CSC to Present REDISCOVERY READINGS Featuring Plays By Zona Gale, Susan Glaspell, And More

Classic Stage Company (Jill Rafson, Producing Artistic Director) announced today the first two titles for The Rediscovery Readings series, featuring plays by female playwrights who shaped American theater.

The series will begin with a reading of Miss Lulu Bett by Zona Gale (Faint Perfume) and directed by Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller (Mothers and Sons) on Monday September 23 at 7pm, followed by an evening of short plays on Monday October 21 at 7pm. All readings will be held in CSC's Lynn F. Angelson Theater (136 East 13th Street). Tickets are available now at classicstage.org.

In honor of its 2024-25 season, CSC will shine a light on American women who were writing the classics of the early 20th century but whose legacies have been muted by time. Join us for four play readings that will take you from 1900 through the 1950s, all leading up to CSC's much-anticipated production of Wine in the Wilderness by Alice Childress, in which the women of the 1960s have their say! Two more readings will be announced shortly.

The current lineup includes:

MISS LULU BETT

Written by Zona Gale

Directed by Tony Award nominee Sheryl Kaller

Monday September 23 at 7pm

It's 1920, and Miss Lulu Bett, an unmarried woman in her thirties, has resigned herself to a life with few options and no joy. She is grateful to have been taken into the home of her married sister, Ina, even though Ina's family, especially husband Deacon, treat her like their servant. Cooking and cleaning all day, Lulu has given up on having a life of her own, until the arrival of Deacon's brother throws her safe existence for a loop. Ninian speaks his mind, takes action, and just might sweep Lulu off her tired feet, if only she'll let him. But when secrets from the past come back to haunt the family, Lulu will be forced to decide where her loyalties lie – with her sister, her man, or most difficult of all, with herself.

Miss Lulu Bett is the first play written by a woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Tickets begin at $20 and are on sale now at https://www.classicstage.org/choose-seats/?eid=MISSLULUBETT2024.

AN EVENING OF SHORT PLAYS

Featuring a variety of plays including Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Monday October 21 at 7pm

Trifles is a thrillingly taut mystery from the mind of Susan Glaspell (The Verge). First performed in 1916, the play brings us behind the scenes of a murder investigation, when the women waiting patiently in the kitchen may have better view of the truth than the men in charge. The short play form was particularly popular among writers and audiences in the early decades of the 20th century, and this evening will explore several titles from great female writers of the genre.

Tickets begin at $20 and are on sale now at https://www.classicstage.org/choose-seats/?eid=EVENINGOFSHORTS2024.

Packages for the entire reading series begin at $60 and are available here. CSC is also offering one discounted ticket per membership at $12.50 for each individual reading to its members. To learn more about CSC's membership programs, please visit www.classicstage.org/members.

The complete lineup for The Rediscovery Readings will be announced at a later date.

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