An industry reading of Erik Champney's new play Sparkler is being held October 27 at 6:15 PM at 25 Columbus Circle. 

Directed by Ryan Dobrin (The Last Five Years), the cast features Michael J. Burg (Orange Is the New Black), Theatre World Award recipient Stephanie Styles (Kiss Me, Kate; Apple TV’s Loot), Cameron Forster, and Daniel Mitura (Launch at Paradise), with stage directions read by Kate Flanagan.

Sparkler, which is set in 1964 Hollywood, follows film star Clayton Boyd (Mitura), who is America’s favorite movie star. For years, studio moguls have maintained an aggressive publicity campaign to promote his masculinity, even providing him with the perfect wife, TV icon Carol Hayes (Styles). Behind the scenes, Clayton nurtures a wild affair with Jack Halpon (Forster), a former Mouseketeer with radical politics and big ideas. This flock of celebrity royals is governed by talent agent Henry Willson (Burg), whose methods of persuasion have become frighteningly draconian, but the time has come for Clayton, Carol, and Jack to escape this counterfeit kingdom.

“Through the lens of 1964, on the heels of the Civil Rights Act and mere breaths away from the total transformation of America, the play speaks to the urgent call of truthful identity in the here and now. It was important not to bind myself to the biographies of actors from the past,” said playwright Champney in a statement. “I didn't want to tell Rock Hudson's story. I wanted to tell the story. The legacy of gay men who were suffocated by studios, agents, and the expectations of society. All of this continues to this day. The characters, except for Henry Willson, may be fictional, but I think audiences will believe in them. I sure as hell do.”

For more information and to inquire about attending, email [email protected].