Primary Stages to Present 2023 Spring Reading Series This Month
All readings are free and open to the public and will be held in Theater A at 59E59 Theaters.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 10, 2023
PRIMARY STAGES is set to present their 2023 Spring Reading Series, featuring readings from three of their artistic development programs: the Echoes Writers Group, the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, and Creative Access Grants program. All readings are free and open to the public and will be held in Theater A at 59E59 Theaters (59 E 59th Street, New York, NY 10022).
ECHOES READING SERIES
Directed by Kate Moore Heaney
Monday March 27 & Tuesday March 28 at 7pm
RSVP HERE
The Echoes Writers Group at Primary Stages is a year-long, educational program focused on finding, nurturing, and amplifying the voices of women, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and trans artists. Led by the artistic team at Primary Stages, Echoes is a place for writers to discover and develop their voice in a supportive and creative community that grows together. The group is comprised of 8 writers who participate in twice-weekly Mentorship and Sharing Sessions, where they have the chance to create and develop their own work with professionals from across the theater community. Mentors for the 2022/23 cohort include Michelle Bossy, Brittany K. Allen, Calamity West, Caridad Svich, Brenda Withers, Rehana Lew Mirza, Stefanie Zadravec, and Amalia Rojas, with such topics as Playwriting Fundamentals, Adaptation, 10-Minute Plays, Comedy, Dramaturgy, Dialogue and more.
Primary Stages strives to reflect the story of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, classes, ages, and abilities, and hopes for this group to reflect the America around us as opposed to what has historically been taught and represented.
The 2022-23 Echoes Writers Group includes Ang(ela) Bey (they/them), Kim Brockington (she/her), Jess Ducey (they/them), Ashil Lee (they/he/she, pronoun inclusive), Lingyue(she/her/hers), Regan Moro (they/she), Max Raymond (he/him) and April Soetarman (she/her).
Monday March 27 will feature excerpts from:
The Venus Problem by Ang(ela) Bey
This, Too, Shall Pass by Jess Ducey
The Korean Language Play by Ashil Lee
Porch Scenes from Across the Space-Time Continuum by April Soeterman
Tuesday March 28 will feature excerpts from:
Honey and Daisy (the Last of the Revolutionaries) by Kim Brockington
The Cassandra Play by Lingyue
Burn for You by Regan Moro
Everyone Dies at the End by Max Raymond
The Echoes Writers Group is made possible by a generous grant from The Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation New ERA Women Writers Program.
CREATIVE ACCESS GRANT READING
The Pink
Monday April 3 at 7pm
RSVP HERE
Nominated for the Creative Access Grant by National Queer Theater
The Pink: An Intimacy Ritual is a hook up performed in real time between two queer people of color seeking true intimacy in the age of dating apps and digital sex. As these two humans, Mel and Herman, grasp for "the real" in the bedroom, their conversations, silences, and moments of touch blur the lines between affection, sex, and euphoric romance.
The cast & creative team for The Pink will include é Boylan as director, Gaven Trinidad as dramaturg, Roger Q. Mason as Mel, and Dominic Colón as Herman.
The Primary Stages and Einhorn School of Performing Arts Creative Access Grants are an initiative providing financial, educational, artistic, and community support to playwrights nominated by four culturally specific NYC-based theater companies, providing support to historically underrepresented communities and amplifying the artists and work of these vital arts organizations. The Creative Access Grant program will culminate in public presentations of the artists' works in collaboration with the nominating theater company, celebrating this artistry through our joined communities.
Primary Stages is collaborating with Latinx Playwrights Circle, National Black Theatre, National Queer Theater and Pan Asian Repertory Theatre on the Creative Access Grants. The inaugural Creative Access Grant recipients are Tyler Dobies, Roger Q. Mason, Derek Lee McPhatter and Justin Santory.
The Creative Access Grants program is made possible, in part, through the generous support of The Ellen M. Violett and Mary P.R. Thomas Foundation.
Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group
FRESH INK READING SERIES
March 30 - April 14
All readings will be at 3pm
RSVP HERE
Primary Stages is committed to supporting playwrights at all stages of their careers and providing an artistic home where they can hone their craft and develop their latest works. An integral part of this initiative is the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, which has been fostering the creation of new works by emerging playwrights for 26 years. Throughout its history, the Group has helped launch the careers of over 60 writers and supported the creation of over 150 new plays. Led by Primary's artistic staff, the Group is composed of six up-and-coming writers who participate in the program for a three-year cycle. This multi-year commitment provides writers with the security of an artistic home and enables the staff to form intimate relationships with these artists and give them the personal attention they need to advance their work. The Group meets on a weekly basis from September through April, giving writers the opportunity to discuss their current projects and offer each other constructive feedback in a supportive environment. The goal for each writer is to complete a new play by the end of the spring session, which is then given a public reading in the Fresh Ink Reading Series. The 2022/23 Group members include Brittany K. Allen, Benjamin Benne, Elizabeth Irwin, Jon Kern, Jonathan Norton and Calamity West.
Thursday March 30
Sojourners by Jonathan Norton
Sojourners follows Zeno, a gay black man who recently quit his high school teaching job. After coming into possession of a car used by young queer activists during Mississippi Freedom Summer, Zeno's life takes a quick U-turn. Jumping back and forth through time eventually worlds collide, forcing Zeno to face his greatest fear: the classroom.
Friday March 31
Harm Reduction by Elizabeth Irwin
Amanda and Evan & Susan live on the same floor of a pre-war building in Brooklyn and are all raising teenagers and it's going FINE. When their kids enter an essay contest about "someone I admire," feelings get pulverized and questions come up about just what an actual clusterfuck kids are. A play about foster/parenting and the many ways your choices can disappoint and surprise you.
Tuesday April 11
and thou shalt be healed by Benjamin Benne
Siblings Mary and Johnny were raised in the same Christian cult. Now in their 30s, the still religious Mary is having a crisis of faith and is in need of a miracle. Her now secular brother offers a controversial solution. When reunited on a remote mountain in New Mexico, surrounded by energy vortexes, rumors of aliens, and a golden eyelash palm pit viper named Daisy, they wonder: Did they ever know the same God?
Wednesday April 12
Guru Up a Mountain by Jon Kern
Why are you on The Ground? Why are you at This Screen? Why are you in Your Life? Uncertain at the answer or, even worse, terrified of the certainty you have? Then climb the mountain to meet the Guru! Join the journey of Frannie as she seeks The Answers in Guru Up a Mountain.
Thursday April 13
The Great Books by Brittany K. Allen
The Great Books follows the rise and fall of a book club with the best intentions. Zoe, Hiram, and Colette are friends from high-school, trying to muck through some early-thirties malaise (and fight despair!) with revolutionary fervor. But when does stretching the mind lead to action, and when does it bless stasis? This episodic barroom comedy explores the itchy work of coalition building, the sparks that start and snuff movements, and the little tricks of ego that keep us from seeing our friends-and would-be comrades-in their fullest humanity.
Friday April 14
Feast! by Calamity West
Feast! is a biting satire that explores the fine line between self-identified American Liberals and Conservatives, culture wars, marriage, and accountability.
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