There is nothing like the energy of an engaged theatre audience. Monday, May 17, 2010 kicked off our 2010 “Play With Your Food” reading series with Jeff Hughes’ “In the Jersey City Moonlight”. Cast members Mike Folie, Kate Guyton, Deborah Hedwall, Todd Lawson and Eric T. Miller lit up the stage with their talent and energy!

This reading also inaugurated my position as the new Literary Manager here. I knew I was excited to take on the role, but after meeting our audience, and sharing in how you all engaged in such spirited conversation about this new work, I couldn’t feel more grateful to be welcomed into such a warm home.

It is inspiring to be amongst debate about a new play. Plays have the privilege, I believe, of being social animals. Starting from the playwright’s process, even writing a play is a social experience. Writing a play requires the playwright to build a world for her characters, and to live in that world with them. While writing, the playwright must talk to her characters, and allow those characters to talk to each other. The experience of seeing a play is just as social— how many times have we gone to the theatre and felt the play was speaking right to us? We know those people on stage; they know us too. As the audience, we share our time-space continuum with that of the piece on stage. In best case scenario, the two blur and intertwine.

So to be able to then discuss that, to me, completes the social circle and experience of going to the theatre. The opportunity to acknowledge how a play has stirred us, to even argue with each other about those emotions and intellectual musings, is so satisfying. Especially in the case of developing a new play with a playwright, conversation is key to recognizing the experience we all just had. And conversation helps the playwright to imagine how to improve our collective, and individual, experiences of the work.

Monday night’s talk-back was just a glimpse for me into the vibrant minds and strong hearts in our Penguin audience. I can’t wait until the next reading on June 21st, and to get to know you all better through this wonderful world of theatre.

Play On,

Samantha

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