LAFPI

Boston Court Pasadena presents its 14th annual New Play Reading Festival, July 19 – 28. Curated by Literary Manager Emilie Beck, in concert with Artistic Directors Jessica Kubzansky and Michael Michetti, the New Play Reading Festival is a key component of  Boston Court Pasadena’s commitment to nurturing playwrights and new work, and continues the company’s core mission of developing and programming works that are inherently theatrical, textually rich, and visually arresting. This year’s Festival features four female playwrights.

Saturday, July 21 at 11:00am
How the Light Gets In by E.M. Lewis
Directed by Emilie Beck

A travel writer who never travels. A Japanese architect who can’t figure out how to build a simple tea house. A tattoo artist who refuses to draw on a woman’s skin. And a homeless girl who lives under a weeping willow tree in the Japanese Garden. Four lonely people find each other when one of them falls apart.

Saturday, July 21 at 2:00pm
Pairi Daiza by Nahal Navidar
Directed by Jennifer Chambers

When 24-year-old Iranian Independent-Fighter Zahra learns she is 7 months pregnant in the heat of the Iran-Iraq war, she rejects her maternal instincts and chooses to remain in combat. As her impending due date approaches, Zahra must learn how to deal with the traumas of her past life and open herself up to hope and love.

Saturday, July 28 at 11:00am
Ladies by Kit Steinkellner
Directed by Michael Michetti

Ladies is a fictional account of a year in the life of The Blue Stocking Society, the world’s first major feminist movement in 1750’s London, and explores the tangled knot of electric and jagged relationships that comprise this group. These women are pioneers and revolutionaries, emboldened by the call to arms to be the first of their kind and burdened by the misfortune of being born far ahead of their time.

Saturday, July 28 at 2:00pm
Drunk at the Base of the Bodhi Tree by Julie Hébert
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky

A woman with a broken ankle washes up at the base of a Bodhi tree in the foothills of SoCal seemingly out of nowhere. When another woman hiking in on a solitary mission to commune with a dead man encounters this intruder, sparks fly as they navigate the tricky terrain of understanding–until a real brush with danger changes everything once more.

Each play receives a four-day workshop, culminating in final public reading. Since Boston Court Pasadena opened in 2003, the theater has mounted 60 productions, 33 of which have been world premieres – 18 of those world premieres were first discovered as part of the New Play Reading Festival.

In addition to the readings, each Thursday night during the Festival will feature a preview of the coming weekend’s plays, a discussion of what makes a “Boston Court Pasadena play” and an inside look at the play development process. Literary Manager Emilie Beck and Artistic Directors Jessica Kubzansky and Michael Michetti will be joined by the festival playwrights for a lively discussion and an audience Q&A.

Thursday, July 19 at 7:00pm
Festival Preview and Playwright Discussion – Week 1

Thursday, July 26 at 7:00pm
Festival Preview and Playwright Discussion – Week 2

More info: bostoncourtpasadena.org

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