CRANFORD — The Theater Project’s 2026 New Play Readings series will present a staged reading of Jack McGrath’s “House Rules,” a play inspired by “The Odyssey,” at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, at Cranford Community Center’s 110-seat theater. Admission is free, with no registration required.
Following the reading, the audience will be able to engage in conversation with the playwright, cast, and director. Large-print programs and scripts will be available with advance request.
“House Rules” tells the story of Bobby Ray, who has walked across the United States to return home in an effort to come to terms with a family tragedy. The problem: He’s 10 years too late. Located in a Florida trailer park, the home Bobby goes back to is full of dark secrets that nobody in the family wants to face or even remember. Bobby, however, is determined to reconstruct the night the tragedy took place so he can absolve himself of guilt.
“I’ve just moved to New Jersey from Florida, where I was involved in writing and producing new plays for many years with quite a few theaters,” said McGrath. “I was thrilled to find The Theater Project and immediately joined the playwriting workshop. Even though I had been working on ‘House Rules’ for a while, it was really refreshing to get such insightful feedback from the group.”
McGrath is the author of 28 full-length plays, which have seen 23 full productions. He has twice won the Florida Playwrights Competition, in 2007 for “Lazarus Treatment” and in 2005 for “Love/Now.” In 2004, an early version of “House Rules” won both the Orlando Shakespeare Company PlayFest and a playwriting competition in St. Augustine. A full production was staged at St. Augustine’s Limelight Theatre. In addition, McGrath has written 13 short plays, with many productions by Playwrights’ Round Table in Orlando.
Commenting on the New Play Readings series, Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project, said, “The discussions after the readings are always lively, frank and respectful. Audiences gain insight into what’s involved in creating and producing a play. At the same time, playwrights find out immediately how their new work is received.”
The Friends of the Cranford Library will host the series, which is made possible in part through a Union County Local Arts Grant.
For more information, visit https://www.thetheaterproject.org/new-play-readings or call Gary Glor, 908-809-8865.
Cranford Community Center is located at 220 Walnut Avenue.
Photo Courtesy of The Theater Project
