Published by New Jersey Stage
originally published: 09/09/2025
Local authors present new plays in The Theater Project's fall reading series: Stephanie Griffin, Joseph Vitale, Bill Mesce, Jr, and Lynn Marie Macy.
(CRANFORD, NJ) -- The Theater Project will launch its 2025 New Play Readings series on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at Cranford Community Center's 110-seat theater. Admission is free, with no registration required. The first play is Stephanie Griffin's Define Good, which draws its inspiration from the incendiary days of groups like the Weather Underground, whose violent tactics represented the dark side of the anti-Vietnam War movement. The event begins at 2:00pm.
Griffin’s drama is based on the true story of a 1970s college radical who went into hiding for two decades after committing a crime in the service of her cause. Eventually, she turned herself into the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The play follows the character as she tries to come to terms with the wreckage she has caused, not only in her own life, but also in the lives of her family and her victim.
"I read an article about this woman and was intrigued by her story," says the playwright. "Although the specific issues are different (between 1970 and 2023), the political climate is similar. The play explores the ins and outs of speaking truth to power -- the ways it can be right or go wrong."
After the reading of Define Good, members of the audience will have the opportunity to offer their feedback to the playwright.
“The post-reading discussions are always interesting and exciting, not only for the audience, but also for the playwrights,” said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. “They afford audiences a rare opportunity to contribute to the development of a dramatic work. Likewise, the discussions enable the playwrights to gain immediate insight into how their work is received.”
Large-print programs and scripts will be available with advance request.
Two additional presentations will round out the 2025 series:
* October 18: short plays by Lynn Marie Macy (Cranford) and Joseph Vitale (Randolph).
* November 15: a full-length play by Linden novelist and screenwriter Bill Mesce, Jr.
The Friends of the Cranford Library will host the series, which is made possible in part through a Union County Local Arts Grant. All three presentations take place at Cranford Community Center, located at 220 Walnut Avenue.
Founded in 1994 and based in Union, The Theater Project introduces New Jersey audiences to new plays and supports rising playwrights and theater artists. It develops new audiences for theater by service to the community, providing programs for children, and using theater as a forum to address current issues.
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