Pioneer Theatre Company announces the last title of its 2020 Play-by-Play Season. SUSAN FERRARA closes the 2020 Play-by-Play Series with the romantic comedy, The Fall. She has studied with the Kennedy Center Playwright Intensive, as well as had work premiere at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Festival for the International United Solo Festival, among many others. The Fall readings will be April 17 & 18, 2020.
Previously announced were The Anatomy of Love by playwright TED MALAWER (February 7 & 8, 2020) and The Messenger by JEFF TALBOTT (March 13 & 14, 2020).
In its seventh season, Play-by-Play has nurtured the development of 21 plays, giving opportunities to 93 mostly local actors and directors, leading to seven world premieres, either at PTC or elsewhere. PTC’s mainstage production in March, Ass, began its life as a reading in the Play-by-Play series in 2018.
Tickets for the developmental readings, designed to showcase new works at an affordable price, are available for $10 each or $25 for all three.
The 2019-2020 Play-By-Play Series Readings schedule is as follows:
The Play: The Anatomy of LovePlaywright: Ted MalawerDirector: Karen AzenbergSynopsis: The comfortable lives of a modern couple and their child come to a halt when their seven-year-old daughter’s teacher, Ms. Spencer, suggests that their child is most likely transgender. What follows is a fierce (and sometimes hostile) battle with the parents and Ms. Spencer for this emotional and heartbreaking story of love and dreaded loss.When: February 7 & 8, 2020
The Play: The MessengerPlaywright: Jeff TalbottDirector: Wes GrantomSynopsis: Using Henrik Ibsen’s classic An Enemy of the People as a departure point, this thrilling new play is a roller-coaster ride that examines our relationships with the press, the community, each other, and where to draw the line when deciding the right move to make. A timely story which transcends entertainment and informs our current lives.When: March 13 & 14, 2020
The Play: The FallPlaywright: Susan FerraraDirector: Julie Ann EmeryHolly, an anti-social sci-fi novelist, just needs her laptop, her eighth cup of coffee, and Chinese take-out to finish her book. She doesn’t have time for the young Scottish guy who keeps showing up on her doorstep. The Fall, a romantic comedy about love, expectation and better vision.When: April 17 & 18, 2020.
The February reading will be held in Dumke Auditorium at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA); the March and April readings will take place at the Babcock Theatre, in the lower level of Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre.
Sponsors for Play-by-Play include Salt Lake County Zoo, Arts and Parks Fund, The Bireley Endowment, Susan Stoddard Heiner and Blake T. Heiner, and Lee and Audrey Hollaar.