Nero/Pseudo: Coming May 30 (One Night Only)

So here's a quick update on the staged reading of my new play, Nero/Pseudo, at Artisphere in Rosslyn at 8 p.m. on Wednesday May 30.

WHO and WHY? The staged reading is being hosted by WSC/Avant Bard as part of their Spring Repertory of The Bacchae by Euripides and The Tooth of Crime by Sam Shepard. (Tickets for the repertory available here.)

Since Nero/Pseudo is a mash up of classic Rome and glam rock, it slides into the strike zone of WSC/AvantBard's programming.

I am delighted not only by the fact that Jon Langford (Mekons, Waco Brothers, Three Johns) and Jim Elkington (the Zincs, the Horse's Ha) wrote music for the songs in the play, but that they will join us for the May 30 reading. They'll also be playing a gig at the Iota Club on Thursday, May 31.

(Chris Klimek at Washington City Paper gave the project some ink back in January.)

I am also delighted that Colin Hovde (artistic director of Theater Alliance) will direct the staged reading. He's also directing the latest offering from Theater Alliance -- a play by Nicholas Wardigo called Hum -- which opens on Monday, May 14. (Tickets for that production available here.)

The cast? Some excellent DC actors, including Bradley Smith, Kari Ginsburg*, Ian Armstrong, James Finley*, Mundy Spears*, Nathan Mendez and Heather Haney*. (Names with a star are members of the WSC/AvantBard acting company.)

The amazing Sara Barker (who's also a member of WSC/AvantBard's acting company) and Kyle Jean Fisher (WSC/AvantBard managing director) have made sure that everything's coming together just right.

WHAT and WHEN? So what can you expect? Well, it's a stage reading, so there won't be any costumes. The actors will have scripts. But we'll be singing the songs and giving the audience a sense of how the play moves and how the music integrates with the texty bits.

We'll start at 8 p.m. on May 30 and there will be a "talkback" after the reading if you'd like to stick around and tell us what you thought or ask questions.

In the next few days, I'll be blogging about WSC/AvantBard's Spring Rep and also giving a bit more information about the music in Nero/Pseudo. So stay tuned! And join us if you can!