The First Reads Festival is a marathon of readings of full plays written by our playwrights and selected to be a part of The PG Evolution a development process.  Scenes from these plays have been featured throughout the Volumes. Prior to this table read all the plays were a part of Required Reading and now we are presenting them to be heard for the first time in full.  

Actors from our casting pool have been cast and will sit around a table and read the plays for the benefit of the playwright.  The audience will be invited to observe this  process  and be an active participant by filling out The PG Evolution Play Analysis Questionnaire to help the playwright continue to develop their work. 

11:00 am- The Gaming Project

by Wendy Herlich

Featured Actors:  Bryn Packard, Christopher Buchanan, Fenton Li, Jackson Perrin, John Roque, Nancy Nagrant, Nina Covelesky, Siho Elsmore,Tim Torre, Ysabel Jasa

An American mother desperate to connect with her son meets a Chinese gamer struggling to vanquish her demons. It's only a video game. But who is playing?

2:00 pm  Irregulars

by David Gill

Featured Actors: Evan Edwards, Joan Wool Rubinstein, Joe Ford, Hakim McMillan, Kim Reinle, Marie Elena' O'Brien, Todd Butera

ir·reg·u·lar: 1.  not even or balanced in shape or arrangement.*
 (*see also the Horne-Piccolo  Family of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn)

4:30pm- Pittsburghese

by Paul Pakler

Featured Actors: Diane Quinn, Paul Pakler, Marie Elena' O'Brien, Thea Brooks

Amy, who's this nice lady, hires this actor guy, Matt, to give her lessons to help her talk good at her daughter's fancy wedding. And it's funny and sad and yinz'll cry like whenever the Steelers finally got one for the thumb.     So, yeah, see it, n'at.

6:00 pm  Home to the Sea

by Jonathan Calindas

Featured Actors: Alex Castro, David Michael Kirby, David Meyers, John Racioppo, Rhonda Dodd, Roy Flores, Tamara Torres

Mark is teaching a computer to think. Margaret is living with dementia. Ellie is just trying to make sense of it all.  A meditation. 

8:30 pm  Cell Memory Theory

by Mike Lesser

Featured Actors: Ashley "Ajax" Jackson, Heidi Armbruster, Jeaniene Green, Sue Berch

Ann is a survivor. But will the transplanted cells that saved her ultimately destroy her second chance at life? 

To help support this and other PGE programs, we request a minimum suggested donation of $10.

 

Snacks and beverages will be provided.

Please RSVP below to let us know you are attending: