TOSOS Will Host Free Reading of BURNING LEAVES Next Week

New York City’s oldest and longest producing LGBTQIA+ theater company TOSOS has announced the free reading of Burning Leaves written by playwright Tom Rowan. Burning Leaves will be presented on August 21, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. at The Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street in NYC’s Soho neighborhood, as part of The 2024 Chesley/Chambers Reading Series, celebrating new and classic works by queer voices for over a decade.

To RSVP for the free reading, visit: https://tososnyc.squarespace.com/free-reading-series

Graydon Gund directs a cast of six, including Jay DeYonker, Zoey Dunay, Vivia Font, Aidan J. Lawrence, Mariela Rivero, and Jonathan Stewart.

In need of a fresh start, Matt Leland, a young actor on the run from New York, takes a job teaching at a small high school in the Midwest—where he finds himself feeling unprepared for the unexpected challenges that await. His most talented student is Jesse Wade, a troubled sixteen-year-old on the verge of coming out. Isolated in the small conservative town, Jesse desperately needs a gay role model—and other things Matt may or may not be able to provide.  Burning Leaves is a humorous, compassionate play that asks serious questions about education, friendship, and love.

Burning Leaves joins other inspired works by notable playwrights, including Lanford Wilson, Danielle Frimer, and John Patterson, presented earlier this season. Queer Spooky Shorts will complete the reading series on October 28, 2024, with plays to be chosen after an open submission. 

The Chesley/Chambers Reading Series is a celebration of impassioned LGBTQIA+ voices contributing to our collective theatrical heritage through TOSOS’s Robert Chesley/Jane Chambers Playwrights Project, an ongoing forum for playwrights to have their work presented and voices heard. The series honors playwright Jane Chambers (1937-1983), a pioneer in writing theatrical works with openly lesbian characters and perhaps best known for Last Summer at Bluefish Cove; and playwright Robert Chesley (1943-1990), a theater critic and musical composer, known for his play Jerker. During TOSOS’s 50th anniversary season, the company presented new and classic works by Lanford Wilson (Lemon Sky), Danielle Frimer (P. Pan El Al), and John Patterson (MASK4MASK). Click here for more information.

TOSOS annual Gayla will be held on Monday, September 30, 2024 at Red Eye NYC (355 West 41st Street). The company launched its ground-breaking 50th Anniversary Season with sold out performances of the world premiere of Chris Weikel’s Pride House, directed by Igor Goldin (Yank!, With Glee), followed by multiple fundraising events that are open to the public and activated to celebrate the community, include TOSOS’s annual Cocktail and Pride parties.

TOSOS (The Other Side of Silence) is New York City’s oldest and longest producing professional LGBTQIA+ theater company. In 1974, Off-Off-Broadway veteran Doric Wilson, cabaret star Billy Blackwell and director Peter dell Valle, started the first professional gay theatre company in NYC. It was called The Other Side of Silence—TOSOS for short. In 2002, directors Mark Finley and Barry Childs and playwright Wilson resurrected TOSOS. The company has produced over 30 mainstage shows and so many readings of new plays and works in progress we have trouble counting them all.