Performance Network's Fireside Festival will offer readings of 4 new plays
From the press release:
Performance Network Theatre’s Fireside New Play Festival is proud to present four new plays this Sunday, March 10 through Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m., with Pay-What-You-Can reservations for staged readings of the latest works by Steve Moulds, Linda Ramsay, CJ Hettinger, and Joseph Zettelmaier. Tickets can be reserved at performancenetwork.org or over the phone at 734-663-0681.“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back at the Fireside Festival,” said Joseph Zettelmaier. “I’ve had several plays go on to full productions from the Festival, and nothing tells a playwright if their script works like a live audience. I’m particularly excited to see ‘Pulp’ on its feet. It’s most likely the strangest script I’ve written to date, and I’m really hoping the fun of it in my head translates to the stage.”
In its 10-year history, the Fireside New Play Festival has launched over 20 plays to full productions across the country. The Festival consists of a series of staged readings in which the actors have rehearsed reciting from the scripts to present a playwright’s brand new work. There is a talk-back held after each performance to gather feedback for the playwright. Staged readings of scripts in development give audiences the first look at promising new American plays, and with post- show feedback sessions after each reading, the comments may even help to shape their future!
Fireside New Play Festival March 2013 Lineup:
Sunday, March 10, 7 p.m.: “The Body”, by Steve Moulds. A father and his 9-year-old stepdaughter receive a mysterious package while her mother is away on a business trip. When the contents seemingly take on a life of their own, father and child find their trust tested in a matter of life and death.
Monday, March 11, 7 p.m.: “Sugarhill”, by Linda Ramsay. In 1941 in Louisiana, a grief-stricken family mourns the loss of a teen child, when a mysterious black man arrives with a wounded leg and bloodhounds on his trail. As the family harbors the fugitive, secrets about his past, and theirs, are brought into the light.
Tuesday March 12, 7 p.m: “Belief”, by CJ Hettinger. A Schizophrenic patient believes she can communicate with numerous angels, both good and evil, whose appearance heralds the end of the world. As her psychiatrist tries to sort delusion from reality, he finds his wavering faith both questioned and reaffirmed.
Wednesday, March 13, 7 p.m.: “Pulp”, by Joseph Zettelmaier. Los Angeles, 1933. PI Frank Ellery doesn’t know it, but he’s taken on the strangest case of his life. A literary agent has been gruesomely murdered. The 4 suspects: his remaining clients, all writers for different pulp magazines. Frank dives into the mystery, and his world turns upside down as life begins to imitate literature.
Fireside New Play Festival reservations can be made at the Performance Network Box Office at 734-663-0681, online at www.performancenetwork.org or at Performance Network Theatre (120 East Huron St. in Ann Arbor) Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.