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05/28/2023 09:30 AMThe Ivoryton Playhouse, 103 Main Street, Ivoryton, in collaboration with Gracewell Productions, is offering a series of free play readings on Fridays this summer. StAGEd Intent will showcase new plays written for Boomers, by Boomers, followed by drinks, snacks, and an in-depth talkback.
For those who come early and want to eat, there will be 10% off lunch at the Blue Hound Cookery and Taproom just across the street from the playhouse. Just show your ticket to get the discount. The series will feature playwrights, directors, and actors such as two-time Emmy Award-winner Dorothy Lyman; Pulitzer Prize nominee Julie Gilbert; Cheers, Family Ties, and Facts of Life TV writer Kimberly Hill; Actors Studio Moderator Ron Beverly and Academy Award nominee Chazz Palminteri.
Please note plays and actors are subject to change.
The first play in this four-part series, In the Bleak Midwinter, is presented on Friday, June 9 at 2 p.m. Written and directed by Connecticut’s own Dorothy Lyman, this poignant family drama tells the story of Elizabeth Gladstone (played by Lyman), a recent widow, who wishes to stay on the family dairy farm, but her daughter and son-in-law have other plans. Ultimately, three generations of women meet on the farm in Upstate New York over a President’s Day weekend to decide the fate of their matriarch.
Next under the tent, presented on Friday, July 14 at 2 p.m., is One Touch of Ava, written by Julie Gilbert and directed by Carol Ziske. Ava Gardner is a world-famous American movie star, lovelorn, restless, and rapacious. Bert Pfeiffer is an unknown painter of Dutch-Indonesian heritage and a prisoner-of-war survivor. For Gardner, having it all is not enough. Pfeiffer is as far from Gardner as a person can be, and yet he keeps painting large portraits of her, inextricably drawing her closer to him. A Touch of Ava, which time-travels over two decades, is a two-character quest for connection, exploring fact while carrying it further.
On Friday, Aug. 18 at 2 p.m., three one-act plays will be featured under the tent. Hollywood and Thine, the first of these, is a one-act comedy written by Kimberly Hill and co-directed by Hill and Gracewell Productions’ Lauren Yarger. After years of hard work and dedication, a young movie star is at the peak of her career. Her agent has made a historic studio deal that will set her for life, but the famous young actress has just had a spiritual experience tending to her ill father and is questioning her path in life. Her agent tries to convince her they can get her soul written into the contract. Will her star end up on Hollywood Boulevard or will she seek a more heavenly location?
Last in the series is The Spitting Image, presented on Friday, Sept. 8. Written and directed by Ron Beverly, this piece about grief, forgiveness, and redemption, features Academy Award Nominee Chazz Palminteri (Bullets Over Broadway, The Usual Suspects) and Debra Khan-Bey. Denise is a shy, sweet, honest college professor and single mom. Out of the blue, she gets a visit from her estranged stepfather, Albert. He’s a lovable, truth-challenged, self-made man with a sack full of money and a faulty heart. He’s trying to balance his ledger at the end of his life and make amends for a deep dark secret he’s been carrying for 15 years but doesn’t want to carry to his grave.
Following each play reading, the Playhouse bar will be open and complimentary snacks served while audiences participate in a talkback with the playwrights, actors, and directors. Seating is limited, so those who would like to attend should reserve a ticket soon by emailing katie@ivorytonplayhouse.org or calling the box office at 860-767-7318. No Walk-ups, please. Advance reservations only. In the event of rain, the reading will be moved inside the playhouse.
For more information on the entire Ivoryton Playhouse 2023 season, visit ivorytonplayhouse.org.For more information on Gracewell Productions, please visit www.gracewellproduction.com.