Sunday Theatre in the Loft Series at SOPAC
WHEN: Sunday, January 13, at 7 PM*
WHERE: THE SOUTH ORANGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
ONE SOPAC WAY SOUTH ORANGE, NJ 07079
TICKETS:Tickets for this series are $15
Tickets can be purchased by calling 973.313.ARTS(2787) or by visiting
SOPACnow.org.
Midtown Direct Rep announces a play development series focused on new and innovative American theater. Following on the heels of MDR's successful development of Rated P (for parenthood), MDR's new program, Theatre in the Loft, aims to do the same for other previously unseen material. MDR will now present monthly readings or workshops of new plays and musicals one Sunday night a month at 7 PM in the SOPAC loft. With a cash bar and post show discussions with the casts and creative teams, MDR will foster a fun and collaborative environment to nurture the development of top-notch theater right here at home.
READ A NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLES ABOUT THEIR NEW ENDEAVOR HERE
The series kicks off on Sunday, January 13, with IN THE BOOK OF ... by John Walsh.
This contemporary re-imagining of The Book of Ruth explores the ongoing debate on immigration. In the play, two women, Naomi, an Army lieutenant and Anisah, her Afghan translator lose their husbands in the war. Upon discharge, the young officer sees the danger her translator is in, and brings Anisah with her to her home in Mississippi. When they arrive, this act
of kindness is met with open hostility by Naomi’s sister-in-law, Gail, who is running for mayor on an anti-immigration platform, and makes the immigrant's deportment the focus of her campaign. But things get complicated when Gail's own son stands up for what he thinks is right.
By turns funny and moving, this timeless story adapted from the Old Testament challenges notions of what it means to be an American as it contemplates the redemptive power of welcoming the stranger.
*Upcoming Sundays at 7 PM Theatre in the Loft dates:
- Sunday, January 13th: IN THE BOOK OF by John Walsh
- Sunday, March 17th: 7.5 WONDROUS ACT(S) OF TRUE LOVE by Jeremy Desmon
- Sunday, April 21st: BY AND BY by Lauren Gunderson
- Sunday, May 19th: IMAGINARY LOVE by Kait Kerrigan
Midtown Direct Rep, the theatre company comprised of friends and neighbors from the South Orange/Maplewood area (who also happen to be among Broadway's most talented professionals), is proud to present this exciting new series. Join the company that most recently created the Off-
Broadway musical Rated P (for Parenthood) as they bring new works to life in their very own South Orange/Maplewood community—the place the New York Times called "where Broadway comes home to sleep."
Midtown Direct Rep company members include two-time Tony Winner, Norbert Leo Butz; Tony nominee, Christiane Noll; and "Law & Order; SVU" regular, Joel de la Fuente, among others. The company is managed by Co-Artistic Directors Sandy Rustin and Jeremy Dobrish; Managing Director
Jeffrey Shubart; and Producing Director Evan Fleischer.
About Midtown Direct Rep (MDR)
With perhaps more professional theater artists than any suburb of NYC, Maplewood/South Orange (NJ) is “where Broadway comes home to sleep.” MDR, a theatre company created by and for these NJ-based artists, develops and presents relevant, world-class theatre for its community.
www.midtowndirectrep.org
