2021-2022
Program of Readings
Previous readings from this season | Browse past seasons
Walking Shadow Readers Theatre presents livestreamed readings on the last Friday* of every month at 8:15pm EST throughout our season. Tickets are required to attend a livestreamed reading and receive one week of exclusive access to that month’s reading before it is presented to the public.
Click here to purchase tickets to any of our upcoming readings.
*In the event the last Friday of the month is a national holiday, our readings will occur a week earlier. Specific dates will be posted on our homepage.
MAY 27, 2022
An Imperfect Storm by John Scavone
Cliff Hale is preparing to leave the hospital, waiting for his wife, Joan, to come pick him up. Only Cliff doesn’t quite remember why he’s in the hospital, how he got there, or how long he’s been there. Dr. Reyes must guide him along a torturous path through changing memories, his fears and prejudices, to the horrifying truth of what really happened one dark and stormy night.
PREVIOUSLY IN THE SEASON
SEPTEMBER 2021
Resurrection
by Jordan Elizabeth Henry
Riley, who is living with PTSD, navigates the loss of her grandfather/father-figure, Dougie, while her older sister, Shae, imagines a new life for herself outside of her marriage. Dougie left a surprise for them in his will: a huge sum of money that they can only access if Riley chooses to live in his house for at least a year. Shae is desperate for the money, but Riley has serious reservations — all of which can be explained by a mysterious envelope that Riley urges Shae to open. But Shae is reluctant to be pulled into another of Riley’s “dramatic stunts.” As they clear out their childhood home, the sisters try to navigate each other’s needs and how to mend their fractured relationship.
Content Warning: Adult language, drug use, self harm, sexual violence, mental illness
CAST & CREW
Jordan Elizabeth Henry is a playwright and novelist currently living and writing in Cincinnati, Ohio with her hugely creative husband and her hugely boisterous cattle dog. Her plays have been developed by the William Inge New Play Incubator, Wordsmyth Theatre, Elephant Room Productions, The Bechdel Group, and New Normal Rep. You can read her work on the New Play Exchange and find out more about her current projects at www.JordanElizabethHenry.com
Play Updates: Resurrection has been published! Visit New Stage Press for additional information and to order a copy of the script!
OCTOBER 2021
Modern Blood
by Ryan Stevens
A re-imagining of Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu’s Carmilla. Laura Potter is a college drop-out, living on her father Clint’s farm, unsure about the future, and struggling with her depression and dissociative episodes. When Laura and Clint go to a local bar and meet the mysterious new bartender Carmilla, Laura makes a deep connection with her. As Laura and Carmilla’s relationship develops, Laura discovers Cami has killed a man, and later discovers Cami is in fact a centuries-old vampire, who has had to kill men who harass her to stay alive.
CAST & CREW
Ryan Stevens (He/They) is a playwright/director currently based in Chicago. They received an MA in Theatre from USC and an MFA in Playwriting from UCLA Stevens has worked with Silver Spring Stage, MeetCute LA, Inkwell Theatre, St. Croix Falls Festival Theatre, Retrograde Reading Series, New American Theatre, Whiskey Radio Hour, Theatre Viscera, Festival D’Avignon, Broken Slate Productions, The Plagiarists Chicago, Philadelphia Dramatists Center, T. Schreiber Studio, Seoul Players, and an upcoming commission with Theatre Above The Law. They have also had their script Player King published through Stagescripts, Ltd., and participated in the 2019 Great Plains Theatre Conference. They co-host the cartoon book club podcast and run the tabletop rpg anthology podcast Blank City, Nowhere.
Find out more about Ryan’s work at www.ryangstevens.com
NOVEMBER 2021
Sapo’s War
by Bill Costanza
Sapo’s War follows the life of Army Special Operations medic Vincent “Vinny” Sapo as he tries to rebuild the relationship with his teenage son while fighting off the demons of war accumulated during his 20-year career. Devotion to duty. Devotion to family. Where is the balance? What price does a “professional warrior” pay in service to his country? Is it worth it? For the individual? For society? Is a normal family life more of a dream than a reality for this special breed of warrior? These are some of the questions that form the backdrop in a story that is still in its bare essence a story about a father trying to reconnect with his son.
Watch Sapo’s War on our YouTube Channel!
Content Warning: Adult language, Suicide
CAST & CREW
Bill Costanza is a playwright whose plays have appeared in Chicago, New York City, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Detroit, Texas, and Maryland. His play Lily’s Gift won the Backdoor Theatre National Award and was a semi-finalist for the Panowski Award. He has also written four screenplays and a TV pilot. He is currently working on a novel. He is a Chicago native who now lives in Leesburg, Virginia.
DECEMBER 2021
Service Industry
by Ezra Brain & J. Andrew Norris
How do you know when to quit? “Service Industry” follows Lily, an aspiring stand up comedian, as she starts a new job at a sports bar in NYC. She must balance her personal, artistic, and professional life as she navigates the endlessly complicated world of the service industry and ponders what to make of her career.
Watch Service Industry on our YouTube Channel!
Content Warning: Adult language, Sexual Innuendo
CAST & CREW
Ezra Brain (they/them) is a trans multi-disciplinary artist activist, and teacher based in NYC. As a theatre artist, their writing has been performed at the Tank, Literacy Theatre, Stop Pretending Theatre Project, Passaic Preparatory Academy, the New Masculinities Festival, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Studio Theatre at Tierra Del Sol, the Art Garage, Dixon Place, and Stay True Theatre. Their play Something’s Coming (co-written with J. Andrew Norris) was a 2020 Finalist for the Jewish Playwriting Contest from the Jewish Plays Project. Ezra’s essays and articles have been published in 10 countries and 6 languages. As a filmmaker, Ezra’s work has been accepted into multiple festivals around the world. They are an award-winning teaching artist, a proud member of Ring of Keys, the Dramatists Guild, and the Editorial Board of Left Voice.
www.EzraBrain.com
J. Andrew Norris (he/him) is a writer, director and actor. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he received his BA in Drama, with a minor in Musical Theatre. Since his graduation, he has worked with theatres such as Florida Studio Theatre, Triad Stage, NC Summer Rep, Literacy Theatre, and The Studio Theatre at Tierra del Sol. He was recently part of Florida Studio Theatre’s Apprentice Program, serving as the Artistic and Directing Fellow. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, reading biographies, and looking at pictures of dogs on the internet.
@drewlockholmes
JANUARY 2022
Jr.
by Jordan Noble
Gracia is a Latina entrepreneur using her chemistry undergrad degree to run a small cleaning business specializing in rare animal messes. Her fiancé is Jason, a young politician who’s gearing up for a run at the state senate, trying to stay independent. In the world of Jr., birth is a genetic roll of the dice. A couple can have poisonous snakes for children. You might have an orangutan brother, or an uncle who’s a cockatiel. And they’re just that – animals. They don’t break into Disney songs or even talk, they just make a mess. Most people hope for Juniors – human children. Newly pregnant, trying to grow her business and feeling the pressure of uncertainty surrounding her impending motherhood, Gracia discovers that her family history isn’t what she was told, and the identity she’s always grown up with is false.
Watch Jr. on our YouTube Channel!
Content Warning: Adult language
CAST & CREW
Jordan Noble was born and raised in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, where he studied English and Theatre at Old Dominion University, and where his first play, The Shivers, was produced. After performing in local theatre and working as a technician and writer for an illusionist for several years, he moved to northern Virginia to teach theatre in secondary schools. While teaching, he led workshops at the Virginia Theatre Association’s annual conferences, and traveled to London to study contemporary and Shakespearean acting at The Guildhall School. His passion in teaching has always been guiding students through the process of theatre from idea, through scripting, and into production. It was his students’ own passion that inspired him to return to writing, and his play Taste was produced during lockdown by JaYo Theatre in Washington DC. He now lives in Tuscany, Italy with his wonderful wife of thirteen years.
Instagram and Twitter: @Elbonadroj
FEBRUARY 2022
Halfway to the Middle
by Bridget Grace Sheaff
Jessie and Logan are in a long distance relationship. Over the first year of their relationship, we see them struggle with the distance, their insecurities, and the outside world from inside a little motel room halfway between their two cities.
Watch Halfway to the Middle on our YouTube Channel!
Content Warning: Adult language, Sexual situations
CAST & CREW
Bridget Grace Sheaff is the Director of Audience Services and Community Engagement at Maples Repertory Theatre. She is a member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab 2019. BA 2014 summa cum laude, The Catholic University of America.
www.bridgetgracesheaff.com
MARCH 2022
Of All the Places in the World
by Daphny Maman
After finding disturbing pictures on her son Adam’s computer, Margo and her new playboy lover Vince arrive at his home in Cambodia to confront him. Adam, who strongly maintains his innocence, is a long-time victim of Margo’s toxic motherhood; she was, and still is, controlling and manipulating. Soon enough, Adam realizes that if Margo senses he might be dangerous in any way she will take his newborn away from him, to protect them both. Will Adam be able to convince her he is innocent?
Watch Of All the Places in the World on our YouTube Channel!
Content Warning: Adult language, Sexual situations, Implied harm to children
CAST & CREW
Daphny Maman is a screenwriter, playwright, lyricist, and pizza orderer, living in Brooklyn, NY along with her two noisy boys, a tired husband, and a shedding dog. She holds an MFA from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU, and a BFA in Film from Tel Aviv University. Daphny has more than 15 years of experience as a screenwriter and lyricist for television and film in Israel. Together with her collaborator Sujin Kim-Ramsey, she wrote a full-length musical comedy titled Wait!. Their short pieces A Good Morning for Coffee, Congratulations and Little Italy have been produced in New York. She currently works on Sugar Rush – a family musical comedy, in collaboration with Sujin Kim-Ramsey and Aden Kent Ramsey, and was a resident of the 92Y Musical Theater Development Lab for this piece. Her work has been performed at 54Below, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, HERE Theatre, The Playroom Theatre, Berklee College of Music, and more.
www.daphnymaman.com
APRIL 2022
The Taste of Emeralds
by Amy Dellagiarino
Sisters Margot and Caitlin meet up at their mother’s small, decrepit apartment to go through her possessions after her recent death. As the day slowly turns into night, they begin to unpack the secrets of their past until the haunting influence of their mother throughout their years begins to look a lot like an actual haunting…
Content Warning: Adult language, Sexual Abuse, Suicide
CAST & CREW
Amy Dellagiarino is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter whose work has been produced across the country. Her play “From the Perspective of a Canoe” won the Playwriting Script Competition at the 2021 Austin Film Festival. Her play “The Value of Moscow” was nominated for a 2019 Stage Raw Award for Best Playwriting and was published through Stage Rights. Her comedy feature film “Freelancers Anonymous” won the 2018 NCGLFF Audience Award for Best Women’s Feature, was a recipient of the Frameline Completion Fund Award, and earned the Reframe Stamp for gender balanced media along with such films as “The Favourite”, “Can You Ever Forgive Me”, and “Crazy Rich Asians”. Her short plays have garnered the Best Comedy award in various festivals. She has participated in developmental readings of several of her plays with noted LA theatre companies such as Sacred Fools, Theatre of Note, Rogue Machine, and The Blank Theatre Company, and was a 2020 participant of Moving Arts Theatre’s MADLab Play Development Series. She was a participant of the 2021 Kennedy Center Summer Playwrights Intensive as well as the resident playwright with Dark Horse Theatre Company in Virginia and a founding member of Walking Shadow Readers Theatre which focuses on new playwrights and new play development. She earned her BFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
www.amydell.com
Contact Walking Shadow Readers Theatre
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to receive updates on upcoming Readings, Calls for Scripts, and additional Walking Shadow Readers Theatre content!
Walking Shadow Readers Theatre 