CRANFORD – The Theater Project will launch its Fall 2026 New Play Readings series on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 2 p.m., at Cranford Community Center’s 110-seat theater. Admission is free, with no registration required. The Friends of the Cranford Library will host the series, which is made possible in part through a Union County Local Arts Grant. The Cranford Community Center is located at 220 Walnut Ave.
“Think of it as a sneak preview of what may someday be a fully produced play,” said Mark Spina, artistic director of The Theater Project. “It’s like being invited to sit in on a rehearsal. The actors carry scripts as they perform and move from scene to scene. The post-reading discussions are always interesting and exciting, not only for the audience, but also for the playwrights. The conversations allow audiences a rare opportunity to contribute to the development of a dramatic work. Likewise, the discussions give the playwrights immediate insight into how their work is received.”
The program on Saturday, Sept. 19, titled “Two by Two,” will feature the following short plays:
- “Couples Chat,” by Gail Lou, explores the multiple languages of love. “I wrote this piece to preserve some of the funniest conversations my husband and I have had over the course of 42 years of marriage,” she said. Gail Lou is also an actor, a musician, composer and musical director. Her acting credits with The Theater Project include “Having Our Say,” “Crowns” and “The Actor’s Nightmare.”
- “Happy Hours,” by Jim Benner, a dark comedy in which two characters, June and Jason, drink their way through grief and regrets about the death of a long-estranged friend, about his grieving widow, about their own marriage and mostly about the tangled relationships among the four of them. “There’s grim humor in how people’s romantic and marital lives can get so tangled,” Benner said. After 34 years in academia, Benner retired and dedicated himself to writing plays. His one-act play “Gulls” was selected for the Emerging Playwrights Competition of the Phillips’ Mill Community Association in New Hope, PA. He is a member of Dramatists Guild of America.
After the readings, audience members will have the opportunity to offer feedback to the playwrights. Large-print programs and scripts are available with advance request.
More information is available at New Play Reading (https://www.thetheaterproject.org/new-play-readings) or by calling Gary Glor at 908-809-8865.
