2013 New Play-Reading Festival Set for The Growing Stage, 11/7-10

The Growing Stage - The Children's Theatre of New Jersey, located in the Historic Palace Theatre on Route 183 in Netcong, New Jersey is proud to announce four plays selected for their 3rd Annual New Play-Reading Festival happening November 7th through the 10th.

In the New Play-Reading Festival, four brand-new plays for young audiences, chosen from 100 submitted works, will be read by professional and community artists in a casual setting. Following each reading,the entire family can participate in discussion of the work with the professional team. One of the four plays will be selected to become a fully mounted Main Stage production in 2015! The four plays selected for the festival are: Totally Okay Right Now by Madelyn Sergel, And Then Came Tango by Emily Freeman, Captain Superlative by J.S. Puller and Kid Turboni Brings the Rain by Mark J. Costello. Funding for the New Play-Reading Festival is provided by the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.

Totally Okay Right Now (Thursday, Nov. 7th at 7:30PM), directed by Lori B. Lawrence, TGS's Director of Educational Programming, looks at the everyday life of being a teenager. Lizzie, one of the characters in the piece states: "Between everyone demanding that I know what I am going to do with my entire life right now, parents full of way-too-much loving, supportive and very irritating advice, friends with their own set of problems that somehow keep ending up in my in-box, I have to tell you, it's not exactly easy being a teenager these days!"

And Then Came Tango (Friday, Nov. 8th at 7:30PM), directed by TGS Artist Danny Campos, is inspired by the true story of Roy and Silo, two male penguins at the Central Park Zoo, who formed a pair bond, built a nest, and were so determined to be parents that they incubated a rock. When given an orphaned egg, the pair successfully raised a baby fledgling. At the penguin exhibit, Lily, a young visitor to the zoo, learns to understand the consequences of doing what she believes is right when faced with a public outcry about Roy and Silo's same-sex pair bond. Dance, storytelling and live music are interwoven with audience interaction through a play that celebrates families of all shapes and sizes.

Captain Superlative (Saturday, Nov. 9th at 1:30PM) Directed by TGS Artist Emily Portune, this piece explores the imagination, sophistication and intelligence of today's youth, as addressed through a story that examines one of the most important turning points in any individual's life: creating an identity. Janey, a young student who prides herself on her anonymity, finds her world shaken up when a girl arrives at school dressed as a superhero who performs small acts of kindness-Captain Superlative! Much against her will, Janey becomes the superhero's sidekick in an anti-bullying campaign.

The final selection is Kid Turboni Brings the Rain (Sunday, Nov. 10th at 1:30PM) and is helmed by the festival's director, Steve Graham. The worst heat wave in the history of Albuquerque's Housing Project 326A rages on, leaving Kid Turboni sweat- deprived on the hot pavement with his best friend, Billy Santos. When it becomes too much, they decide to steal rain from Mother Nature. Parents interfere, nature refuses to cooperate, girls want kisses and sparklers are lit, but the question remains: Can Kid Turboni bring the rain?

Tickets are $5 for adults and "Pay-What-You-Can" for students up to 18 years old. To place your reservation, please contact The Growing Stage Box Office at (973) 347-4946 or e-mail at boxoffice@growingstage.com. For further information, you can visit our website at www.growingstage.com.

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