INKubator New Play Festival at Art House Productions

How would you feel about being able to influence the trajectory of a play from the ground level? Art House Productions will let you do just that. INKubator New Play Festival is about the art of the staged reading and the power of the audience. You’d be hard pressed to find a theatergoer unfamiliar with a staged production, and yet so many audience members have never experienced a staged reading. The former brings you all the pomp and circumstance of a fully realized world, complete with scenic, costume, sound, lighting design, and more. Most of what you’d find on a Broadway stage is a great example of a [staged] production. The latter is solely reliant on its author, actors, and the audience. It is exactly as it sounds: you are watching the actors read the script aloud, from their seats on stage.

Long before I’d ever attended a staged reading, I assumed they would be boring. Luckily, I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong, and good god, was I wrong. Some of my favorite performances have been simple readings where the actors give beautiful performances with nothing to distract from the brilliant dialogue. My favorite part is the intimate nature of a reading wherein the audience is invited to actively participate in a post-show discussion. The playwright wants to hear your feedback! They are making the vulnerable choice to allow you into the early process of their writing journey and asking for you to weigh in. Imagine being able to lay partial claim to the next Broadway success (not financially, apologies in advance) because you helped the writer realize that a key moment of their show wasn’t working. Your advice may be all they need to solidify the next Tony-Award-winning script! Perhaps I’m having delusions of grandeur, but the fact remains, feedback is pivotal at this stage, and it is a privilege to be part of the journey. And I haven’t even gotten to the best part —

They’re FREE!

The INKubator New Play Festival certainly is, but you must RSVP to confirm your attendance.

For the past seven years, Art House Productions has offered the INKubator New Play Program. This is a year-long generative program wherein a cohort of playwrights, hailing from or with strong ties to New Jersey, are selected to gather monthly to share new work, receive feedback, and develop a first draft of a new play. It culminates in the aforementioned INKubator New Play Festival, a showcase of staged readings.

This year’s cohort is made up of five playwrights with distinct voices, and the festival featuring their work will run April 28–29th, and May 5–7th. Phillip Gregory Burke, Sarah Cuneo, Molly Horan, Frank Murdocco, and M. D. Schaffer will share the first drafts of their plays with Art House audiences, making this the first time these works will be heard aloud. Audiences will be in attendance for the births of these stories as they enter the world publicly for the first time, and those same audiences will help the stories grow and find their footing. No theater experience necessary, you simply have to share your genuine reactions to the work, though I would caution folks to understand the difference between constructive criticism and pure criticism. The former is a tool to cultivate growth and improvement, the latter is a fancy word for being rude. Avoid the latter.

• April 28th @ 7 PM - “I Want the World (And When I Get It, I'll Want Something Else)” - Written by Frank Murdocco and Directed by Alex Tobey
• April 29th @ 7 PM - “Trad” - Written by Sarah Cuneo and Directed by Emilia Lirman
• May 5th @ 7 PM - “Paradise Estate” - Written by Phillip Gregory Burke and Directed by Brandon Alvión
• May 6th @ 7 PM - “Communication” - Written by M. D. Schaffer and Directed by Ava Elizabeth Novak
• May 7th @ 7 PM - “Let Go” - Written by Molly Horan and Directed by Anne DeMelo

Trad author Sarah Cuneo affirms the power of the audience, saying that “staged readings are such an important part of a play’s development. These readings will be the very first time anyone has ever heard these plays from start to finish! Because the plays are still in development, your feedback as an audience member will directly impact the future of the play. As playwrights, we ask the audience specific questions so that we know what edits to make going forward. We also listen to the audience’s responses to the work so that we know what’s working and what isn’t. The audiences of these staged readings will essentially be collaborating with us on the next draft of our plays, which is a really cool experience for everyone involved.”

Phillip Gregory Burke hopes audiences will “transition from spectators and then activate their curiosity of history-whether it is that of their own, or that of others, and find ways to preserve it all.” History is important to the Paradise Estate scribe as his play is semi-inspired by his family’s well documented history operating the Underground Railroad. He states, “this current administration, with dutiful assistance from organizations subserviently following their lead, are actively erasing history, banning books, and eliminating the civil rights & liberties of so many. My work of historical fiction, inspired by historical facts, challenges that eradication by cementing the past in our present. The quest for freedom, and for freedom fighters, was needed then as it is needed now.”

As Burke makes clear, art itself is powerful and while the voice of the author is essential, so is the voice of the audience. Those who are impacted by these stories can, and should, share their takeaways and maybe even their own history, all of which can influence the trajectory of the author’s work for the better.

Playwright Frank Murdocco, author of I Want the World (And When I Get It, I'll Want Something Else), shares why he feels the works of this festival are so relevant. “Every play in this year’s festival is incredibly timely. What I love about each piece is that they are all innately character driven. Sarah Cuneo has written about an OnlyFans model turned Trad Wife influencer, Molly Horan’s written about two teenagers inspired by Zach Braff’s film Garden State, Phillip Gregory Burke’s piece is about a family in 1812 running a stop on the Underground Railroad,  M.D. Schaeffer has written about a family therapy session run by tarot cards, and I wrote a family drama through the lens of the Real Housewives of New Jersey. None of these plays exist in shared universes, some belong to this exact moment in time, others to 200 years ago, but they all resonate because they discuss and examine themes that pierce humanity. Each piece feels relevant, contemporary, funny, and urgent in a way I think audiences will be incredibly excited by, especially in the context of today’s society.”

In order to review the full lineup with each show’s synopsis, you can visit Art House’s website for more information.