(HACKETTSTOWN, NJ) -- The Women Playwright Series (WPS) returns for its 29th season at the Centenary Stage Company with four brand-new plays. This season’s selection features Atlas the Lonely Gibbon by Deborah Yarchun on Wednesday, April 14; The Persuadables by Hallie Palladino on Wednesday, April 21; Cotton’s Tale by Pauline David-Sax on Wednesday, April 28; and Loretta the Yodeling Cowgirl by Vita Patrick Morales on Wednesday, May 5.
All performances will begin at 7:30 PM and will be held in the Sitnik Theatre of the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. Admission to all WPS events are by donation and advance reservations are highly encouraged as seating is assigned and limited. A minimum $5.00 donation required to reserve in advance. To reserve visit centenarystageco.org or call the CSC box office at (908) 979 – 0900.
Centenary Stage Company will also offer a live streaming option accompanying the in-person performances. Live stream access is free to participate with donations appreciated. WPS live streams will be made available for viewing at centenarystageco.org.
The 2020/21 Women Playwrights Series selections include:
Atlas the Lonley Gibbon by playwright, Deborah Yarchun, is a darkly comedic thriller set in the future. Irene, a 28-year-old journalist, has recently had her job downgraded to editing AI (Artificial Intelligence)-generated articles. Her husband, David, is a cybercrime journalist who introduces more than enough more than enough technologies into their home, with unnerving consequences. “Atlas…” explores where we’re heading as a society and the complex benefits and destructive possibilities of a fully wired worldDrive will be presented on Wednesday, April 14 at 7:30 pm.
The Persuadables by Hallie Palladino, follows a group of morally challenged election consultants are engaged by a conservative billionaire to mount a massive public influence campaign. Using a combination of cutting-edge data mining and old-fashioned disinformation they set about redefining the first amendment. The Persuadables will be presented on Wednesday, April 21 at 7:30 pm.
Cotton’s Tale by Pauline David-Sax is not your grandmother’s Beatrice Potter. The play is a delightful laugh-out-loud tale pitting whimsy against the persistence of one resolute rabbit in her quest to tell her real story of what really happened in the carrot patch that day. Cotton’s Tale will be presented on Wednesday, April 28th at 7:30 pm.
Loretta the Yodeling Cowgirl by Vita Patrick Morales is inspired by a true story. Loretta and her wiry friend, Em, who live in a home for the aged in Mount Jewett, Pennsylvania. Their days are the same and their banter circuitous. But, when Loretta learns that her daughters are about to sell the family home, she travels back in time to the days of her Yodeling Cowgirl fame, and the choices she made for happiness. Loretta the Yodeling Cowgirl will be presented on Wednesday, May 5th at 7:30.
Centenary Stage Company’s Women Playwrights Series has featured the work of more than 80 emerging playwrights. The program has also taken 18 plays to full production from the series. Led by program director Catherine Rust, the Women Playwrights Series offers playwrights the opportunity to work with professional actors and directors in a workshop rehearsal process, and to hear their work in front of a live audience – a critical part of the development process. Lively talk-backs with the playwright and cast follow each presentation, and one play is selected each year as the winner of the Susan Glaspell Award and receives a full production in the following main-stage season with CSC.
For more information or to reserve, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979 – 0900. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 1 – 5 PM and two hours prior to all performances. The Centenary Stage Company box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. Centenary Stage Company can also be found across social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers.
Centenary Stage Company remains committed to the health and safety of our community and adheres to all requirements set forth by the State of New Jersey including, but not limited to; observing social distancing, limited capacity, and requiring masks or facial coverings. For more information regarding CSC COVID-19 policies visit centenarystageco.org/faq.
The 2020-2021 season of performing arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, and CSC corporate sponsors, including Premiere Season Sponsor The House of the Good Shepherd, Silver Sponsors Hackettstown Medical Center Atlantic Health System, Home Instead Senior Care (Washington), and Fulton Bank, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.
PHOTO: WPS Reading of Turning by Darrah Cloud in April 2018 (Photo Credit: Chris Young)
