Centenary Stage Company to Offer Live Streaming Options for 2020 Women Playwrights Series Events

Centenary Stage Company will offer live streaming options for the 2020 Women Playwrights Series events held November 4, 11 and 18. The live stream will be available in conjunction with the in-person performances and will be made available to patrons on the dates and times of the scheduled performances. Drive by Deborah Yarchun will be presented in-person and via live stream on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30 PM. Badlands by Nora Leahy will be presented in-person and via live stream on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 PM. I'll Give You Something to Cry About by Patricia Cotter will be presented in-person and via live stream on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 PM. All live streams will be hosted on the Centenary Stage Company website at centenarystageco.org. Live streaming will be offered for free to the general public with donations appreciated.

"Our Women Playwrights Series is one of our most popular programs.", says General Manager Christopher Young, "Because of the extremely limited seating for these events and recognizing that many of our audience members may not feel quite comfortable yet attending in-person programming we're very excited to be able to offer a digital platform for our dedicated patrons to be able to participate in the readings from the comfort and safety of their own home."

The Women Playwrights Series events in-person programming will be held in the Edith Kutz Theatre in the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue on the campus of Centenary University. Typically, this intimate black box theatre is capable of holding a maximum of 120 audience members, however, due to New Jersey State requirements the total capacity for that space has been limited to the 25% cap mandated by executive order 183. This translates to a total of 30 socially distanced available seats in that space.

Women Playwrights Series Program Director, Catherine Rust added, "In a year in which we need, more than ever, to hear these voices, we are gratified to be able to bring to you the work of playwrights from across the nation who are grappling with contemporary issues and bringing them to life on the stage. They are "holding up the mirror to nature" so that we may all contemplate exactly what kind of individual, society, world we want to be; what we will aspire to; what are the elements of human nature which render us divine... or even divinely absurd.", Rust continues, "We thank the spirits of technology for providing a means for us all to be together once again on this journey!"

In addition to viewing the live stream, audience members will be able to participate in the post-show talkback with the artists in real time through an on-line chat feature connected to the live stream. The chat feed will be moderated by a CSC staff member and questions/comments will be presented to the artistic staff as time permits. "Feedback is such a critical component of the program.", continues Young, "All of the works presented through WPS are in the developmental process. So, it's an invaluable tool for our playwright to receive immediate feedback, as well as, a really unique experience for our audiences to be a direct part of that process. We really wanted to make sure that no matter how a patron was participating, in-person or live stream, that we were able to allow for that type of engagement unique to WPS". All playwrights will be present for the post show talk backs either in-person or virtually.

Centenary Stage Company's live stream of the 2020 Women Playwrights Series will be held at the dates and times of the listed in-person event. Drive by Deborah Yarchun will be presented in-person and for live stream on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:30 PM. The live stream for Drive will be made available at centenarystageco.org/wps-drive. Badlands by Nora Leahy will be presented in-person and for live stream on Wednesday, November 11 at 7:30 PM. The live stream for Badlands will be made available at centenarystageco.org/wps-badlands. I'll Give You Something to Cry About by Patricia Cotter will be presented in-person and for live stream on Wednesday, November 18 at 7:30 PM. The live stream for I'll Give You Something to Cry About will be made available at centenarystageco.org/wps-ill-give-you-something-to-cry-a.

For more information regarding the 2020 Women Playwrights Series live stream programming visit centenarystageco.org or call the CSC box office at (908) 979 - 0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 - 5 PM and two hours prior to every performance. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ on the campus of Centenary University. Centenary Stage Company can also be found across social media platforms; Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers.

Centenary Stage Company remains committed to the health and safety of our community and adheres to all requirements and guidelines mandated by the State of New Jersey including, but not limited to; observing social distancing, limiting total capacity, and requiring masks or facial coverings. For more information regarding CSC COVID-19 policies visit, centenarystageco.org/faq.

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