CWP Launchpad Reading Series
The CWP Launchpad Reading Series is a new initiative produced as part of The Center at West Park's Center for New Work Development. The series provides a platform for emerging theatre companies and early-career producers to curate a weekend of pay-what-you-can developmental readings of new work, with rehearsal and presentation space, marketing & promotional support, technical & administrative assistance, and a curatorial stipend provided by CWP. Through the Launchpad Reading Series, CWP uplifts artists at the start of their careers by creating accessible and inclusive presentation opportunities showcasing diverse talents, and provides the next generation of arts leaders with the support to put their ideas and communities on the stage.
About the featured curators
Fresh Binder Productions is a theatrical home for emerging transgender/gender non-conforming (TGNC) playwrights; aiming to uplift TGNC playwrights and their work into the theatrical pantheon at a time in history when trans voices are being actively criminalized and silenced.
Friday, January 23 - CLOWNFISHING by Bailey Jordan Garcia
After his best friend passes away, 17-year old Bryson discovers and then takes on a fake AOL account to catfish his and his best friend’s school bully. Clownfishing turns into an exploration of gender and sexuality, ultimately asking, “What are the consequences of having to exist in a body?”
Saturday, January 24 - MOve - bend - fall by ASH
MOVE - BEND - FALL is a trilogy of thematically-connected short plays. From first dates to fiery finales and the moments in between, friends and lovers (and sometimes their ghosts) weave in and out of the bedroom as they uncover what it means to be queer and in love. “Move Forward” is a sharp comedy centering around two couples: one on a first date and the other post-breakup. “Bending the Rules” is a non-linear, sexy, dramatic tale of a polyamorous relationship from beginning to end. “Falling” is a ghost story about the roles we’ve played in our own tragedies and the songs we sing about them.
Sunday, January 25 - DOUBLE BILL: RHYME, DIME, STORYTIME BY NAY HARRIS & COMPANY DRAIN BY RONI RAGONE
RHYME, DIME, STORYTIME: Four kids: the Storyteller and unfortunate bystander, the superhero who’d kill in order to save, the baby-eating wolf who loves to gaslight, and the pretend parent who’s a “bad friend” for wanting to save themselves. All they want is to tell a story, but whose story is it? Who gets to tell it and who determines which story is the right one? Crayon drawn skyscrapers, kiddie pools where small ones bound in jump rope float, and Blood-splattered sneakers that still light up with each step. War’s never a game, friendship shouldn’t be a death sentence, babies shouldn’t be eaten, and “the rightstory” is always a matter of personal stakes, reputation, and guilt. A tale, neither tall nor a fable, as told by a Crow (who’s also a hand puppet), who reminds us that wars, like fairytales, never have happy endings.
CW: mentions of war, sounds of explosions and gunfire, gaslighting, drowning, a dead
child, destroyed buildings, bits of blood, light up sneakers
COMPANY DRAIN: Everybody hates their job. And sometimes their job hates them. When Josephina starts her new position, she realizes there may be a bit left unsaid in the office. Company Drain explores what we owe to the person in the cubicle next door.