Laurel Hostak – Jefe's House

Croc Galore and More on 8/11

Join us this Saturday 8/11/12 at 3:00 and 6:00pm on Drexel University’s mainstage for the presentation of seven short plays written by local playwrights aged 7-13 in the first annual Mantua Theater Project, the brainchild of Drexel Performing Arts faculty Nick Anselmo.

Seven creative youngsters joined forces with a gaggle of Philadelphia theatre professionals (including yours truly) to create original works for the stage. The result is an evening of talking hamburgers, fairy doctors, cheetah painters, floating eyes, and more.

WHEN: Saturday, August 11; 3PM and 6PM.

WHERE: The Mandell Theater at Drexel University, 33rd and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia

FREE ADMISSION

Please note that there are TWO shows, a 3PM and 6PM. Come help pack the house to create a truly memorable experience for these kids and their families, and see some hilarious, poignant shorts.

The Shows:

The Hero, The Criminal, and The Butler
By Ameenah C.
Directed by Cara Blouin
Featuring Alex Blouin and Tim Rinehart

One Hundred Year Old Thousand Legger
By Brenda C.
Directed by Damon Bonetti, dramaturged by Gerre Garrett
Featuring Reuben Mitchell and Adam Altman

Croc Galore
By Ammarava M.
Directed by Nick Anselmo, dramaturged by Jeffrey Stanley
Featuring John Turnbach and John VanZelst

The Taco Who Was Afraid of Dogs
By Nadiah M.
Directed by Nick Anselmo, dramaturged by Tim Martin
Featuring Bi Jean Ngo and Laurel Hostak

Tyree and the Amazing Hamburger
By Saabir D.
Directed by Josh Browns, dramaturged by Greg Romero
Featuring Langston Darby and Bi Jean Ngo

The Day Without Respect
By Vanessa B.
Directed by Charlotte Northeast, dramaturged by Laurel Hostak
Featuring Adam Rzepka and Melissa Connell Cassara

Tara Loves Billy
By Alexis M.
Directed by Adam Immerwahr, dramaturged by Rachel Gluck
Featuring Charlotte Northeast and Mark Watter

Also featuring John Lopes.

Hope to see you there.

The Great Age reading on 7/12/12 @7pm in Philadelphia

THE GREAT AGE play reading on 7/12/12 @7pm. I’m thrilled to invite you to Philadelphia’s first public reading of Jeffrey Stanley’s unproduced play The Great Age, a ribald sex comedy about 19th century poet Emily Dickinson.

I’m thrilled to invite you to Philadelphia’s first public reading of my unproduced play The Great Age, a racy romantic comedy — about Emily Dickinson. Set in Amherst, MA, the play is a time-jumping, supernatural romp about Amherst College undergrad Leah, an Emily-obsessed young writer and idealistic Wiccan who’s having an affair with her married English professor, Michael.

When she and her classmate Ashiq, a young Saudi prince, steal Emily’s famed white dress from the Dickinson Homestead and hold a seance to contact Emily’s ghost they they stir up a heap of multidimensional trouble and incur the wrath of junior English department faculty, Mary Beth.

The reading of this work-in-progress is connected to my current PDC @Plays & Players Artists Residency. It’s directed by the amazing Mark Kennedy and features an incredible cast including–

Laurel Hostak, outgoing president of the Drexel University Players, as the brazen young Leah

Anthony Adair as Leah’s friend Ashiq

Kaki Burns, most recently seen in Tom Stoppard’s Travesties at Plays & Players, as Emily Dickinson

Kevin Bergen as Emily’s randy brother Austin Dickinson

Mike Hagan is Emily’s long-distance lover Judge Otis Lord

Bethany Ditnes as 19th century social climber and Dickinson family groupie Mabel Loomis Todd

Eric Wunsch, last seen as Dadaism founder Tristan Tzara in Travesties, as Mabel’s swinging husband Prof. David Todd

Sarah Schol as the frustrated and desperate-to-land-a-husband-before-she-gets-any-older Prof. Mary Beth Hodder

Tina Brock, artistic director of Philadlphia’s premiere absurdist theatre the Idiopathic Ridiculopathy Consortium (They Bring Good Nothingness to Life) in a variety of madcap roles.

Don’t miss it! Q&A of this work-in-progress afterward with myself, the director, and much of the cast.

WHEN: Thursday, July 12 @7:00pm

WHERE: the 1st floor main stage of Plays & Players Theatre, 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia, PA

COST: FREE

See you there.

[images via poetryfoundation.org and massreports.com]

Take the Leap on 3/27

Please join me on Tuesday, 3/27/12 at 7pm at Plays & Players Theatre in Philadelphia for a reading of my unproduced play UFOs Over Brooklyn, followed by Q&A.

Turning 30 is enough to drive you crazy.

At the intersection of sex and religion a frantic hipster and his goldfish take the ultimate leap of faith.

Please join me on Tuesday, 3/27/12 at 7pm at Plays & Players Theatre in Philadelphia for a reading of my unproduced play UFOs Over Brooklyn presented by the outstanding Drexel Players, Drexel University Westphal College of Media Arts & Design‘s student-run theatre company. The reading of this work-in-progress will be followed by a brief Q&A.

The wall-to-wall Drexel cast includes Dana Marcus, James Haro, Laurel Hostak, Rose Koven, John Turnbach and Emily Kleimo. Go Dragons, baby.

This is my 3rd play reading in as many months, and is connected to my residency as one of 3 current PDC@Plays&Players playwrights-in-residence.

This particular play has had so many near-misses for production in New York and so many stellar actors reading the roles in public presentations it makes my head spin (Naked Angels tuesdays@nine, Urban Stages, The Collective, the now-defunct Lightning Strikes Theatre Company, et al) Over the past several years it took on a life of its own as a favorite for developmental readings (aka “development hell” in theatre parlance) , and also at Amherst College where an early draft was presented while I was a Copeland Fellow there in 2001.

This marks the first time the play has been presented in Philadelphia, and I welcome your feedback. It’s a very dark, very sexy romantic comedy about two couples and a UFO suicide cult. See you there.

WHAT: UFOs Over Brooklyn

WHEN: Tuesday 3/27/12 @7:00pm

WHERE: Plays & Players, 3rd floor Skinner Studio; 1714 Delancey Place, Philadelphia

COST: FREE but please RSVP to Dan Student at dstudent@playsandplayers.org .