Tuesday’s Bare Essentials Play Reading is Snowblind by Laura King. Read on to learn a little more about the playwright and the play we’ll be seeing on Tuesday!
Laura King is a playwright and dramaturg. She holds an MFA in playwriting from the Playwright’s Lab at Hollins University and a master’s in English from Northwestern University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Synchronicity Theatre in Atlanta and recently was the dramaturg for their production of The Dark Lady by Jessica B. Hill. Her play Merritt Anne and the Mighty Oak is a 2025 AATE Distinguished Play Award winner. Her play The Cayuga Canal Girls was a 2020 American Association of Community Theatre NewPlayFest winner. Her play Independence Day at Happy Meadows was the winner of the 2016 SETC/Stage Rights Ready to Publish Award. Her work has been published by Dramatic Publishing, Stage Rights, Pioneer Drama Service, YouthPLAYS, Applause Books, and Smith & Kraus. For more information, see laurakingplaywright.com.
ET: Hi Laura! We’re excited for your upcoming play reading. What can you tell us about the play we’ll be seeing?
LK: The play portrays a group of recovering addicts at an NA meeting waiting for their group-appointed leader to arrive, as a snowstorm builds outside. When a newbie shows up and the exit is cut off, personal belief systems are questioned and the possibility of recovery suddenly seems to be an impossibility. My struggle with the idea of whether you can ever truly cover from addiction inspired me to write this play.
ET: And how did you get into playwriting?
LK: I’ve always been a writer, editor, and theatre maker. After years of performing, I decided to combine those skills and try my hand at playwriting. I fell in love with the process and have dedicated myself to writing plays for the past ten years.
ET: What is the importance of staged readings in your own creative process and the development of your play?What do you hope to gain from this Bare Essentials experience?
LK: Staged readings are crucial in new play development. I need to hear the words aloud and get feedback from an audience as well as the actors and director. Although writing is solitary, plays are not built in a vacuum. I look forward to discovering what next steps I need to take in revising my play.
ET: And where else can we see your work, either now or in the future?
LK: My play The Cayuga Canal Girls is currently running at Bristol Valley Theatre, Naples, New York. My play The Harmony Baptist Church Ladies Auxiliary Christmas Jubilee will run at Barn Lot Theater, Edmonton, Kentucky, December 4-14, 2025.
ET: Well thank you so much for your time, and we look forward to your reading on Tuesday night!
The Bare Essentials reading of Snowblind by Laura King will take place at 7:30 on Tuesday August 19 at 7Stages in Little Five Points as part of the Essential Theatre Play Festival. Reserve your free ticket at EssentialTheatre.Tix.com!
