matchbox series, this year the pieces are thrillingly original.They are quite different from one another, even down to the process/circumstances of their creation and their current stages of development. It's a wild batch..." Laura Bruckener, CFT's Director of New Works.