Berkshire Playwrights Lab Presents Staged Reading of LOVE/SICK Tonight

Berkshire Playwrights Lab will present a staged reading of John Cariani's Love/Sick, directed by Daniel Winerman, tonight, July 10 at 7:30pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center (14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Mass.). There is no charge for admission, however, Berkshire Playwrights Lab suggests a $10.00 donation to help offset its programming costs. For reservations, call 413.528.0100 or visit the Mahaiwe box office in person.

Cariani is best known for his smash hit comedy Almost, Maine, which since its off-Broadway debut in 2004 has received over 1500 productions and been translated into nine languages. His latest play, Love/Sick, is composed of a series of ten funny, slightly twisted love stories-some gone wrong and others gone right-that explore life, relationships, and mental health in suburbia. The play asks: How sick are we? How well are we? Who's to say? Are we better off alone? Or coupled? And-again-who's to say? From a bride-to-be whose-literally-cold feet are holding up her marriage, to a career-minded couple who forgot to have a baby, Love/Sick is a romantic comedy for imperfect lovers and dreamers. It will feature a cast of four actors TBA.

"Love/Sick received a production in the spring at Portland Stage Company in Maine and is slated for a future production at Hartford TheatreWorks. John approached us, saying he wanted to make some structural changes to the play prior to its next run. It's unusual for the Lab to develop a play that's already had a production, but given the trajectory of the play and John's desire to make revisions, we agreed that the Berkshires would be the perfect stop on its journey," said Berkshire Playwrights Lab Co-Artistic Director Jim Frangione. "We're pleased to present Love/Sick with, as always, a great cast to tackle this very funny play."

John Cariani is an award-winning actor and an accomplished playwright.?? As an actor, he has appeared on and off Broadway, in several television shows, and at regional theaters across the country. He got his first break when he was cast in the off-Broadway play It's My Party (And I'll Die if I want To), starring Joyce Van Patten and F. Murray Abraham. Since then, he has shared the screen with such legends as Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Edward Asner. ??In 2004, he made his Broadway debut as Motel the tailor in the Broadway Revival of Fiddler on the Roof starring Alfred Molina. His performance earned him an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination.?? His success on stage and on the big screen aside, John is probably best known for his work on television. From 2002-2007, he played CSU Tech Julian Beck on NBC's long-running drama Law & Order. He also had recurring roles as Professor Otto Bahnoff in the final season of CBS' Numb3rsand as reporter Michael Falk on the IFC's The Onion News Network.?? As a playwright, in addition to Almost, Maine, he is the author of Last Gas, which premiered at Portland Stage Company in 2010 and became the biggest selling three-week run in the company's history, will be a part of Geva Theatre Center's upcoming season.Originally from Presque Isle, Maine, Cariani is a graduate of Amherst College, and now lives in New York City.

Daniel Winerman has directed and developed new plays at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Primary Stages, Geva Theatre Center, New Dramatists, Lark Theatre, Flea Theater, Atlantic Theater Company, Queens Theatre, Fordham University, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival, New York InternationalFringe Festival, Young Playwrights Festival, Samuel French Short Play Festival, Summer Shorts Festival @ 59E59 Theater, NYU's Dept of Dramatic Writing, and NYU's Dept of Musical Theatre Writing. For Berkshire Playwrights Lab, Winerman has directed staged readings of new plays by Anna Ziegler (Variations on a Theme), Sam Marks (The Old Masters), and Jonathan Caren (The Recommendation). He teaches acting for theater and film at New York Film Academy and is the recipient of a Drama League Fellowship. BFA: NYU, MFA: Boston University.

Founded in 2007 by theatre professionals Joe Cacaci, Jim Frangione, Bob Jaffe, and Matthew Penn, the Berkshire Playwrights Lab is the area's only theater dedicated exclusively to encouraging, developing, and presenting new plays. Through readings-and this season, a full workshop production of Anna Ziegler's Life Science -the Lab provides emerging and established writers with a professional and creative environment, while offering audiences the engaging and provocative opportunity to share in the dramatic evolution of premiere works. The Lab has staged readings of more than 50 new plays, many of which have gone on to full productions, including Kelly Masterson's Against the Rising Sea at Queens Theatre in the Park, Chris Newbound's The Birthday Boy at Berkshire Theatre Festival, Kate Wenner's Make Sure It's Me at Stage Left Theatre, and Kelly Masterson's Edith at Berkshire Theatre Group. Also, Jonathan Caren's The Recommendation went on to The Old Globe, Andrew Dolan's The Many Mistresses of Martin Luther King received rave reviews at Ensemble Studio Theatre Los Angeles, Matt Hoverman'sThe Glint was optioned for Broadway, and Matthew Penn recently directed the New York premiere of Scrambled Eggs by Robin Amos Kahn and Gary Richards. For more information, see www.berkshireplaywrightslab.org.

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