Urban Stages Presents NEW WORK FOR A NEW SEASON Staged Readings 9/21-10/26

With a commitment to developing new work and cultivating the next generation of playwrights, Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founder/Artistic Director, Lauren Schmiedel, Managing Director) is proud to kick-off the season highlighting some of the towns top playwrighting talent including La'Chris Jordan, Robert Karmon, Gino DiIorio, John Walch, Lydia R. Diamond, Lydia Stryk, William Orem, Kit Williamson & Stanton Wood. These reading will take place at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30 Street) followed by a wine reception and informal talk-back. The readings are FREE to the public; reservations can be made by calling 212 421 1380.

Monday, September 21st, 6PM

STICK FLY by Lydia R. Diamond, directed by Leah C. Gardiner

The LeVays, an affluent African-American family, gather in their vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, joined by their housekeeper's daughter who is filling-in for her ill mother. Dr. LeVay's two sons bring along their current girlfriends. The tension rises and family dynamics are revealed as the play reaches a climax when an old family secret finally comes out. Ms. Diamond is a Huntington Playwriting Fellow, a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and her plays have been produced in many regional theatres. Starring: Jackson Harper, Seth Gilliam, Danielle Renee Thompson, Susan Louise O'Connor and Frankie Faison.

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2:30PM

ROSES IN THE WATER by La'Chris Jordan, directed by Tamilla Woodard.

Roses in the Water was selected for the Black Theatre Festival in 2009. Life in the Desire Housing Projects in New Orleans isn't easy for young Clarice Smith and her family. She wants out, so she enlists in the U.S. Navy. Clarice's dreams for a better life are quickly shattered, however, when an unexpected tragedy takes place. Roses in the Water is a challenging and timely drama with sharp humor that touches on rough choices. Starring: Arthur French.

Thursday, September 24th, 6PM

AMERICAN TET by Lydia Stryk, directed by Roger Danforth

Spring of 2004, it is the first anniversary of the Iraq war. Military policeman Danny Krombacher is home on leave. Elaine, his mother, teaches military spouses the ins-and-outs of military life. She and her Vietnam Vet husband welcome Danny home and follow the news of other soldiers and their families on base, including Danny's close friend, Angela, now lying disfigured in a hospital in Germany. The play looks at how the conflagration of war ignites the home front and asks if there is any way beyond it. Ms. Stryk's works are produced in the USA and in Europe.

Monday, September 28th, 6PM

JAG by Gino DiIorio, directed by Frank Licato

From playwright Gino DiIorio, whose play Apostasy was produced at Urban Stages in 2007, comes Jag, the tale of seventy-year old Chick Chicarella, who has one prized possession: a 1966 Jaguar Sedan desperately in need of repair. When Chick's son Bone suggests that they make the repairs so they can finally sell off the car, old family wounds rise to the surface. With the help of Carla, a talented but socially challenged mechanic, Chick and Bone learn some hard lessons about repairing cars and, in the process, about smoothing out life's jagged edges. Mr. DiIorio is the winner of the 2007 Urban Stages' Emerging Playwright Award. Starring: Lou Martini , Susan Louise O'Connor, and Dan Grimaldi.

Tuesday, September 29th, 6PM

THE DINOSAUR WITHIN by John Walch, directed by Shana Gold

The Dinosaur Within is the winner of both the Elizabeth Osborn Award and the Kennedy Center Fund for New Plays. The disappearance of ancient dinosaur footprints in the Australian outback triggers a series of mysterious events, bringing together a forgotten movie star, an aboriginal Australian elder, and a haunted newsman on what promises to be an epic journey of transformation.

Wednesday, September 30th, 6PM

THE WAITING ROOM AT PROFESSOR WATERING'S INSTITUTE FOR AFFLICTED CHILDREN, AMSTERDAM, SEPTEMBER 25TH, 1933 by Robert Karmon, directed by Robert Kalfin

Physicist Paul Ehrenfest, beloved teacher and close friend of Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, faces a psychological and intellectual crisis that is only complicated by the severe mental and physical defects of his fourth child, Wassik. As Hitler comes to power and Europe slouches toward the Second World War, Paul struggles to maintain his emotional and spiritual balance in a world where the revolution in physics further establishes theories of chaos and uncertainty. As his life spins out of control, Paul is driven to desperate measures to set it right. Mr. Karmon is the winner of the Larry Corse Prize for Playwriting.

Thursday, October 1st, 6PM

THE SEABIRDS by William Orem, directed by Frances Hill

Set in 1863 inside the Watch Room of an island lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay, Leban Shadfield, a Unionist, sees a Confederate deserter struggling in the waves and rescues him. During the course of a week, both men encounter fundamental challenges with each other and themselves, gradually coming face-to-face with the real reasons each one is hiding. The Seabirds won the Manduzmar New Plays Award at Alleyway Theatre in Buffalo.

Monday, October 19th, 6PM

THE GIN DIALOGUES by Kit Williamson, directed by Donald Brenner

A young Korean boy becomes fixated on the idea of a pederastic relationship with his fourth grade teacher after reading "The Symposium" by Plato. Gin, a prodigy, writes a book report that inspires his teacher. The platonic bond that they form ultimately has a profound effect on the teacher's relationship with his wife and Gin's relationships with his family. The Gin Dialogues was selected for this series by winning the Playwrights First 2009 Award.

Monday, October 26th, 6PM

THE GOLEM: An Adaptation by Stanton Wood, directed by Daniella Topol

When her single father is arrested, a desperate young immigrant city girl accidentally reanimates a strange ancient mythical creature in her time of greatest need. But does she really control it? And what is she going to do with it? Inspired by the Jewish folktales, this contemporary play is about finding magic in everyday life. Mr. Wood is the winner of Urban Stages' 2008 Emerging Playwright Award.