ZACH Theatre Will Bring New Work to the Forefront With THE LAUNCH TABLE: NEW WORK READING SERIES

ZACH Theatre will bring new work to the forefront with its initiative, The Launch Table: New Work Reading Series beginning this February. The development of new and re-imagined work has always been a part of ZACH's fabric, and through this new platform, ZACH will provide artists a home for new work to live and thrive. The Launch Table will offer writers and artists invaluable feedback needed to further develop their art. The first reading will be The Very Extraordinary Mr. Law by Jeffrey LaHoste on Tuesday, February 25, 2020.

The Launch Table, a reading series of plays and musicals designed to incubate new work and foster artistic and audience collaboration. ZACH is committed to cultivating new pieces of theatre, in various stages of development, before they launch to national stages. The Launch Table is an open invitation - join playwrights, directors and actors in the process of developing new work. For more information you may visit zachtheatre.org/launchtable or email Associate Artistic Director Nat Miller at nmiller@zachtheatre.org.

"When we built the Topfer Theatre, one of our goals was to actively participate in the creation and production of new plays and musicals that would launch from ZACH to our colleagues at other regional theatres, to New York and Broadway," shares Producing Artistic Director Dave Steakley. "Our deep involvement with the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) coupled with ZACH's continued relationships nationally and growth as a leading Regional Theatre, has allowed us to expand our mission outside of scheduled season programming. This has given ZACH the opportunity to engage with multiple new works we are interested in developing through readings, workshops, and productions on our Mainstage. This is an essential way for us to contribute new work for the American theatre and put Austin on the map as collaborating with commercial producers for productions that are on track to Broadway."

Updates and schedules will be available at zachtheatre.org/launchtable.

2019-20 Series

The Very Extraordinary Mr. Law

Written by Jeffrey LaHoste

Directed by Lucie Tiberghien

The Kleberg at ZACH

Tuesday, February 25, 2020 at 7 p.m.

Summary: A Scottish gambler arrives at Versailles with a trick he says will make everyone rich: turn paper into gold. John Law's scheme to replace coins with paper money is a wild success until it turns into the world's first stock market crash, and he barely escapes with his life. Law and his partner, the flamboyant younger brother of Louis XIV, then flee to New Orleans, where they are captured by a runaway slave and her gang of buccaneers. This comedy reveals the origin of the word "millionaire" and how America's most improvised city was founded on a gamble.

A.D. 16 (A New Musical)

Written by Bekah Brunstetter

Music by Cinco Paul

Directed by Stephen Brackett

The Nowlin Rehearsal Hall at ZACH

Sunday, March 8, 2020 at 1 p.m.

Summary: A.D. 16 tells the story of what happens when teenage Mary Magdalene falls in love with the boy next door: teenage Jesus. From the creatives behind Broadway's Be More Chill (Bracket), NBC's This is Us (Brunstetter), and Despicable Me (Paul), Featuring an R&B score that evokes the best of TLC, En Vogue, Prince and more, this comedic coming-of-age story asks the question: what if your first crush really WAS perfect?

All readings are works in progress and not available for review. Audiences are welcome to share feedback and be an integral part of the creative process through engagement with artists, creatives and other theatre goers. Readings are free and open to the public, and for mature audiences only. To learn more visit zachtheatre.org/launchtable.

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