Graphic by Yolanda Fundora
(SUMMIT, NJ) -- Vivid Stage, in residence at Oakes Center, will present its annual Meet the Artist new play reading series on Wednesdays, May 6, 13, 20 and 27. This year includes works by Brad Goren-Wilson, Vince Gatton, Erin Mallon, and Elizabeth Irwin. All readings will take place at the Summit Community Center (100 Morris Ave) at 7:00pm.
The new play reading series is a chance for the audience to participate in the development of new works, both to hear the plays read by professional actors and also to discuss the projects with the playwright, director and actors afterward. There will be an opportunity for the audience to provide feedback to the team after every performance.
On May 6, Vivid will present Brad Goren-Wilson’s Socks on the Wall. As the pandemic rages, a young man tries to drive across the United States to see his grandmother for Christmas. Simple, poetic, and cathartic, Socks On the Wall is a bittersweet comedy exploring the pillars and symbols we look to for guidance as we choose how to use the little time we have. The cast includes Joshua T. Crockett, Sarah Cuneo, Noreen Farley and Scott McGowan.
On May 13, Vivid will present Chagutok by Vince Gatton. Four Americans each make a solitary pilgrimage to a remote, unpopulated island off the Alaskan coast, hoping to witness an obscure and mysterious atmospheric phenomenon known as the Chagutok Lights, which occurs only once every seventeen years. They each expect to be camping alone out there, but find themselves stuck in each others' company - an unwelcome situation for these people-skills-challenged individuals, but they manage...until a dead body appears. And it's just the first. Alone on this barren island, these four loners must work together to solve the mysteries of the dead, the Lights...and each other. The cast includes Sarah Blasenheim, Laura Ekstrand, Danté Sterling and Jason Szamreta.
On May 20, Vivid will present Erin Mallon’s Neither Rain Nor Snow. A solitary, independent woman fosters an unlikely friendship with her mailman, despite her initial distrust of him. It’s clear that they both enjoy each other’s company, but as his true colors are revealed over the span of a year, we realize the woman was right. This man’s intentions are not at all what they first seemed. The cast includes Harriett Trangucci and Carl Wallnau.
On May 27, Vivid presents Harm Reduction by Elizabeth Irwin. As Kayla, a seventeen year old in the foster care system, pushes through her last few months of high school, her foster mother, Susan, tries to figure out how to be a mother when you’ve spent the last sixteen years on the bench. Their neighbors, Amanda and Evan, (possibly mediocre) parents themselves, offer help and judgment and resentment and advice. No village is perfect but is this one going to let Kayla down or will they be enough? The cast includes Ciara Chanel, Laura Chaneski, Byron Hagan and Daria M. Sullivan.
All readings will be held at the Summit Community Center (100 Morris Ave) at 7:00 pm. Admission is $20. Tickets are available for purchase online. The community center is wheelchair accessible.
What is a “Reading”? A reading is a performance of a play that focuses on the words of the script and the interaction of the actors without sets, props and costumes. Readings are a way to present plays in front of live audiences without the expense of a fully staged production. While readings can be of new or existing works, Vivid chooses to read new plays only. Readings of new shows can help a show’s creative team see what works and what might need a rewrite. When a reading goes particularly well, Vivid will consider the play for a fully-staged production in an upcoming season.
What to Expect - Just like in a staged performance, Vivid company members and guest actors will perform all the roles in the play. Typically, the cast will be seated in chairs onstage, and they will read their lines from the script. They might occasionally stand up and move about. There may also be a narrator, who reads aloud stage directions and describes scenery or movement as written in the script. There will be no costumes or sets.
Are readings appropriate for kids? The themes of most chosen plays are probably “of interest” to those approximately 12 and up. Overall, play readings are similar to reading non-picture books to your children at home. If your child can focus, listen, pay close attention, and imagine the setting for the play, she or he will probably enjoy the reading. Remember: there are no costumes or sets, and there is no action.
Why would I attend a reading if I can wait for a fully staged production? Play readings at Vivid are about discovering new artists and their works, and including yourself in the development cycle of the plays. You will get to witness a work in progress, and afterwards you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback to the creative team. Playwrights often use readings to test new characters and lines in front of live audiences. And if you do come back for a fully staged production, you might notice some of your suggestions incorporated into the final performance.
Vivid Stage was founded in 1994 as Dreamcatcher Rep, and is a non-profit professional ensemble of actors who build community with the audience by sharing contemporary, life-affirming stories that challenge, energize and entertain. Their work has at its heart a belief in the essential goodness of people and the power of live performance to connect people through our shared humanity. They expose theatregoers to ideas and lives like and unlike their own with the intention of awakening their imaginations and creating empathy for others. They deepen the experience of all their patrons with personal contact through receptions, talkbacks, and interactive programs.
The company’s activities include mainstage productions, improvisational comedy and cabarets, new play readings and a variety of educational and senior outreach programs.
Vivid Stage’s programs are funded by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Summit Foundation and many other corporations, foundations and individuals. Vivid Stage is an Equity Producing member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance.
Vivid Stage, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) corporation, incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.
