2023 Read and Rant

Athena Project’s Read & Rant program seeks to combine the sharing of theatrical work with the wider public and the new play development aspects of our former Plays In Progress Series while also fostering collaboration between playwrights and dramaturgs. Think book club for plays! Learn what makes a good script, discuss how it affects us, and explore the ways it links to the larger world. This monthly free offering to the community aims to raise awareness of the under-representation of women’s stories on stage.

Each month, we read two new and unproduced scripts selected from a nationwide call for submissions and typically meet every third Monday online via Zoom to discuss the works. Join us to converse with invited playwrights who bring an in-depth knowledge of the works and theatrical writing at large. Guided by a dramaturg, we also invite you to share your constructive comments, thoughts, and affirmations in order to aid in the development process of the pieces.

This month we will be featuring two playwrights selected from our Read & Rant lottery:

Marilyn MacCrakin’s The Language of the Body

Two sisters are struggling with the recent death of their mother. Maddison, a hair stylist and dancer and Lauren, a surgical nurse, are examining their past in the light of finding their mother’s secret poems and short stories. They wonder if growing up with a single mother and absent father has influenced their ability to find healthy, long-lasting relationships? Is true love more than just a physical attraction? Do people who are dancers have insight into a hidden body language? Do doctors and nurses heal the body and the soul? Or as a friend says, “Dance is the language of the body that brings true health, healing and real human connections.”

Melanie Coffey’s If This is the End

Burnt out doesn’t even cover it, Keeley, a climatologist, is a pile of ash. The fight to save the planet is too big and she’s decided it rests on her shoulders. But after years of work, she wants to sleep, wants to quit, wants to blame anyone but herself. And then the moon falls to earth as a beautiful, destructive woman and everything changes. Now, Keeley has to reconcile if she even wants to fight for humans or just let the moon’s gravitational consequences destroy the earth. And she’s falling in love with the moon. And her roommate just told her she’s in love with her.

A scientific fairytale, If This is the End looks at the actions human beings have taken – the good and the bad – what truly matters, and what we do in our last days on earth.

After you register for a session, you will receive information on how to access our featured scripts. We want everyone to participate who would like to learn more about these talented playwrights and their plays.