The Hub Theatre's Play Fest - Stage Reading Festival

On Saturday, June 1st and Sunday, June 2nd, The Hub Theatre will present their first ever Play Fest, a staged reading festival showcasing new plays by contemporary. 

“These are adventurous plays that are quirky and funny, and full of heart and sometimes heartache,” said Helen Pafumi, Hub’s artistic director in a recent feature. “Staged readings are a wonderful way to introduce plays or playwrights to our community.” 

In addition to four staged readings, the Play Fest will feature two panel discussions about new play development and gender parity in the American theatre. All events are free, but seating is limited. Click here to reserve a ticket! Here's the line-up:

Saturday, June 1 at 1 PM
She Rode Horses Like the Stock Exchange
by Amelia Roper
directed by Robert Lufty
featuring Laura Baranik, Patrick Foley, Heather Howard, Jon Odom, and Eric Tucker  

About the Play
In a nice New England park, in a nice New England city, two nice New England couples try very, very hard to be nice to each other, while the world around them falls apart. An absurdly funny and terrifying ride through downsized, foreclosed America.

Saturday, June 1 at 3 PM
Panel Discussion - Gender Parity in American Theatre
Moderated by Jacqueline Lawton with panelists Eleanor Holdridge (Freelance Director, Catholic University Head of MFA Directing Programs), Michael Dove (Artistic Director, Forum Theatre), and Helen Pafumi (Playwright and Artistic Director, The Hub Theatre). While female theatre artists make up over 50% of those involved in the theatre, why are so few female playwrights being produced? Why so few female directors helming shows? Listen to our esteemed panelists discuss the gender divide and what theaters can do to address the issues.

Saturday, June 1 at 4 PM
The Electric Baby
by Stephanie Zadrevec
directed by Kasi Campbell
featuring Peter Boyer, Jimmy Flanagan, Nanna Ingvarsson, Rana Kay, Leo Sheridan and Mary Beth Wise.

About the Play
In this dazzling new play, three very different couples discover that their lives are connected in ways that none of them could ever imagine. A middle-aged couple confronts the secrets of their troubled marriage. A young woman becomes attached—literally—by a pair of pink, fluffy handcuffs to the hopeful young man who secretly loves her. And a Romanian mother and Nigerian father care for their child, who glows like the moon—and brings everyone together to experience the power of storytelling, the importance of community, and the hope of new beginnings.

Sunday, June 2 at 1 PM
Failure: A Love Story
by Philip Dawkins
directed by Helen Pafumi
featuring Michael Kevin Darnall, Kristen Garaffo, Katie Jeffries, Rose McConnell, Janel Miley, Noah Mitchel, Belen Pifel, Casie Platt and Chris Stinson

About the Play
A magical, musical fable about the triumphs and aspirations of three sisters living in the rickety two-story building by the Chicago River which was the Fail family home and clock shop in 1928. Nelly was the first to die, followed soon after by sisters, Jenny June and Gerty. As with many unforeseen circumstances in life—blunt objects, disappearances and consumption—they never saw death coming. This profoundly funny and moving story reminds us that in the end, all that remains is love.

Sunday, June 2 at 3 PM
Panel Discussion - New Play Development
Moderated by Kristen LePine with panelists Anne McCaw (Executive Director, The Inkwell), Allyson Currin (Playwright in Residence, Theatre J), Helen Pafumi (Playwright and Artistic Director, The Hub Theatre), Randy Baker (Playwright and Co Artistic Director, Rorschach Theatre), Jojo Ruf (General Manager, National New Play Network). What goes into developing a new play for production? The Hub gathers theatre experts from across the Washington Metro area to share their insights about the challenges, the process, and their successes in selecting and developing new work for production.

Sunday, June 2 at 4 PM
Ching Chong Chinaman
by Lauren Yee
directed by Lee Mikeska Gardner
featuring Jennifer Knight, Hazel Loranzo, MiRann Powell, Al Twanmo, Jonathan Wong, Jacob Yeh and Nicholas Yenson

About the Play
Turning every cliché about Asian American identity on its head, CHING CHONG CHINAMAN introduces us to the all-American Wong family: Ed the patriarch loves to golf and mom Grace wants another child; Desdemona obsesses over early admission into Princeton while her brother Upton is focused on World of Warcraft superstardom. To ease the burden of homework and free up more time for training, Upton acquires an indentured servant from China. Life in the Wong household is turned upside down with the arrival of Jinqiang ("Ching Chong")... who harbors his own American dreams!

All events are free, but seating is limited. Click here to reserve a ticket!

The Hub Theatre is an award winning, professional non-profit theatre making its home in Fairfax County, Virginia. The Hub Theatre is a member Theatre Washington.  The Hub has received grants from Target, the Fink Foundation, the Arts Council of Fairfax, The Friends of Lake Anne, Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Arts Council of Fairfax, Integrity Applications, and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Mission
The Hub Theatre endeavors to produce work that highlights our common humanity, providing a theatrical experience that is at once challenging and inclusive. We strive to be the physical center of a dynamic circle of story, art, and community, to create the transcendent exchange unique to live theatre.

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