Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF Presents TAKE MY HAND AND WAVE GOODBYE

Orlando Shakes in partnership with UCF presents Take My Hand and Wave Goodbye by Tammy Ryan. This virtual new play reading is part of The Basel-Kiene Family joins City Beverages in presenting PlayFest 2020.

When Stef is shot down in a random act of gun violence in Pittsburgh, her fifteen year old niece, Cassie, begins dreaming her back into existence. In the months after the shooting, each family member is confronted with the question: "If they had done just one thing differently would there have been a different outcome?" Told with humor and heart, Take My Hand and Wave Goodbye is about the impact of gun violence on one family in Pittsburgh and the difficult necessity of grief.

Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($10) may be purchased online at orlandoshakes.org or by phone at (407) 447-1700 ext. 1. See all six readings and save $12 with a PlayFest Pass ($48).

Go behind-the-scenes and learn about the creative process. Join us for FREE on Facebook Live for exclusive interviews with each playwright! Event recurs weekly, Wednesdays at 6:30 pm.

PlayFest is made possible through the generous support of the Basel-Kiene Family and City Beverages with additional support from Frank Santos & Dan Dantin and National New Play Network. This project is funded in part by the Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program.

PlayFest is a nationally recognized program, representing one of the strongest commitments to new plays in the United States. Since its inception in 2003, PlayFest has helped nurture and develop over 100 new plays-many of which have received subsequent productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and across the country. Audience favorites from PlayFest are handpicked and developed into full productions in the theater's Signature Series. Orlando Shakes' 2019 - 2020 Season features the PlayFest alumnus My Lord, What a Night by Deborah Brevoort. Brevoort's script was a PlayFest 2018 finalist and is now a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Through NNPN's support, three theaters will mount My Lord, What a Night within a two-year period, allowing the playwright to develop the work with multiple creative teams in multiple communities. The playwright is part of the process, working on the script and making adjustments based on what is learned from each production. My Lord, What a Night appeared at Contemporary American Theatre Festival in July, 2019, and will appear at Orlando Shakes and Florida Studio Theatre in the upcoming season. My Lord, What a Night was initially scheduled to appear in the 2019-2020 Season but was delayed due to COVID-19.