James Scully, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Justin Cooley & Derek Johnson Join Reading Of JACKSON'S ISLAND

Huck, Tom, Queers and Us by Joseph Frederick Allen (The Eulogy Approach, associate director of Cecilia Gentili's RED INK) has announced the cast for a private developmental reading. The reading, presented and directed by Nic Cory (RED INK, The Lightning Thief, And Just Like That) will be held at TRAVERSE32 in midtown Manhattan on Monday, August 19th.

The four person cast will feature James Scully (Oh, Mary!), Ryan Jamaal Swain (POSE), Tony nominee Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), and Derek Johnson (The Other Two).

Jackson's Island follows Maxwell and Andrew through their young adulthood in the years after their best friend's death. While Andrew grows to accept his sexuality, and in turn his grief, Maxwell escapes to – and expands upon – the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. We see inside Maxwell's mind: Tom is also dead, but Huck is able to visit him on their secret island. As the real life pair navigates the confusing, intimate, and queer bond of grief, Huck and Tom must wrestle with how to stay together in the face of death. As the two stories start to interact, we begin to question what is real and what is imaginary.  

Joseph Frederick Allen's play, The Eulogy Approach, premiered at TheatreRow in 2023, in which he starred opposite Leana Rae Concepcion. He is the associate director and producer of Cecilia Gentili's RED INK, which just concluded its Off-Broadway run starring Jes Tom, Angelica Ross and Peppermint. He was the winner of the Merrily We Roll Along Rooftop Writers' Initiative, in collaboration with the Stephen Sondheim foundation and Jonathan Larson Grant. 

For more information email jacksonsislandplay@gmail.com.

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