As part of the Amplified series, each reading receives an expanded rehearsal process, offering the playwright a "more meaningful engagement with the material." Presentations are free; to make a reservation email the Atlantic here.
The full line-up, with descriptions from the Atlantic, is outlined below:
Sept. 21 at 6 PM: There’s Never a Gavin: The True Story of a Disco Roller Skater
by Amy E. Witting
Directed by Tony Speciale
At the center of an abandoned roller rink, a disco ball holds the secrets of Missedcreek, New Hampshire. Davidson Rothkin, a man of faith, has disappeared leaving behind his loved ones to search for their own sense of belonging. When his youngest son Gavin befriends Claire, their innocent hope for greater meaning brings a flicker of life back into a forgotten town. The reading will take place at Atlantic Stage 2, 330 West 16th St.
Oct. 13 at 2 PM: Born in East Berlin
by Rogelio Martinez
Directed by Kate Whoriskey
The year is 1988. Bruce Springsteen plays a legendary concert in East Germany and 300,000 people show up. In Born in East Berlin, Rogelio Martinez explores a great historical and cultural shift, examining the lives of those who succeed and those who fail when the end of the Cold War collides with the force of American rock.
Oct. 19 at 2 PM: Cocked
by Sarah Gubbins
Directed by Anne Kauffman
Taylor and her girlfriend, Izzie, have always been staunchly opposed to gun ownership, especially as they see the effects of gun violence on their city of Chicago. When Taylor’s brother, Frank, comes crashing into their lives unannounced, he disrupts their well-ordered home and exposes their unspoken anxieties and betrayals. An existing conflict escalates to dangerous heights, and the three find themselves testing the definition of self-defense. The reading will take place at The Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th St. Oct. 26 at 2 PM: Starved
by Suzanne Heathcote
Directed by Tyne Rafaeli
One night, while lost in a fog of alcohol and pain, Daniel invites a stranger from his father’s past into his life. As the presence of the young woman stirs up the secrets of the family, Daniel quickly discovers they have a deep and powerful understanding of one another, and is able to reveal his true inner self to her in a way he hasn’t with anyone else, including his wife. This is a story about secrets of the past and their silent grip on the present. The reading will take place at The Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th St.
Dec. 15 at 2 PM: The Vagrant
by Mona Mansour
Directed by Mark Wing-Davey
London, 1982. Part three of a trilogy. As Arab émigré Adham faces his last hurdle to secure a coveted permanent position at university, a wave of domestic terrorism hits his chosen city, while the family he left behind faces its own escalating horrors. The life Adham has created threatens to unravel, destroying the political and personal equilibrium he's spent 15 years perfecting. The reading will take place at The Linda Gross Theater, 336 West 20th St.
Jan. 25, 2016, at 2 PM: Antebellum
Written and directed by Robert O’Hara
Part mystery, part Hollywood romance, Antebellum bridges time, space, religion and race to track a love affair that defies history’s harshest cruelties. It’s 1939. Hitler’s death camps flourished and Great Britain and France have declared war on Germany. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Gone with the Wind premieres amid star-studded decadence. Against the backdrops of a Southern plantation, a German concentration camp, Hollywood movies and Berlin cabarets, two stories mysteriously merge into one sweeping romance – and fate decides which souls survive and which must be sacrificed. The reading will take place at Atlantic Stage 2, 330 West 16th St.
In addition to Robinson's Launch commission, a second recipient will be announced later this season. Launch commissions are offered to early-career playwrights who have not yet had an Off-Broadway production and have fewer than three commissions from mid-to-large size theatre companies.
For more information on the Atlantic Theater, including its upcoming season, visit Atlantic.org.
