Drama Book Shop to Host New Steven Carl McCasland Play Reading, 11/16

The Drama Book Shop will present a reading of a new play by Steven Carl McCasland on Monday, November 16th at 1:30pm. The reading is free to the public but advanced reservations encouraged. They may be made by e-mailing bookshopreadings@gmail.com.

In Learning To Squint, McCasland looks back on more than a decade of volunteer work at various Nursing Homes and Senior Centers throughout the tri-state area. When graduate student Calvin arrives to complete his volunteer requirement, he meets acerbic, 86-year-old, former dancer Beverly and her friends, Charlie, Lucy and Eleanor. Through games of poker, Bingo and more, the group shares secrets, stories and develop an unspeakable bond.

JoAnn Mariano stars in the reading as Beverly, opposite the playwright as Calvin. They are joined by Patti Mariano (Broadway's Rags, The Music Man and more), Polly McKie (Little Wars), and real life spouses, David Cryer (Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, Evita Sweeney Todd and more) and Britt Cryer. Additional casting will be announced at a later date.

Steven Carl McCasland is the critically acclaimed author of Little Wars, What Was Lost, neat & tidy, Der Kanarienvogel and more. Most recently, The Clarion Theatre and Beautiful Soup Theater presented a 5-play festival of McCasland's work, all running in repertory throughout May of 2015.

The prestigious and Tony Award-winning Drama Book Shop is located at 250 West 40th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. The reading, Monday, November 16th at 1:30pm, is free to the public but advanced reservations encouraged. They may be made by e-mailing bookshopreadings@gmail.com.