Join us on August 12, 19 and 26 at 7:30pm for developmental readings of three new plays.
All readings in the Bare Essentials series are free and open to the public. Be sure to stay after for exciting conversation with the director, cast and playwright!
The 2025 Bare Essentials Play Reading series will feature three new plays by Georgia playwrights:
Aug 12 – LADIES OF THE by Hailey Sipes, directed by Kati Grace Kirby
When doing research for a school project, four friends encounter an article on demonic summoning rituals. As they argue whether or not to read it, reality fractures into three possible outcomes, challenging their bonds as friends, their understanding of self, as well as their lives.
Featuring the reading talents of: Alejandra Ruiz, Golbanoo Setayesh, Tyra Watkins, Evan Judway, Josephine Horrell, Zach Vinge, Julia Barton, and Jake West
Aug 19 – SNOWBLIND by Laura King, directed by Kyle Brumley
As a snowstorm builds outside, a group of recovering addicts at an NA meeting wait for their group-appointed leader to arrive. 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.
Featuring the reading talents of: Michael Hanson, Tyshawn Gooden, Indya Bussey, Adam Pagdon, and Lory Cox
Aug 26 – THE INTERIM by Caroline Donica, directed by Amee Vyas
A full-length postmodern adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear from the perspective of Cordelia. The play explores the perspective of transracial Asian adoptees as a mirror to the treatment of immigrants, biracial, and BIPOC communities in America.
Curated by Essential’s Founding Artistic Director, Peter Hardy, himself a national award-winning playwright who’s had over 30 productions of his work done around the country and has had plays chosen for the National Playwrights’ Conference and the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival and received playwriting awards from the National Playwrights’ Conference, the Festival of Southern Theatre and the New Southern Theatre Festival.
What audiences are saying…
“It exposed me to something I didn’t know about- how plays are crafted- and the amazing talent we have in Georgia.”
“Programs like this are vital for the survival of Georgia theatre”
“The delight of discovering new talent is a major draw, and connecting with stories close to our own communities and backyards is a wonderful gift.”
What our playwrights say:
I love staged readings because they allow a play to take its first baby steps towards coming to life. When I’m writing the dialogue I hear it in my head a certain way but until it’s actually coming out of the mouths of performers I don’t know if it’s working the way I thought. Staged readings also give a great sense of the flow and momentum of the piece as a whole. They are a part of my creative process with every script I write.
-Emily McClain, The Rock and the Hard Place reading Aug 22, 2023
Thank you for everything you did to help make the reading happen and come off so smoothly! As a first time playwright, seeing the work performed on stage meant the world to me.
-Matt Hoffman, The Manuscript reading June 6, 2022.
