Play readings are great way to enjoy an evening, whether seeing an old play or something new.
Come out to The American Hotel on specified Mondays, Enjoy a meal, a drink and a few hours of inspired acting. An interesting audience discussion generally follows the performance.
READINGS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 7:00 PM.
A $5 donation is suggested.
PRESENTING OUR READINGS COMING UP.
Monday, February 3rd - 7pm
INNER CITY
Inner City brings modern-day nursery tales to life through music and character studies. Set against the backdrop of American cities, the show introduces a diverse cast of characters, each sharing their insight into the realities of urban life.
directed by SHARON COYLE
musical director MICHAEL GILCH
dramaturge ANDY GORDANIER
A Q&A may follow the reading
Monday, March 3rd - 7pm
INDIAN INK
Indian Ink by Tom Stoppard is a play that interweaves two storylines set 50 years apart to explore the cultural and political tensions between Britain and India during the colonial period:
1930
English poet Flora Crewe travels to India to improve her health and develops a close relationship with Indian painter Nirad Das. The play explores the complex relationship between the two, which is unclear if it became romantic. Flora also encounters other men in India, including a British official and the wealthy Rajah of Jummapur.
1980s
Flora's younger sister, Eleanor, tries to preserve Flora's legacy while a biographer, Eldon Pike, searches for the truth about her life. Eleanor is reluctant to share information with Pike, but is more open to Nirad's son Anish, who is also interested in learning more about his father. The play is set against the backdrop of the Indian independence movement, which began in the early 1900s and culminated in India's independence in 1947.
Some say that Indian Ink is a rich and moving portrait of intimate lives, and that it's at its best when it shows instead of telling.
By TOM STOPPARD
Directed by DAVE MCGRATH
A Q&A may follow the reading
Monday, April 7th - 7pm
BEYOND THERAPY
Two Manhattanites who are seeking stable romantic relationships with the help of their psychiatrists, each of whom suggests their patient place a personal ad in the newspaper. Clearly the two therapists are more troubled than their patients.
By CHRISTOPHER DURANG
Directed by BEN ALEXANDER
A Q&A may follow the reading
Monday, May 5th - 7pm
THE ZOO STORY
Peter, a publishing executive, is reading on his favorite bench in New York City’s Central Park. Suddenly he is approached by a stranger named Jerry, who makes his entrance with the announcement “I’ve been to the zoo!” Jerry is intent on claiming the bench for himself, and proceeds to probe deep into Peter’s life.
By ELWARD ALBEE
Directed by MICHAEL TOTA
A Q&A may follow the reading