Reed Birney & Nick Westrate Star in New Matthew-Lee Erlbach Reading, 8/27

Matthew-Lee Erlbach's new reading A NEIGHBOR IN THE AREA is being performed at the end of the month. Featuring Tony nominee Reed Birney, Heather Lind, Nick Westrate, Brad Bellamy, Charlotte Booker, and Devin Norik, the reading is being directed by Wes Grantom.

Taking place in 1966 suburban Westchester, A NEIGHBOR IN THE AREA centers on an isolated Quebecois woman on the verge of an existential crisis whose bizarre and taboo affair suddenly spins out of control. The dark comedy explores the tensions of the unsaid, the alienation of modern society, and our escapist relationship with technology.

The reading will be at 8:30pm on August 27th at The Judson Loft, 55 Washington Square South, New York, NY 10012. Doors will open at 820p, not ADA accessible. Free of charge.

Reservations at neighborreading@gmail.com

Wes' most recent directing credits include Eager to Lose by Matthew-Lee Erlbach at Ars Nova (Off-Bway Alliance Nomination), The Steadfast by Mat Smart and Mine by Bekah Brustetter for Slant Theatre Project, The Netflix Plays at Ars Nova, Anonymous for Waterwell/PPAS, Tartuffe for Asolo Rep and K2 and Chris Newbound's Birthday Boy for Berkshire Theatre Festival. Wes has also directed for Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Flea, American Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Stella Adler Conservatory, Atlantic Theatre Company, The Strasberg Institute and Millbrook Playhouse.

Along with playwright Mat Smart and director Adam Knight, Wes is a co-founder of Slant Theatre Project in New York City. Since 2004, Slant has produced more than twetnty projects, including new work by Theresa Rebeck, Adam Rapp, Lisa Kron, Michele Lowe, Marcus Gardley, and Bekah Brunstetter.

Matthew-Lee Erlbach is an actor and writer whose most recent writing credits include: Eager to Lose, a Burlesque Farce in Rhyming Verse, at Ars Nova (Wes Grantom and Portia Krieger, dirs); Handbook for an American Revolutionary at Gym at Judson (Tony Speciale, dir); and the award-winning Roger, the Chicken, produced with Emmy-winner Carrie Preston. He has also written for Nickelodeon, WWE, and MTV. As an actor, he has appeared Off-Bway, regionally, in Another Earth (Sundance/Fox Searchlight), on Comedy Central, MTV, Law&Order: SVU, and other fun stuff. He is a member of Ars Nova's 2014/15 Play Group. www.Matthew-Lee.com