(WEEHAWKEN NJ) -- Hudson Theatre Works continues to shine a light on local playwrights and nurture their voices with the upcoming PlayWorks, where readings of new plays by contemporary and local playwrights are presented and the audience shares in the creative process, and the admission is free. In continuing their year of women playwrights, the readings for this year’s PlayWorks are “Graceland Too” by Nicole Hughes on Monday, March 20 at 7:00pm and “Bird in a Box” by Joanne Hoersch on Monday, March 27 at 7:00pm.

Hughes’ “Graceland Too” is inspired by true events and is set up as a tragic tale about the number one Elvis fan, Paul MacLeod, and his antebellum home-turned-Elvis shrine in Holly Springs, Mississippi. When he prepares for Elvis Week with the help of a former prisoner, Dwight Taylor, two different worlds are about to collide, leaving Graceland Too a much different place. Hughes has produced “Humanity Needs Dreamers” and the documentary “Coded Bias” on Netflix.  Directed by Adrian Wattenmaker with Charles Wagner.

Hoersch’s “Bird in a Box” follows two sisters with two different memories of their shared childhood. A resident playwright at Hudson Theatre Works, Hoersch received her Bachelor of Arts in drama from Emerson College and studied fiction at Columbia University, where she was the recipient of a Woolrich Fellowship for creative writing and completed her Master of Fine Arts at The New School.   Directed by Frank Licato with Gloria Lamoureux and Valerie Stack Dodge.

PlayWorks is part of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance 2023 Stages Festival and PlayWorks events are free to attend. Hudson Theatre Works is located at 80 Hauxhurst Ave., Weehawken.