WHAT’S NEXT: Regional Writers Showcase

April 30, 2012 at 6pm in the Nextstage

"Circles" by Andrew Passafiume
"Dream Tim" by Grisell Buides
"And Now for an Important Message" by Karl Obine
"Moon Over Gomorrah" by Byron Wilmot

May 7, 2012 at 6pm in the Nextstage
“The Presstitute” by David Andreatta

WHAT’S NEXT: Young Writers Showcase

May 5, 2012 at 2pm in the Nextstage

"Brainstorming" by Dominic Barbarita
"To Find Mona" by Taina Diaz
"Prevention" by Amelia Carter
"The Obstacle" by Ethan Keeley
"The Leaving" by Clara O’Connor
"Heads Up" by Marcella DelPlato

What does a play reading look like? And just what is “play development?”

Did you know that producing new plays and musicals is part of our mission at Geva Theatre Center? It’s the “R&D” branch of what we do – scouting for exciting new writers and innovative storytelling that speaks to who we are today.

When a writer is working on a new script, the best way to discover whether an audience will like it is to take it out for a test drive. That’s when we present a reading – a script-in-hand performance – of the work.

When you join us for a play reading, you are participating in an intimate, bare-bones theatre experience. We give playwrights valuable resources to work on their scripts – actors, an audience, and rehearsal time – at a point when they’re still able to make sweeping changes and radical shifts in the script.

Actors will perform the play with scripts in-hand; because they are not memorizing lines, the writer is free to experiment and revise the script throughout the short rehearsal period. Actors may be seated at music stands or they may incorporate some simple staging, depending on the playwright’s goals and requests for the rehearsal process. New play projects can receive between 2 and 20 hours of rehearsal time; many of our new play readings include just 5 hours of rehearsal and then perform that same evening! For this reason, fans of acting virtuosity enjoy play readings as much as fans of the writing process – it’s a great venue to appreciate the work of fearless and creative artists. Readings also invite you to stage your own minds-eye production, as you imagine for yourself how you think the play should look with full scenery and costumes.

The final element of a work-in-progress? It’s you – the audience! Playwrights learn a great deal from hearing their work performed, but they also learn from the audience’s response. By participating in the storytelling – as you fall silent, lean in, or laugh out loud – you show writers what they have created and how it strikes you. Geva’s new play readings are always followed by a conversation with the writer; it’s a great chance for you to get to know the writer and for the writer to hear about your experience of the play.

Have you become a fan of play readings?

Geva’s newest series, The Hornets’ Nest, uses readings of contemporary plays as catalyst for discussion and debate about challenging social and ethical issues. Learn more here.

Geva Theatre Center celebrates “August Wilson’s American Century” by presenting a production and staged reading every year, exploring Wilson’s entire decade-by decade 10-play cycle in sequence. The 2009-10 Mainstage production of Two Trains Running will be accompanied by a staged reading of Jitney. Learn more here.

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Explore other Free Geva programs here.