Reading at Julliard
Julliard was the place and April 9, 2013 was the date- the date of our first full reading of the play! It’s hard to put into words the level of excitement and anxiety we felt while waiting for the reading to begin. Luckily we had the good sense to plan a great lunch with Joanna, a good friend and supporter of our project that day. For those who don’t know, Joanna (now retired) was our contact at the United Nations and the reason our play is being created in collaboration with the UNDPI and CCOI. So instead of what could have been an endless morning, the time flew by as we talked all things play, playwrights, and cats. It was fun catching up and before we knew, it was time to make our way to Julliard. Marsha and Christopher Durang co-chair the playwriting department at Julliard so she was able to schedule the reading as part of their program. Acting students are given a few hours to become familiar with the play before reading it in front of an audience. The student actors were unbelievably professional and talented. It is really so different to hear the words rather than simply read them. The reading was followed by a question/answer period where the student audience got the chance to ask questions of the playwright (Marsha) and make comments. As was the case in Florida, we ran out of time – there were so many questions and comments. While thanking the actors, we were able to spend some time with them discussing our project and Marsha’s script in a more one on one setting. It was a great day and we are incredibly happy that the reading went so well. Can’t thank Marsha enough for setting this up. Next step – confirm the director and get to work on the second draft!
