Jan McArt's New Play Reading Series Presents Michael McKeever's Latest

There's a playwright missing in action this week at Boca Raton's Lynn University where, on Monday, 'Jan McArt's New Play Readings' series will present a staged reading of Michael McKeever's latest work, 'THE CAMP.'

McKeever, whose award-winning play 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND' began at Lynn via this play reading series, is currently nowhere to be found in the rehearsal rooms of the Wold Performing Arts Center, as he's in New York attending rehearsals for 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND,' which will open at Off-Broadway's Primary Stages on April 4th.

"That's not the way this program usually works," says Tony Finstrom, associate producer of the play reading series. "We generally have the playwright with us for the five days we rehearse, giving him/her a chance to do rewrites - sometimes major - as we head toward our performance date on Monday.

"But Michael will be in touch daily with his director, Michael Leeds, following each rehearsal," Finstrom explains. "So he'll simply be doing rewrites from New York this week via the telephone and the internet. And he returns to South Florida on Monday, in time to catch the last rehearsal and the evening performance."

Michael McKeever is perhaps the most prolific, award-winning playwright working in Florida theatre today. This is the third play he has developed at Jan McArt's new play reading series, the first being 'FINDING MONA LISA,' which will be produced in Coral Gables at Actors' Playhouse this summer.

"I have always been a huge fan of Jan and this amazing series ," says McKeever. "It is a warm, safe, creative place to develop and expand new work. They are great people offering an amazing opportunity for Florida playwrights."

Finstrom, a playwright himself, marvels at the way McKeever writes a play.

"We received the first rough draft of this one just this past weekend, three days before rehearsals were to begin," says Finstrom.

"It was picked to be a part of this season's new play readings from a synopsis he submitted. And so we never actually saw a play till Saturday.

"But I think Michael works best under the pressure of a deadline, and we certainly gave him one. So now, over these next five days, that play will get polished and edited and rewritten and reworked - from long-distance, if you will - and it'll arrive on the stage of the Wold Performing Arts Center Monday evening ready to make our audience smile and frown and think and talk and take it all home with them to ponder some more." 'THE CAMP,' tells the World War II story of a village of "good people" in Germany who, when confronted by a U.S. Army Captain, claim to know nothing of the horrors in their own backyard.

"It's a very human take on a time in world history where inhuman things were happening," McKeever explains. "Sadly, it's become relevant in the times we find ourselves living in now."

Directed by Leeds, the cast includes Bill Schwartz, Barbara Sloan, Mike Westrich, Kristian Bikic and Andy Rogow.

Jan McArt is in charge of theatre development at Lynn University, where this reading is the fourth in a series of Staged Readings presented this winter/spring to develop new works by Florida playwrights.

"If there's one thing I love, it's making things happen," McArt says. "And I'm working as hard as ever to make them happen here at Lynn."

Of the past nineteen plays presented at her 'New Play Readings' series, so far six have gone on to full productions in Florida and around the country, including the one that's now heading to New York this spring. They include: Dan Clancy's 'PROPOSITION 8,' which landed at the Desert Rose Playhouse in Rancho Mirage, CA under the title 'POSTER BOYS' in the spring of 2014; Christopher Demos-Brown's 'CHILD'S PLAY,' which was presented at Miami's Zoetic Stage to great acclaim under the title 'STRIPPED' in the winter of 2015; Michael McKeever's 'DANIEL'S HUSBAND,' which wound up at Fort Lauderdale's Island City Stage in the summer of 2015, winning several Carbonell Awards including 'Best New Work,' and will next be produced at New York's Primary Stages this April; Dan Clancy's 'MIDDLETOWN,' which was presented at the Boca West Theatre in December, 2016; Michael McKeever's 'FINDING MONA LISA,' which will be unveiled in Coral Gables at Actors' Playhouse this summer; and Stuart Meltzer's 'THE GOLDBERG VARIATIONS,' which will be produced this summer at Fort Lauderdale's Island City Stage. '

THE CAMP,' the final presentation of 'Jan McArt New Play Readings' series for this 2016-17 season, will be presented Monday, March 6th at 7:30 PM in the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center of Lynn University, Boca Raton.

Next season's 2017-18 offerings will be announced soon.

For tickets to 'THE CAMP,' call 561-237-9000 or go to www.lynn.edu/tickets.

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