The Baltimore Playwrights Festival Monthly Meeting Set for 2/15, Followed by Reading

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival (www.baltplayfest.com) announces its monthly public meeting to be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 15th, at Fells Point Corner Theater, 251 S. Ann Street, Baltimore, MD 21042. Items on the agenda include a discussion of progress on organizing a Playwrights Symposium, and strategic planning for the BPF. After the meeting there will be a staged reading of a new play, Web of Deceit, by Colin Riley, followed by a discussion of the script with the playwright, director and actors. The event is free, and the general public is encouraged to attend.

Web of Deceit is an absurd drama about two college students, Keysha and Mia. Keysha is the only one with a computer, and from it, accesses knowledge about the outside world. Mia is constantly fighting with Keysha to check e-mail and Spacebook, but Mia also longs for the outside world. Mia also wants Keysha's attention, and tries to hold it as long as possible, but Keysha dismisses Mia until Mia threatens to leave. Both characters have been communicating with an outsider, Mark. When Mark comes to their room, they want to listen to him, but they are also afraid of the message he brings. Mia eventually cuts Mark off and tells him to leave, choosing the miserable existence with Keysha over the danger of the unknown. Yet Keysha still refuses to share her vast knowledge with Mia, and when Mia finally decides to go to sleep, Keysha realizes that she needs her. With one last painful attempt to connect to Mia, Keysha runs back to the computer, never fully escaping the Internet world.

Colin Riley, author of Web of Deceit, is a graduate of Goucher College with a B.A. in English and Theatre. His Baltimore connection dates back to the night he performed on the stage of the Hippodrome Theatre with his high school in the Cappies program. He's read his slam poetry at the Den Lounge by Johns Hopkins and has seen numerous productions in the Baltimore theatres, including Jersey Boys. He directed the staged reading of A Good Brain is Hard to Find by Becca Wyrick and is currently rehearsing for the Jewish Theatre Workshop's production of The Dybbuk at the JCC of Pikesville. This is his first real play since The Parody of the Odyssey never made it on to the stage in middle school.

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has presented 266 scripts by 158 playwrights, produced by 25 different companies, over the past 29 Years. Further information can be found at www.baltplayfest.com.

 

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