​We hope you will join us for three delightfully eclectic play readings in October, November and December as we conclude the ninth season of our Theater by the Book series co-presented by Sierra Stages and the Miners Foundry. Theater by the Book play readings are on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM at the Miners Foundry in the Osborn/Woods Hall. The bar opens at 6 PM, and doors open for seating at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased online or in person through the Miners Foundry. Seating is limited and is first-come, first-served at cabaret tables and in chairs set up at the rear of the Osborn/Woods Hall.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19
'THE MARRIAGE OF BETTE AND BOO"
BY CHRISTOPHER DURANG
A PLAY READING DIRECTED BY ARIEL ELLIOTT
With John Bivens, Chase Coney, Heidi Grass, Laura LeBleu, Paul Micsan, Hollie Mudd, Kim Wellman, Nadia White, T.E Wolfe and Scott YounG

As this black comedy begins, Bette and Boo are united in matrimony surrounded by their joyous families. Through the subsequent decades of their lives, it becomes increasingly clear that things are not working out quite as hoped for. The birth of their son is followed by a succession of stillborns; Boo takes to drink; and their respective families reflect the dysfunction they are struggling with. For solace and counsel they all turn to Father Donnally, a Roman Catholic priest who dodges their questions by impersonating (hilariously) a strip of frying bacon. Conveyed in a series of dazzlingly inventive interconnected scenes, the play moves wickedly on through three decades of divorce, alcoholism, madness and fatal illness—all treated with a farcical brilliance which, through the author’s unique talent, mines the unlikely lodes of irony and humor residing in these ostensibly unhappy events.  (Photo of cast by Heidi Grass)​

WEDNESDAY november 16
"in the next room or the vibrator play"
BY sarah ruhl
A PLAY READING DIRECTED BY michele nesbit

Set in the 1880s at the dawn of the age of electricity in a seemingly perfect, well-to-do Victorian home, proper gentleman and scientist Dr. Givings has innocently invented an extraordinary new device for treating "hysteria" in women (and occasionally men): the vibrator. Adjacent to the doctor's laboratory, his young and energetic wife Catherine wonders exactly what is going on in the next room. When a new "hysterical" patient, Sabrina, and her husband bring a wet nurse and their own complicated relationship into the doctor's home, Dr. and Mrs. Givings must examine the nature of their own marriage, and what it truly means to love someone and yourself.

WEDNESDAY december 21
"a christmas memory"
BY truman capote
A READING DIRECTED BY sands hall

In A Christmas Memory, Truman Capote recalls the final Christmas he spent with a beloved older relative and captures the essence of Christmastime in depression-era Alabama— including fruitcakes and contraband whiskey. Join us for an evening of holiday nostalgia, heartwarming music, and plenty of holiday cheer!
THEATER BY THE BOOK is our series of informal play readings co-presented with the Miners Foundry.  
Now in our 9th Season, we schedule five or six readings throughout the year and present a wide range of works. ​The director and actors come together and rehearse for a short time; there is no scenery, no costumes, and minimal staging.  Check us out and expand your theatrical horizons!