FAERIES OR OUT THE OTHER SIDE Will Have a Staged Reading at Town Hall Theatre

An original piece written for the San Francisco Olympians Festival in 2021 will receive an in-person staged reading at Lafayette's Town Hall Theatre on March 14 - just before St. Patrick's Day. Playwrights Colette Gunn-Graffy and Jasmine Woods explore themes of belonging in their play Faeries, or Out the Other Side.

In a pub in rural Ireland four tourists from various countries take shelter from the rain. Among them is Áine, a young queer Irish American who has traveled to their birth country to track down the biological parents they never knew. Along with the other travelers, Áine finds themself drawn to Dagda, the handsome Irish barman, who affirms Áine's desire to identify with their roots. Áine's fairy tattoo sparks a conversation about enchanted creatures that starts out frivolous but grows darker as each travelers' stories betray hidden loneliness, and a sudden revelation leaves Áine torn between two equally devastating choices.

Although the namesake of Faeries, or Out the Other Side is mythical, the play's true subject matter is real and timely. The play is about our desperate need to belong - whether to a tribe, a heritage, a community, or even a romantic partnership - and how a lack of connection leaves us morally and spiritually vulnerable. As one character drily observes, some people "just want to believe" in something.

"These characters, no matter where they come from and what they have experienced, all share the very human need to belong," says the play's director Claire Ganem. "But what truly drew me to them is in the aftermath of finding that belonging. Once you find your community, how do you stop yourself from being complacent when faced with the injustices caused by those around you?" Ganem will also be directing Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine's by Madhuri Shekar for Town Hall Theatre's Main Stage in June 2022.

Curator of Artistic Programming Daniel J. Eslick thinks this offering will fascinate and connect with audiences. "What draws me to this script," Eslick says, "is how it structures mythology - something that can feel distanced from our modern society - into a narrative that hits close to home. The script has added more upon the established mythology, and I love having that dialogue between modern and historical on the Town Hall stage."

This one-night only special event will feature a talkback after the reading with the cast and creative team of Faeries.

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