Weston Playhouse Theatre Company Presents Virtual ONE ROOM Monologues With Kenny Leon, Whitney White & More

Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is launching its Reimagined 2020 Season with the online premiere of ONE ROOM, the first project in its new works initiative, Weston Writers.

ONE ROOM explores the events of this year by looking at our homes as spaces of possibility and creativity. In May, Weston commissioned 14 of America's leading playwrights to create short, one person plays that respond to the present moment and explore the questions, "What makes a home? What stories might be hiding in its ordinary rooms?" Each writer was joined by an acclaimed director and actor to record the monologues and the complete series premieres on Weston's YouTube channel August 7 at 7:30pm with a live pre-show discussion at 7:00pm, featuring Executive Artistic Director Susanna Gellert and select artists whose work appears that evening. Learn more at westonplayhouse.org/oneroom.

ONE ROOM features award-winning playwrights, directors, and actors from across the country, including 2020 Obie Award winners Kenny Leon (MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING), Whitney White (OUR DEAR DEAD DRUG LORD), Liza Colón-Zayas (HALFWAY BITCHES GO STRAIGHT TO HEAVEN), and David Cale (WE'RE ONLY ALIVE FOR A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME); as well as Pulitzer finalist and Obie, Drama Desk, and Lucille Lortel Award winner Will Eno (THOM PAIN, THE REALISTIC JONESES); Guggenheim and Obie Award winner Dael Orlandersmith (STOOP STORIES, YELLOWMAN); and Peabody Award winner Alena Smith (ICEBERGS, Apple TV's DICKINSON). Viewers will recognize screen and Broadway actors Alfre Woodard (TV: LUKE CAGE, EMPIRE; Film: CLEMENCY, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR), Daphne Rubin-Vega (Film: IN THE HEIGHTS, SEX AND THE CITY; Broadway: RENT Original Broadway Cast, Mimi), Dana Delany (TV: HAND OF GOD, BODY OF PROOF, DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES; Broadway: TRANSLATIONS, A LIFE).

Says Gellert, "In this moment when we cannot gather at the theatre, we wanted to connect our audience with the artists who are so important to the conversations we will all be having in the coming years, who are going to show us the way forward. The ONE ROOM project began in May, and one of the fascinating things about this project is to see artists respond to the world around them almost in real time. The immediacy and poetry of each of these short plays is incredibly compelling, and the range of stories and approaches is breathtaking. Each piece is unique, and together they create a thoughtful, beautiful and, yes, at times heartbreaking reflection of the world today."

Additional featured playwrights include Andy Bragen (THIS IS MY OFFICE, NOTES ON MY MOTHER'S DECLINE), Vichet Chum (BALD SISTERS), Melissa Li (INTERSTATE, SURVIVING THE NIAN), Jen Silverman (COLLECTIVE RAGE, THE ROOMMATE), Charly Evon Simpson (BEHIND THE SHEET, JUMP), Torrey Townsend (THE WORKSHOP), Noelle Viñas (DERECHO; APOCALYPSE, PLEASE), Else Went (BOXCAR, GUTTER GIRL), Josh Wilder (THE HIGHWAYMEN, LEFTOVERS), and Kit Yan (INTERSTATE, MISS STEP). Directing/Acting teams Knud Adams and Josh Hamilton; Lee Sunday Evans and Marin Ireland; Whitney White and Susan Park; Kenny Leon and Alfre Woodard; Mei Ann Teo and Shannon Tyo; Jade King Carroll and Daphne Rubin-Vega; Mike Donahue and Dana Delany; Colette Robert and Erin Roché; Susanna Gellert and Michael Braun; Celine Song and Zi Alikhan, Aaron Rossini, and Miles G. Jackson; Estefanía Fadul and Liza Colón-Zayas; Emma Rosa Went and Juliana Canfield; Reginald L. Douglas and Jakeem Powell; and Peter J. Kuo and Poppy Liu have brought those stories to life and shaped them for a reimagined, new play experience.

For local viewers, our restaurant partner MKT: Grafton will offer pre-order takeout dinner and beverage options, available for pickup at Walker Farm (705 Main Street, Weston) on the night of the premiere presentation. The menu features fresh, local, seasonal delights like house made ricotta gnocchi with spring peas, local sunflower shoots, lemon zest, fresh herbs, and Parmigiano Reggiano. To view the full menu, visit westonplayhouse.org/oneroom. Orders can be placed by phone until 12pm Friday, August 7. Payment will be processed over the phone and dinners will be ready for pickup from 5pm-6pm that evening.

The Box Office at the Weston Playhouse remains closed for the summer, but staff will be returning voicemails left on the Box Office line at 802-824-5288. ONE ROOM is presented free of charge, but gift cards for future Weston events can be purchased online at westonplayhouse.org.