NEW PLAY CAFE
Reading Series
MAR 29 - APR 7, 2024
Six readings of new plays by PNW playwrights presented at New Prospect Theatre in Bellingham, WA.
Selected from dozens of submissions, Bellingham TheatreWorks presents six staged readings of new plays by Pacific Northwest playwrights.
These new works tumble from power plays to deep space, from fragile partnerships to mythic quests and sibling rivalry, landing in marriages tested by economic strain and love blooming beneath catastrophe.
Presented without sets or staging, actors perform at music stands after just one or two rehearsals, offering audiences a rare glimpse of plays still in development.
Each reading is followed by a talkback between the authors and the audience.
Experience new work in its earliest form and help shape what comes next.
SHOW INFO
Where: New Prospect Theatre, 207 Prospect Street, Bellingham, WA
When: March 29, 30, 31, April 5, 6, 7 @ 7:30 pm | 2024
Tickets: Donations are accepted for admission
Rating: PG-13 for adult themes
PLAYS & PLAYWRIGHTS
Friday
March 29
PROFESSOR JEKYLL AND MISS HYDE
by William Thomas Berk
Directed by Marla Bronstein
This play reimagines the classic story in a modern college setting, updated to comment on workplace harassment, gender disparity, sexual assault, and other such issues relevant in the age of "cancel culture" and the #MeToo movement.
Reading: Zoe Bronstein, Maxine Liming, Cherie Little, Mattie Wheeler, Jeffrey Stigletz, Letizia Bryan
Saturday
March 30
CARETAKER STRAIN
by Les Milton
Directed by Dallas Milholland
Tamara Strain is alone on a two-kilometer-long interstellar cargo vessel when she’s prematurely roused out of cryosleep by an emergency transmission from her mother, who just wants to chat. And she’s not as alone, or secure, as she thought she was. In space, no one can hear you sigh.
Reading: Leah Williamson, Marla Bronstein, Tom Klein, Emma Swanson, Les Milton, Evan Cobb, Andrew Hanson
Sunday
March 31
GOOD HEAVENS!
by Daniel Repp
Directed by Suzanne Mackay
Astronomers Tycho Brahe and Johannes Kepler are destined to change humanity’s understanding of the universe—if they can survive their own dysfunctional partnership! Friendships will be tested, legacies will be forged, and noses will be lost.
Reading: Jayne Entwistle, Keefe Healy, Christopher Coombs, Ephraim Kurszweski, J Frankie Moonshine
Friday
April 5
PERSEUS IS DEAD
by Alex Quiring
Directed by Ella Hieronymus
In this full-length play, we follow a pair of mythology-obsessed siblings in ancient Greece as they search for their own adventure, only to learn the meaning of tragedy the hard way.
Reading: Alex McDuffie, Norah Hilton, Joey Macchi, Gracy Conrad, Logan Liteky, Galen Eames
Saturday
April 6
WANT
by Barbara Lindsay
Directed by Mark Kuntz
During the depths of the Great Recession of 2008, a middle-aged couple find their happy marriage being eroded by poverty and jealousy. Driven by an animal sense of desperation, the couple brings the situation to a violent conclusion.
Reading: Christopher Cariker, Akilah William
Sunday
April 7
TOGETHER
by Thomas Pierce
Directed by Mark Kuntz
Helen, an astronomer, has discovered an asteroid will hit the earth in six months. As chaos is about to envelop the world, Helen visits her ex-husband David late one evening after he has concluded a stressful dinner party.
Reading: David Ketter, Cindy Whiston, Laura Williams, David Vergin
IN THE MEDIA
March 20, 2024: Whatcom Talk article about producing New Play Café.
March 27, 2024: Cascadia Daily News presents New Play Café making the A-LIST!