In 2019 Ego Actus presented a free play reading series directed by Joan Kane.
All readings were at Torn Page, the Rip Torn/Geraldine Page family home in Chelsea, NYC.
The Plays
Communal Table by Jenny Lyn Bader, February 11
Minna enjoys eavesdropping, but this time is different. This guy is getting so many things wrong, she may just need to interrupt. Gary loves meeting new people, but it looks like his latest flirtation is getting sabotaged. Allie has come here for some peace, but she is unlikely to find any. It is challenging to meet new people when they’re next to other people. Communal Table is comedy about shared space, public conversation and whether we can all just get along.
The Communal Table cast featured Laura Woyasz*, Sarah Sirota* and Jon Krupp* with Marie Ann Chenevey reading the stage directions.
Heart Shaped Uterus by Judith Leora, March 11
Forty year old Dani has woken up. Her life is not what she thought it would be. She was born at the wrong time and her mother is lost in the world of dementia and can’t talk to her. Her co-workers thinks she’s a punk who can’t stand up for herself. As she navigates an absurd world of gibberish, cultish dating gurus, and daunting fertility statistics, she learns that sometimes a skewed perspective gives the clearest view of all.
The Heart Shaped Uterus cast featured Sandra Bargman*, Devorah Brand, Alex Tavis*, J. Dolan Byrnes*, Marie Elena O’Brien*, Dylan J. Sampson and Colette Bryce* with Suzanne Dickerson* reading the stage directions.
Bar N(one) by Glenn Alterman April 15
Bar N(one) is a series of short monologues by a wide variety characters you would find in bars; bartenders, patrons on the hunt, people who just want to be left alone and almost everyone in between.
The Bar N(0ne) cast featured Lucy McMichael*, Debra Kay Anderson*, Jason Asher, David Lamberton* and Loren Bidner* with Lana Young reading the stage directions.
Rest, in Pieces by Steve Bluestein, May 13
Rest, in Pieces is a serio-comedy in three acts. It investigates how death affects a three-person family when one of its members is removed. It’s an emotional chess game, which exposes how these three people react when death is brought into their daily experience.
The Rest, in Pieces cast featured Mimi Turque*, Lenny Wolpe* and Loren Bidner* with Aaron Donahue reading the stage directions.
Running on Glass by Cindy Cooper, June 10
A sports scholar entices a designer and running buddy to help her envision a pop-up museum about women in sports. Six characters from sports history come alive, including Althea Gibson, Gertrude Ederle, Wilma Rudolph, Babe Didrikson, Gretel Bergmann and Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson.
The Running on Glass cast featured Brittney Venable, Deirdre Brennan, Onekè Cummings, Alinca Hamilton, Jane Kotlyar*, Olivia Scott*, Valerie Terranova* and Joan Valentina with Debra Khan-Bey reading the stage directions.
American Divide by Maxmillian Singh Gill, July 8
After a take-over by a right-wing government prompts the secession of several states, a refugee, a border control officer, and a mercenary meet in a bar in Las Vegas. They want escape, justice, and money, but mostly they just want to survive in a splintered America on the verge of civil war.
The American Divide cast featured Nitin Madan, Morgan V. Canham, Marie Elena O’Brien* and Mercedes Vasquez, with Stark Wilz reading the stage directions.
Faire by Annette Storckman, September 9
When the Queen quits mid-season, the Ren Faire Artistic Director, Dan, must navigate a web of sexual and professional politics to find her replacement. The clearest choice is head wench, Nikki, but when Dan sets his eyes on her protege, Mary, egos are bruised, plots are laid, and crushes are betrayed. A comedy with music, the play aims to discuss how women’s ambitions are valued, as well as capture the particular charm (and pettiness) of Renaissance Faire culture.
The Faire cast featured Molly Lovell, Matthew Schott, Julian Wolfe, Eileen Sugameli*, Dani Martineck and Mary Monahan, with J. Dolan Byrnes* reading the stage directions.