Six Houston Theaters Team Up for READFEST HOUSTON Today

READFEST HOUSTON celebrates the dynamic play development process by offering free staged or concert readings of new plays or plays new to Houston. During the READFEST, Houston residents and visitors will be treated to the unique voices of six Houston theaters, and the opportunity to experience the MATCH as a cultural destination in Midtown.

The READFEST will open today, October 23 at 6:30 p.m. with a reception followed by shows by The Landing Theatre and Hune Company. On Saturday, October 23, shows continue from 4:00 p.m. onward with readings by The Ensemble Theatre, Wordsmyth Theater, Black Lab Theatre and Next Iteration Theater Company. Audiences will be able to join NITC, as well as the other participating theater companies for socialization in the MATCH breezeway between shows, and at various Midtown bars for after-parties.

Play readings have always been an integral part of developing new work for the stage and for introducing theater audiences to cutting edge work. Play readings performed by actors allow playwrights a low-cost opportunity to hear their words through actors' voices while allowing actors and audiences a chance, as vital participants to the playwright's process, to experience works often still in progress. The READFEST aims to bring this experience to both seasoned theatergoers in Houston, as well as engage new audiences who may not be familiar with the breadth and strength of Houston's theater offerings.

Ticketing information and show times can be found on the READFEST HOUSTON website: ReadFestHouston.org.

ABOUT THE PARTICIPATING THEATER COMPANIES:

- Next Iteration Theater Company - "Living, breathing, thought-provoking theater" www.nextiterationtheater.com

- The Landing Theatre Company - "Celebrating American Playwriting" www.landingtheatre.org

- The Ensemble Theatre - "To preserve African American artistic expression and enlighten, entertain and enrich a diverse community" www.ensemblehouston.com/index.html

- Black Lab Theatre - "Producing regional, local and world premieres that embody the values of theatrical ingenuity, integrity, and sincerity" www.blacklabtheatre.com/index.html

- Wordsmyth Theater - "Playwright's theater dedicated to the development of new theatrical works from formative stages through full production" wordsmyththeater.org

• Hune Company - "Exploring the inherent poignancy of live performance" www.hunecompany.com

ABOUT NEXT ITERATION THEATER COMPANY (NITC - nextiterationtheater.com):

Founded in 2014 by Artistic Director Dianne K. Webb and joined by Managing Director, Tayyba Kanwal in November 2014, Next Iteration Theater Co. is excited to join the ranks of Houston's diverse theater companies. With a mission to bring international voices, un- and under-represented playwrights to the stage while also devising new work, NITC is diving into its first season with vigor. ReadFest Houston opens the NITC 2015-16 season, to be followed in March 2016 with the world premier of The Baby by Lisa Omlie, a new playwright who resides in London. In May 2016, NITC introduces its International Reading Series featuring Pulitzer-prize winning, Tony-nominated playwright Ayad Akhtar's The Who and the What.

ABOUT THE READFEST SPONSORS:

The MATCH - The Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston will be Houston's exciting new destination for performing and visual arts. Located at Main and Holman in Midtown, the MATCH will be a home for a broad spectrum of Houston's leading and emerging arts organizations and will transform midtown into a vibrant new destination. www.matchouston.org

CultureMap - CultureMap brings intelligence and insight to localized content with an exciting new Web site and proprietary "mapazine" that provides an educated but never stuffy view of Houston and all it has to offer. CultureMap has assembled a top-notch team of highly experienced editors, photo editors, writers, and insiders who really understand Houston to provide thought-provoking insights and opinions about the arts, fashion, music, events, society, and much, much more. By blending quality content and local expertise with the speed of cutting edge web technology, CultureMap is rewriting the book how information is distributed in the 21st Century. houston.culturemap.com

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