Works by Ryan J. Haddad, Selina Fillinger and More to Be Showcased in MTC's 2020 Ted Snowdon Reading Series

Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) has announced the lineup for the 2020 Ted Snowdon Reading Series.

The readings kick off Monday, March 2 and will be held on Mondays through March 23. The readings will take place at New York City Center - Stage I (131 West 55th Street). All readings are free and open to the public, but space is limited and reservations are required.

To reserve a seat, please visit https://mtc.formstack.com/forms/2020_ted_snowdon_reading_series_registration_form or call (212) 399-3000 x 4163.

Now in its 22nd year, this rehearsed reading series is dedicated to the support and development of innovative new work, offering each playwright a week-long rehearsal period with directors and actors. This year, the series will feature four new plays, including one MTC commission, by an exceptional group of writers. MTC is grateful to Ted Snowdon for his generous support of the reading series.

Several plays developed in this reading series have gone on to full productions at MTC, including David Auburn's Tony Award® and Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof, Joe Hortua's Between Us, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa's Based on a Totally True Story, Molly Smith Metzler's Close Up Space (Susan Smith Blackburn finalist), Abe Koogler's Fulfillment Center, Jaclyn Backhaus' India Pale Ale and Eleanor Burgess' The Niceties.

Plays from this reading series that have been produced elsewhere in New York and around the world include Brittany K. Allen's Redwood, Paola Lázaro's There's Always the Hudson, Sharyn Rothstein's Right to Be Forgotten, Kimber Lee's To the Yellow House, Jen Silverman's Dangerous House, Nick Gandiello's The Blameless, Nicky Silver's This Day Forward, Michael West's The Chinese Room, Halley Feiffer's I'm Gonna Pray for You So Hard, Joshua Harmon's Significant Other, Ethan Lipton's Tumacho, Rachel Bonds' Five Mile Lake, Ayad Akhtar's The Who and the What, Penelope Skinner's The Village Bike, Rona Munro's Donny's Brain, Jonathan Caren's The Recommendation, The Civilians' The Great Immensity, Heidi Schreck's There Are No More Big Secrets, Eric Simonson's Fake, David Adjmi's Stunning, Naomi Iizuka's Strike-Slip, Stephen Adly Guirgis' The Little Flower of East Orange, Julia Cho's Durango, Adam Rapp's Red Light Winter and Theresa Rebeck's The Scene.

March 2 at 4pm: Good Time Charlie
by Ryan J. Haddad, directed by Danny Sharron

Charlie may be Cleveland's most glamorous dentist, but tonight he claims his rightful place on the New York stage. Written by (and co-starring) his well-meaning but entitled nephew, Ryan, Good Time Charlie traces mentorship, memory, and gay identity across generations. With music, wit, and a classy dose of camp, this metatheatrical family romp navigates the complicated business of honoring the ones you love.

RYAN J. HADDAD (Playwright) is an actor, playwright, and autobiographical performer based in New York. His acclaimed solo play Hi, Are You Single? was presented in The Public Theater's Under the Radar Festival and continues to tour the country. Other New York credits include My Straighties (Ars Nova/ANT Fest), Noor and Hadi Go to Hogwarts (Theater Breaking Through Barriers), and the cabaret Falling for Make Believe (Joe's Pub). Regional credits include The Maids, Lucy Thurber's Orpheus in the Berkshires (Williamstown Theatre Festival), and Hi, Are You Single? (Guthrie Theater, Cleveland Play House, Williamstown Theatre Festival). He has a recurring role on the Ryan Murphy Netflix series "The Politician." Additional television credits include "Bull," "Madam Secretary," and "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Haddad has performed original work at La MaMa E.T.C., the New Museum, and The LGBT Center of New York City. His plays in development include Good Time Charlie and Dark Disabled Stories. He is an alum of The Public Theater's Emerging Writers Group and a former Queer|Art Performance and Playwriting Fellow, under the mentorship of Moe Angelos. Learn more at www.ryanjhaddad.com and follow him on social at @ryanjhaddad.

March 9 at 4pm: The Collapse
by Selina Fillinger, directed by Margot Bordelon

Alice is thrilled when she lands a summer research position with Viola Vauclain, the legendary entomologist specializing in bees. But as the summer goes on, it quickly becomes clear that the apiarian colonies are not the only thing on the verge of collapse. Accompanied by a band of Beatnik Bees, a wild and surprising new play about science, transformation, and our own animal selves, commissioned by MTC through the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Selina Fillinger (Playwright) is an LA-based playwright and actor. Her play Something Clean, originally commissioned by Sideshow Theatre's Freshness Initiative, had its world premiere at Roundabout Underground in New York, and is the 2019 recipient of the Laurents/Hatcher Foundation Award. Other plays include Faceless (Northlight Theatre premiere, Jeff Award-nominated; Zeitgeist Theatre; Repertory Theatre of St. Louis; Park Theatre in London) and The Armor Plays: Cinched/Strapped (Available Light's Next Stage Initiative; Alley All New Festival; Theatre Three). Cinched/Strapped is the 2019 recipient of Williamstown Theatre Festival's L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award. Her farce, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, is on the 2019 Kilroys List. Current commissions include Roundabout Theatre Company, South Coast Repertory, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Williamstown. Selina was a Hawthornden Fellow and resident at the Sallie B. Goodman Artist's Retreat at McCarter Theatre Center. She is a graduate from Northwestern University ('16), where she studied playwriting under Laura Schellhardt. www.selinafillinger.com

March 16 at 4pm: Laughs in Spanish
by Alexis Scheer, directed by David Mendizábal

It's Art Basel in Miami at Mariana's gallery opening in the Wynwood Arts District and the unthinkable has happened: the artwork is missing. And when Mariana's movie-star mom shows up to help, things only get more complicated. A fast paced, cafecíto-induced comedy about art and success-and mothers and daughters.

Alexis Scheer (Playwright) was named Rising Theatre Star by the Improper Bostonian in the Boston's Best Issue and one of Remezcla's 8 Exciting Latinx Playwrights. Plays: Our Dear Dead Drug Lord (WP Theater/Second Stage, NYT Critic's Pick, Kilroy's List, LTC Carnaval of New Latinx Work finalist, Relentless Award semifinalist, Bay Area Playwrights Festival finalist), Christina (Roe Green Award), and The Sensational (Actors Theatre of Louisville). Her work has been developed at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre Center, Boston Playwrights' Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, San Diego REP, and more. Alexis is a proud Miami native and New World School of the Arts alum, and holds a BFA in Musical Theatre from The Boston Conservatory and MFA in Playwriting from Boston University. She is currently working on commissions for Manhattan Theatre Club and Second Stage.

March 23 at 4pm: (An Audio Guide For) Unsung Snails and Heroes
by Julia Izumi, directed by Jenny Koons

In 1945, a young girl journeys from Japan to Manchuria to retrieve her deceased father's bones, just before the end of World War II. Inspired by a true story from the playwright's family history, this beguiling, epic yet personal play follows an ancestor snail and a self-guided audio tour to excavate the definition of heroism across generations and cultures.

JULIA IZUMI (Playwright) is a writer and performer who makes plays, musicals, and several opportunities for dance parties. She has developed work through Berkeley Rep's Ground Floor, SPACE on Ryder Farm, Oregon Shakespeare Festival's BLACK SWAN Lab, WP Theater, Barn Arts Collective's Hamilton Project Residency, NNPN/Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights' Workshop, BMI's Librettists Workshop, the Great Plains Theatre Conference PlayLab, and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Her work has been presented at San Francisco Playhouse, Trinity Repertory Company, the National Asian-American Theatre ConFest, Dixon Place, FringeNYC, and Corkscrew Theatre Festival. Honors for her work include O'Neill Theater Center's NPC Finalist, the Kilroys List Honorable Mention, KCACTF's Darrell Ayers Playwriting Award, Theater Masters' Take Ten, NY Society Library's Emerging Women's Artist Grant and a Puffin Artists' Grant. She is a current member of the Clubbed Thumb Early-Career Writers' Group and will be featured in this season's Bushwick Starr Reading Series. MFA: Brown University. www.juliaizumi.com

To post a comment, you must register and login.