A private industry reading of Casa Cushman, a new play written by Tectonic Theater Project founding member Leigh Fondakowski, will be held October 18.

Also directed by Fondakowski, the cast will be led by Tony nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) and Tony nominee Beth Malone (Fun Home), joined by Delia Cunningham, Freddie Fulton, Matt McGrath, Hagan Oliveras, Naomi Lorrain, Nemuna Ceesay, and Elizabeth Stahlmann.

Based, in part, on the book When Romeo Was a Woman by Lisa Merrill, Casa Cushman celebrates, press notes state, the "most famous American actor of the 19th century that you've never heard of: Charlotte Cushman." The anachronistic play brings Cushman, her lovers, and her friends—the most radical, bold, and brilliant lesbians of the Victorian era—back to a vibrant and glorious life.

The creative team also includes assistant director and sensitivity specialist Caitlin Kane, dramaturg Sarah Lambert, stage manager Emma Ramsay-Saxon, assistant stage manager Paul Andrews, and casting director Stephanie Yankwitt.

Tectonic Theater Project, Moisés Kaufman, Matt Joslyn, and Jayne Baron Sherman in association with Berkeley Repertory Theatre are presenting the upcoming reading.