Reader's Theater
Ticket Reservations (pay what you wish)
Allens Lane Art Center is thrilled to present 2021-22 season of Reader's Theater. Local writers, directors and actors from our community present staged readings of exciting plays that we believe speak to our audiences.
The readings take place in Allens Lane Theater and will be available to in-person audiences (with protocols in place) as well as a streamed version. A short Talk Back will follow each reading where the audience will be asked to provide feedback on the work they just saw.
These readings are available with a pay-what-you-wish reservation.
The Other Bed
Written and Directed by Mark Ivan Branche
June 3-4
In a retirement community known as Pinetree Care Center, Emma Gateley, a current resident, has to come to terms with accepting a new temporary roommate... An African-American woman
named Billee McNeill who has become a recent tenant. Billee, a very strong and proud woman, ambivalently navigates through Emma's bigotry, prejudice, and negative attitude with wit, grace, wisdom, and charm. While Emma's daughter Doris tries to get her mother to let go of the old baggage and live in the present. Will these two women be able to find common ground? Will they be able to move beyond their pasts and find true friendship in their golden years?
NEXT UP!
Written by Julie Zaffarano. Directed by Dave Ebersole
Friday & Saturday- January 21 & 22 @ 7:30pm
Set in 1935, Dorothy, a determined female reporter, covers a grand jury investigation into the death of rising musical theater star Evelyn Hoey. As she fights to gain equal footing with the male reporters, Dorothy struggles in the cut-throat world of sensationalized reporting. She must also face her unresolved feelings for her former lover and colleague, Carl.
**Talk back with the Cast, Writer and Director follows the reading.
Call Me Abigail
Written and Directed by Shelli Pentimall Bookler
April 1-2
Callie Dell is not your average filmmaker. She’s a feminist, a conservative Senator’s daughter and a pornographer. To protect her father’s reputation, she has been directing under a fake name, but someone has leaked her identity to the press right as her father announces his run for presidency. Now she has finish her latest film and meet the looming deadline of the industry’s prestigious Feminist Porn Awards, as her mom Paula tries to reignite passion in her marriage, and Callie’s girlfriend Eve pushes Callie’s trust to the limit. Call Me Abigail is a new play about pressure, politics and porn.
Scheduled Readings
All Reader's Theater events will occur on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm.
- The Idiot Box written by Michael Elyanow - October 22 and 23
- Above the Fold written by Julie Zaffarano - January 21 and 22
- Call Me Abigail written and directed by Shelli Pentimall Bookler- April 1-2
- The Other Bed written and directed by Mark Ivan Branche- June 3-4
*Due to current Covid guidelines all in-person indoor performances will be limited to 32 Audience members max, (4 per party/table), actors and staff will be vaccinated, audience members will need to show proof of Vaccination to enter the theater, no picnic dinners will be allowed in the theater, and masks will be required.
