Reader's Theater Back in Action This Sunday

The two actors pictured on the left are acting out a scene from "Better Late" – they are, in fact, John Mahoney and Linda Kimbrough from a 2001 production of the play in Chicago, IL.  This Sunday, Readers Theater returns to the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library for a 2 p.m. reading of the Larry Gelbart play.  Gelbart, best known for his work on the "M*A*S*H" television series, originally wrote the piece in 2006 – the version you'll see and hear is the 2011 revision.  Either way, it's a comedy with dramatic overtones, about end-of-life issues, old age, love, lost love, and more.  The cast, directed by Naomi Kamins, features Pat Farrell, Henry Coe, Ben Werblow, and Richard Kamins.

The event is free and open to the public.  Doors open at approximately 1:30 p.m.

Readers Theater returns to the Hubbard Room on November 17 for a reading of "Mary Jane", a play by Amy Herzog ("4000 Miles").

Readers Theater presents "Mr. Williams and Miss Wood" Monday May 13 at Russell Library

"Mr. Williams and Miss Wood" is a play about
Tennessee Williams and his agent, Audrey Wood. 

Readers Theater will present the play, "Mr. Williams and Miss Wood" on Monday, May 13th at 7:00pm in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library. 

The play is a backstage view of playwright Tennessee Williams. The two-character, two-act play by Max Wilk chronicles the close, yet often strained, 30-year relationship between Williams and his agent and friend Audrey Wood.

The story of how Wood mentored Williams’ genius into theatrical success, then stuck with him through his ups and downs is poignant and deeply moving. Williams’ personal story unfolds through letters, soliloquies and direct dialogue between the actors. We learn his lifetime assessment of the tough but kind-hearted Wood who introduced him to the American theater.

Readers Theater is live drama enacted by local actors and directed by Anne Cassady and Richard Kamins. Performances are free. Drop-in, no registration required.Sponsored by the Friends of the Russell Library.

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Ben Butler Encore at The Russell Library

Readers Theater, in association with Russell Library, presents "BEN BUTLER" in the HUBBARD ROOM 1:30 pm Saturday afternoon February 23rd. 

The Civil War Comedy/History comes back to Middletown in celebration of Black History Month and offers those who missed the June 2018 performances another chance to enjoy this fascinating work by Richard Strand.  

New Haven actor Rodney Moore returns to perform the memorable role of runaway slave Shepard Mallory.  Richard Kamins carries on in the celebrated titled role of the Major General, and Daniel Ayotte adeptly portrays the Lieutenant. New to the cast will be Durham's Henry Coe as Major Cary of the Confederate Army, returning to the "stage" after many long years. 

The doors to Russell Library's Hubbard Room (in rear of Library building) will open after 1:00 pm---enter from Library's Court Street driveway.  Seating is limited.

Readers Theater, "Buyer and Cellar", Monday 3/12

Readers Theater returns to the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library, 123 Broad Street, in Middletown on Monday March 12 to present "Buyer & Cellar."  The 2013 play, written by Jonathan Tolins, takes place (mostly) in the basement of Barbra Streisand's home in Malibu, California, where the mega-star keeps a mall in her basement.  No, really, she does - there are pictures to prove it (see below - there is no "fake news" in the EYE).  The one-person play tells the fictional story of an out-of-work actor who gets the job of managing the mall and his relationships with his boyfriend, Ms. Streisand's personal secretary, James Brolin, and the STAR!!  It's a delightful premise and a very funny "What if?" story.

For the Readers Theater production, co-directors Anne Cassady and Richard Kamins decided to create a five-person cast instead of one actor playing all the parts.  To that end, the staged reading features the talents of Robert Donahue, Julie Greeman, Elizabeth Dougan, Michael D'Agostino, and Jerry Rankin.



Doors to the Hubbard Room (not pictured) open at 6:30 p.m. and the play commences at 7.  Since the Library closes at 6 p.m., you just enter from the Court Street doors in the parking lot.  The play is free and open to the public.

At 5:30 p.m. that day, the City of Middletown and its Commission on the Arts celebrates Arts Advocacy Day by honoring the works of Vintage Players and artist David Schulz.  The event takes place in City Hall on DeKoven Drive and should leave you enough time to get to the Library.  You can and should do both - I understand the next snow storm starts later in the evening.

Third by Wendy Wasserstein presented by Readers Theater Monday at Russell Library

Readers Theater opens their season at Russell Library with the play, Third by Wendy Wasserstein. Theater goers are asked to come to the Court Street entrance of the Hubbard Room. Doors will open at 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be served until curtain time at 7:00pm.

Since the library closes on Mondays at 6:00pm, the only access to the Hubbard Room will be from the Court Street entrance.

Wendy Wasserstein

Third was Wasserstein's last play, and premiered off Broadway in 2005. The play takes place at a small, prestigious, New England liberal arts college during one academic year. A female college professor, Laurie Jameson, has her her life and fundamental assumptions challenged by an encounter with a student, Woodson Bull, III. The professor and student have strongly divergent personal and political characteristics.

The play grapples with the issues of stereotyping, identity politics and family issues.

Reader’s Theater is live drama enacted by local actors.

Directed by Anne Cassady and Richard Kamins

Funded by the Middletown Commission on the Arts and The Friends of the Russell Library.

"The Last Romance": A Fundraiser (shameless self-promotion!)

photo by J Greeman

There I am with two of my most-favorite people in the world, Naomi Kamins (on my left) and Anne Cassady (on my right) - the three of us are presenting a staged reading of "The Last Romance" this coming Sunday at 3 p.m. in Oddfellows Playhouse, 128 Washington Street in Middletown.  Directed by Jenny Greeman (an OP alumna), and written by Joe DiPietro, the play will make you laugh, might make you cry but certainly will make you smile. Proceeds from ticket sales (suggested donation is $20) go to benefit both Oddfellows and ARTFarm.

Here's a description of the play: A crush can make anyone feel young again—even a widower named Ralph. On an ordinary day in a routine life, Ralph decides to take a different path on his daily walk—one that leads him to an unexpected second chance at love. Relying on a renewed boyish charm, Ralph attempts to woo the elegant, but distant, Carol, without alienating his sister Rose. Ralph is an opera lover who once had a dream of becoming a singer but life had different plans. "The Last Romance" is a heart-warming comedy about the transformative power of love.

Ask I intimated above, there is humor, empathy, love, pathos, and more in the show.  And, it's for an excellent cause - these two organizations mean a lot to our city and the region. We're doing what we can to help and appreciate your attendance as well as your contributions.

For ticket reservations, call Anne at 860-349-8594 or Richard at 860-632-1067.  

Play by Ayad Akhtar presented by Readers Theater at Russell Library May 11th

Ayad Akhtar won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
for the play "Disgraced" which will be performed
at Russell Library Thursday, May 11th at 7:00pm

This coming Thursday evening, Pulitzer- play winning, Obie Awarded DISGRACED, by Ayad Akhtar will be given a staged reading at 7 pm, Hubbard Room, Russell Library, Middletown.

The play speaks to the mounting difficulties faced by Muslim Americans in this country since the tragedies of 9-11.  Readers Theater has chosen to perform Akhtar's work because it is important for everyone to witness its powerful story.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar was born in Staten Island, NY, and raised in Milwaukee, WI. The plot of the play begins at a dinner party hosted by a Muslim-American lawyer and his wife. The conversation enters into the topics of politics and religion, when secret biases revealed.

Cast members are: Sourav Guha, Wesleyan alumnus and former Assistant Provost; Nat Holmes, Wellness & Engagement Program Coordinator for CHC, Middletown; veteran actor Joan Duquette, Tonia Winer of Stratford,and Wesleyan Freshman Munawar Rahman (whose story is highlighted in the Wesleyan Argus (2-2-17).

We hope you will be able to join us at Russell Library, Thursday evening. This is an important play to know.

Seats are first come, first served.  The play runs approximately 75 minutes.

This performance is funded by the Middletown Commission on the Arts.

Readers Theater Presents The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy at Russell Library

On Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 pm, in the Hubbard Room of Russell Library, Readers' Theater will present The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy. Readers Theater is live drama enacted by local actors, directed by Richard B. Kamins and Anne Cassady.  

This is a dramatic dialogue between a white professor and a black ex-convict who deliver opposing views of life and human nature; competing voices of empirical reasoning and world-wearying experience;  and, on the other hand, hope and the transcendent spirit.

A review by Niall Griffiths states:

"Both men are prisoners, White of logic and Black of felt moral duty and need of Higher Power approval. Both experiences – of mystical hope, and of destructive despair – have been mediated through cultural symbols, which render them less powerful.
This is simplification, of course, and The Sunset Limited cannot be accosted with a demand for ready meaning; nor can atheistic or spiritual epiphanies. Such events, and such books, are too rich for and blessedly resistant to that."

This presentation is funded by The Friends of the Russell Library. 

The Friends of the Russell Library is a non-profit organization composed of citizens who believe that an excellent library is essential to a community, and who work to promote and assist Russell Library. They do this primarily through book sales. Their next book sale is the Holiday Book Sale, which begins Friday, November 18th at 10:00am, and runs through Sunday, November 20, at 4:00pm, in the Activity Room of the library.