As a teaching theater, one of the things that the Laboratory Theater of Florida does is promote the creation of new plays.
Paula Sisk, along with some of the actors, joined Gulf Coast News to explain how you can hear these new works live at the Lab.
The Lab accepts hundreds of scripts from around the world and selects the top three for a concert reading.
The winner was "Lumin," by Emma Gibson. There will be a concert reading on Saturday, May 17. "Lumin" is set in a modern-day cult on the outskirts of the Chihuahuan desert in Texas. This new play about our need for community asks why the line between delusion and what the rest of us believe is getting blurrier than ever.
One of the finalists is "Virtual Reality" by Wendy Vogel. There will be a concert reading on Friday, May 16. Rebecca is used to men letting her down. Scarred by divorce, she avoids the real world by playing a virtual-reality role-playing game. But she finds Paul, a widower crippled by grief from the death of his wife. Through their in-game avatars, they bond in the virtual world with no plans to meet in the real one. But when Rebecca's son is injured in a hate crime shooting, they both realize they've become more than "gamer buddies." And when Paul's life is threatened, they must face the fear of rejection and loneliness and leave their avatars behind for a chance at a real-life connection.
The third reading will be on Thursday, May 15, and it will be "Annelies." The present collides with the past in this drama. Mourning the loss of his father, a bereaved man in 2020 begins to keep a journal, only to find himself in correspondence with the famous and tragic diarist, Anne Frank. A play about grief and friendship, "Annelies" explores the strength and legacy of the written word, and its power to change our lives forever.
Tickets are $15, or for the weekend pass, you can see all the readings for $35.
For more information, visit the Laboratory Theater of Florida online.
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