Fairfield County’s one-of-a-kind daytime playreading series “Play With Your Food” is back and serving up professional theater (and lunch) once again to audiences in Westport, Fairfield and Greenwich from January through April.
JIB Productions presents an all-new season of irresistible and provocative one-act playreadings with doors opening at 12 noon on Tuesday, January 10 (MoCA Westport, 19 Newtown Turnpike); Wednesday, January 11 (Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Avenue, Southport) and Thursday, January 12 (Greenwich Arts Council, 299 Greenwich Avenue.) Each performance is followed by an audience talkback with the professional actors and a delicious, boxed lunch catered by popular local restaurants that can be eaten on site at the carefully chosen venues or taken “to go!” Audiences are out the door by 1:30 pm ready to continue their day!
Artistic Director Carole Schweid and Producer Diana Muller spend the off-season reading hundreds of the newest plays out there and attending play festivals throughout the northeast to find the most cutting-edge pieces that speak to today’s audiences. Schweid also scours the classics to find those wonderful gems by ‘the masters’ that still resonate today. With hundreds of plays at her fingertips, Schweid says the real challenge is finding the right ‘recipe’ of plays that work together and take full advantage of the talented actors she finds.
On the menu for January at all three venues is Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Levine’s piece “Signing Off” that asks whether millennials really rule the world as much as we might think! Levine has written for MASH, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons among others and brings the same acerbic wit to this short masterpiece. Playwright Cary Gitter has quickly become a favorite of PWYF audiences with his poignant plays that often challenge us to confront assumptions while speaking emotional truths. Carol Mullen’s one act “Something Old, Something New” takes a humorous and pointed look at pre-wedding jitters between a bride-to-be and her longtime hairstylist. Actors featured in the January opening include CT and NYC-based Andrea Lynn Green, Michael Raver, Max Samuels and Dawn Vanessa Brown. “All of the actors we find are working professionals on stage, screen and TV” says Schweid. “They come work with us for a week in between other jobs and love the ability to bring a character to life with only one or two rehearsals and then the playreadings! Audiences cherish the improvisational aspect – you never know what’s going to happen or who just might show up. In fact, often a playwright or two shows up and joins in the talkback!”
Like all arts organizations, Play With Your Food has faced challenges over the last few years but with its small size has been able to pivot to meet the changing needs of audiences posed by COVID. Masks are no longer required, however they are recommended in order to keep actors and audiences as safe as possible. And to accommodate varying levels of comfort, boxed lunches are now served after the playreadings and talkback, allowing those who want to stay and enjoy lunch in the beautiful venues with friends the ability to do so, while those who need to get back to work can take their lunch “to go!” Local restaurants/caterers are eager to work with Play With Your Food as a way to showcase their lunch offerings to the surrounding community! January lunches will be provided by Marcia Seldin Catering (Westport); Spic & Span Market (Fairfield) and Meli Melo Creperie (Greenwich)
Audiences can buy either individual monthly tickets or buy a series subscription of four tickets covering January – April. Tickets are $60 each or $224 for an entire season ($16 discount). For more information, complete schedule and tickets, please visit JIBProductions.org or call the Box Office at 203.293.8729.
