THIS IS NOT A DREAM Reading Set For Next Month From Vineyard Theatre

Vineyard Theatre will present This Is Not A Dream, the first New York reading of seven ten-minute plays from Young Playwrights Ukraine, written during a mentorship project on Zoom with distinguished playwrights Will Arbery, Billy Finnegan, Jessica Goldberg, Daniel Goldfarb, Suzanne Heathcote, Peter Hedges, Jacquelyn Reingold, Kate Robin and Alexis Sheer. The evening will be directed by Jodie Markell (Machinal) and take place at Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15th Street) on May 6, 2024 at 7:00 pm.
 
Young Playwrights Ukraine, founded by New York-based writer Laura Cahill, is a company of young writers, actors and directors, aged 16-21, living with war. Many left their homes and are now residing in different parts of Europe and the US; others remain in Ukraine, living with frequent missile attacks. Since 2022 they have met on Zoom twice a week, driven by a mission to tell their stories to the world and to give a voice to those who cannot. These plays were first presented on Zoom on August 20th, 2023, with noted actors including David Harbour, Cherry Jones, Liev Schreiber, Shannon, Harriet Walter and Merritt Wever. The plays will be published by Smith & Kraus in August 2024.
 
Each of the plays tells the story of people trying to find connection and a little bit of hope during the war. In Proof of Love, a lonely police officer finds hope from two young artists who he suspects are really spies. In Perfect Material, a daughter tries to reconnect with her soldier father. In Superhero, a college student on her way home to Ukraine has breakfast with an ordinary American family. In The Sea, an eccentric old woman is tricked into believing she’s crossing the border to swim in the sea for the first time. In Candies, Wedding, Bones, a disconnected young woman collects her grandmother's bones after a missile hits a cemetery. In Ruins, a weary 18-year-old returns to her childhood bedroom and finds her 17-year-old self waiting. And, in The Orchid, a couple tries to stay connected when all they have left is the news on TV and an orchid that might be dead.
 
Laura Cahill, founder and artistic director of Young Playwrights Ukraine says, “It’s been over two years since the war began, and now more than ever people need to see these plays. The young writers give us a glimpse into the lives of their families, friends, and neighbors, and show us what it means to be an ordinary person in a war-torn country. We’re thrilled that the Vineyard is giving the writers a chance to share their heartbreaking, funny, hopeful and important plays with the world.”
 
Sarah Stern shares, “We are proud to host these talented, committed young artists at the Vineyard, and to partner with the incredible team from Young Playwrights Ukraine to bring their work to New York audiences. The stories of these young playwrights are as unique as they are, and offer us a window into their lives, experiences, imaginations and creativity since the war in Ukraine began.”
 
This event is free and open to the public.