BOOK CLUB reading 3/2/2005

Due to inclement weather, the final staged reading for the Villagers New Playwrights Series 2005 has been rescheduled from Monday evening, February 28 to Wednesday evening, March 2 at 8:00 p.m.

BOOK CLUB, by Vicki Koestler of Alexandria, VA, is an inventively madcap, 2-act comedy about the members of a book club who discover a cask of pirate treasure behind the refrigerator in the high school teacher's lounge during a tornado. In addition to the locals, there is a strange woman of indeterminate European heritage who conducts seances and a lonely refrigerator repair woman with a handy tool bag. It's all good for a laugh to chase away those winter blues.

Directed by Annette Fielder with technical assistance from Marie Fiorello.

CAST
Mr. Oshansky – Howard Fischer
Dave – David Eppley
Carrie – Kim Ann Whalen
Peg – Carole Mancini
Leora – Hilde Steinberg
Ugrit – Alison Byrne
Angela – Alison Quairoli

The reading will be held in the Black Box at Villagers Theatre, 415 Demott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873. There is no charge for admission, and the audience is encouraged to remain after the reading for a discussion with the playwright.

VILLAGERS NEW PLAYWRIGHTS SERIES 2/21/2005

On Monday evening, February 21 at 8:00 PM, the Villagers Theatre will present the third in the New Playwrights Series 2005 staged readings. This will be a presentation of two shorter plays by New Jersey resident playwrights.

WE LOVE YOU KATHERINE by Bonnie Rozanski of Lawrenceville, NJ
One-act courtroom drama about a celebrity shoplifting case that examines the line between compulsion and volition. Directed by Bill Seesselberg
CAST
Ray Fiorelli - Russ Weiss
Justine Landesberg - Carole Mancini
Tyler Lawrence/Mark Dolham - Patrick Lithgow
Katherine Barrington - Virginia Kaminitzer
John Barrington - Howard Fischer
Sharon Taylor - Kim Ann Whalen
Alex Wolf - Liam DeMasi
Judge - Lee Benson
Clerk - Bill Seesselberg

LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE by CJ Nolan of Atlantic Highlands, NJ
One-act drama exploring the life of film actress and political activist Jean Seberg, who died in Paris under mysterious circumstances on September 8, 1979. Directed by Hilde Steinberg
CAST
Young Jean - Mallory Pherson
Jean - Catherine Rowe
Various Male Voices - Howard Fischer

Performances will be in the Black Box at Villagers Theatre, 415 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873. There is no charge for admission. Playwrights, students and devotees of the theatre are especially encouraged to attend and join in discussions with the playwrights after each reading.

ROEBLING - Villagers New Playwrights Series

ROEBLING will be the second staged reading in the Villagers New Playwrights Series 2005. This exciting play relates the story of the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, with all its attendant tragedies and triumphs. Playwright Mark Violi from Hamilton Square, NJ sets his play primarily in New York in 1869, the first year of construction. The reading is directed by Catherine Rowe Pherson.

CAST:

John Roebling - Russ Weiss
Charles Martin - Jim Morgan
Haldis Dickey - Howard Fischer
Nathaniel Dickey - David Eppley
Horatio Allen - Keith Sampino
E.F. Farrington - Lee Benson
Washington Roebling - John O'Brien
Emily Roebling - Joy Salerno
Dr. Andrew Smith - Jon Heron
Mary Martin/Woman - Carole Mancini
Members of the East River Bridge Commission - Jon Heron, Russ Weiss, Carole Mancini
Narrator - Catherine Rowe

Performance at 2:00 PM on Sunday, February 13, 2005, at the Villagers Theatre, 415 Demott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08875. There is no admission fee for this event, and the audience is encouraged to remain after the reading for a discussion with the playwright.

The Villagers New Playwrights Series 2005 is pleased to present THE ST. ANDREWS STORY by Tariq Hamami of Howell, NJ. THE ST. ANDREWS STORY is a full-length drama about a man reared by his mother in isolation, exposed to the outside world only through literary fiction. After his mother dies, the young man comes to NYC to live. Can such an innocent man even survive in the big city, let alone make a difference? The play explores themes of love and goodness, loss and redemption.

Mindy Gollin directs this staged reading with the following cast:
Young Pure/Narrator - Jake Shatsky
Mother - Carole Mancini
Pure - Patrick Lithgow
Rebecca - Jaime Kimberlin
Lenore - Lori Dahlberg
Lucida - Robin Shatsky
Narrator/Thug #2/Police Officer - David Eppley
Mr. Drewsdale/Thug #3 - Howard Fischer
Sir/Thug #1/Police Officer #2 - Lee Benson

Please join us at The Villagers Theatre, 415 DeMott Lane, Somerset, NJ 08875 at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, February 7. The performance is FREE, and the audience is invited to remain after the reading to talk with the playwright. No reservations are required. Visit the Villagers website at www.villagerstheatre.com for directions to the theatre.