R&D (Reading & Drinking)
Reading & Drinking (also known as "R&D") is a free, informal gathering of artists where you can listen to new and developing plays by NYC’s local independent playwrights. Pieces range from short plays, full lengths, and musical excerpts. Our intention is to create a comfortable, judgement-free space for playwrights to present their work, hear their plays read aloud by local volunteer independent actors, and exchange a dialogue designed to provide insight on how to develop the piece further. R&D is a fun, productive way to meet new artists, create new connections, and inspire creativity. Have a couple drinks and read some plays with us! (The drinking part is optional!)
Past R&D Sessions
Kiss in the Dream House
By Ashley Lauren Rogers
Sunday, March 22, 2020 @ 6:00 PM ET | Facebook Live
Kiss in the Dream House is the story of young love, intersectional transgender issues, and Death Metal. A young interracial couple, who thought they had overcome everything, are faced with a number of challenges that could tear them apart before their Vietnamese engagement ceremony.
The Dirt is Fertile
By Alisha Espinosa
Friday, November 15, 2019 @ 7:00 PM | The Artist Co-Op
New York City is called the concrete jungle, but what was it before concrete? Who did the city belong to when you could pull foot long clams out of the sand? In a place of constant change, it's easy to lose track of who causes the change and who's just learning to deal with. Through the eyes of different generations of New Yorkers, maybe it's easier to see what the city was, what it is, and what it could be.
War Stories
By Sarah Kelly
Saturday, July 20, 2019 | The Artist Co-Op
Against the backdrop of the City of Angels, the lives of four people - each with time running out on their dreams - intersect with disastrous consequences. Is all really fair in love and war?
Into the River I Went
By Nelson Diaz-Marcano
Friday, April 26, 2019 | The Artist Co-Op
Raquel and Ben are high school sweethearts who have gotten engaged to the dismay of his sister, Janet. The two women have been pitted against each other since the day they met by class, culture, and gender expectations. Suddenly they find themselves forced to work together to fight a violent beast that stalks them. Can they come to an understanding in time or will they fall prey to the beast?
Sophie’s Sweet 16
By Chima Chikazunga
Saturday, February 23, 2019 @ 7:00 PM | The Artist Co-Op
Kierra and Domonique are an engaged couple who want to take their relationship to the next level, but when Kierra decides to move in with her ailing grandmother Sophie, plans to bring a child into the world are suddenly placed on hold. Sophie's Sweet 16 is about 2 lost souls, who unexpectedly confide in each other while trying to find comfort rather than a home.
The Line and Stranger
Two Plays by Nicholas Vasilos Pappas
Sunday, October 14, 2018 @ 3:30 PM | The Tank NYC
Eleven people wait in line at a parcel retrieval window.
Some of them receive their packages, some of them don't.
One of them waits for a very long time.
Then we do something completely different.
Spring Jam
Featuring The House in Quezon City
By Benjamin Ernest-Abraham
Thursday, March 29, 2018 @ 6:00 PM | SoHo Places
The morning of February 22, 1986 - Manila, Philippines. Daniel Ramos has everything a young man in the Philippines could dream of: a good job, a supportive and well-respected family, and a loving soon-to-be fiancé, and plans to move to the United States. By the afternoon, everything will have fallen apart with the rise of the People Power Revolution. In the wake of this change, a reluctant Daniel is asked to leave everything and travel to the United States to support his family. Will he leave everything behind? The House In Quezon City follows a family caught in the midst of a peaceful revolution in Southeast Asia and the consequences everyday families face during transitions of power.