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2024 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:
Switzerland by Veronique Autphenne
Dramaturg Facilitator: Lindsay Lutes
SWITZERLAND explores the notion of controlling exactly when and how you’re going to die. Could it bring you peace of mind? Or even a greater appreciation of life? The play follows the intertwined lives of two 50-ish couples, Greg and Brin, and Angela and Henry. We open with the couples enjoying their monthly dinner gatherings. When Brin reveals her plan to end her life on her 75th birthday, tensions arise among the friends as they grapple with Brin’s decision and its implications. As the story unfolds, Angela’s battle with cancer further strains their relationship. Despite Greg and Henry’s attempts to mend the rifts between them, Brin remains steadfast in her decision, leading to a heartbreaking rift between the friends. Ultimately, the play explores themes of friendship, mortality, and acceptance as the characters navigate the complexities of their relationships and come to terms with the inevitability of death and the power of letting go.
Veronique Autphenne
Veronique Autphenne’s plays explore issues of class, loyalty, and the insecurities that drive our most ill-advised actions. Her short plays have been produced in numerous festivals in the US and the UK. Her full-lengths have had readings in the US, the UK, and on Zoom and have advanced festivals including the Austin Film Festival, Inkslinger, Prologue Theatre, and Renaissance Theatre. She studies playwriting at The Barrow Group and the Kennedy Center and is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.
Scissor Me This by Anne Valentino
Dramaturg Facilitator: Mario Gomez
Brecken’s getting married. With the bend of a knee, hers and Anthony’s fairytale love story is now turning into a fairytale wedding. This will be a celebration for the ages—complete with large country club reception, white doves released at the perfect moment, and Brecken’s two moms cheering her on. And therein lays the problem…The two moms thing just isn’t going to fly with Anthony’s “Trump-loving, book-banning, thou shalt put no flag before me” parents. Brecken must therefore convince her moms to play along and subsequently mask who they truly are, at least for one night, at least until the conversation and the sushi and the karaoke is complete. When that cage door is closed there’s bound to be some feathers flying and plenty of squawking—and if you’re in that bird cage long enough, someone is bound to get shit on.
Anne Valentino
Anne Valentino often writes about that intersection where underrepresented populations collide with a mindset that interprets different as somehow “deviant.” Receiving a PhD in Literature, Anne has participated in/been a finalist in the Bechdel Project Room of One’s Own Residency, The Road Theatre Playwrights Festival, Cincinnati Lab Theatre, Baltimore Playwright’s Festival, Aphra Behn Festival, Project Y Women’s Theatre Festival, and the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, among others. She lives in the DC area with her fiancée.
Evening hosted by Athena Project’s Literary Manager, Emily Perez, and we are joined by Read & Rant’s Resident Dramaturg, Samara Siskind.
After you register for a session, you will receive a confirmation email that includes information on how to access our featured scripts. You must click the link in this email, and it will take you to the scripts. We want everyone to participate who would like to learn more about these talented playwrights and their plays.
When you register for the event on Eventbrite, you should receive a confirmation email.
Email subject line will say “Order Confirmation for Athena Project: Read & Rant [month, year]”. This initial email has a synopsis and the links to both scripts.
Two days prior to the event, you should receive another email with the subject line “Reminder for Athena Project: Read & Rant [month, year].” This email also includes the synopsis and links to both scripts.
Plan to read scripts well in advance before the Zoom meeting
Please note that the scripts don’t come as attachments, they are .pdf links. So the body of the email will contain two paragraphs with the details of that month’s scripts.
For example:
Mak Shealy’ s Victorian Psychedelic Sleepover Play
On the eve of a 16th birthday, four teens meet after their writing is rejected by the school lit mag to create a Literary Zine of their own. Seeking editorial guidance, they conjure the ghosts of writers past and find themselves possessed by the spirit, chaos and conflict of the Victorian Era radicals they have long admired.
Content Warning: bullying, blood/bodily fluids, discussion of IVF, birth, substance use, disordered eating implied
You must click the link, and it will take you to the script.
If there are any questions or concerns please contact [email protected]
