The Around the Table Reading Series is a critical program in serving Abingdon Theatre Company’s mission to create exciting, thought-provoking new work by New York-based playwrights. Staged readings are presented free to the public and focus on challenging and thought-provoking subject matter.
Previous events
The Inferno
Ben and Annie Sussman are a middle-aged couple on vacation in Florence, Italy during the worst heatwave in 20 years. Ben, facing the prospect of early retirement, is trying desperately to find his next big plan. To add to the mayhem, Annie’s brother and his girlfriend join them just as Florence encounters a major blackout. This is the last fiery straw as tempers flare with the heat, property damage, and rampant anxiety. Will anyone survive The Inferno?
Written by Chris Sherman & directed by James A. Rocco, the cast featured Jordan Bennett (Cyrano, Shenandoah), Cynthia Ferrer (Elf the Musical, Happy Days A New Musical), Robert Mammana (“How To Get Away With Murder,” “The Good Wife”), Summer Minerva (Sylvia Rivera, Personhood) and Lyn Philistine (Spamalot, Gypsy).
ARAncini
Written by Joey Merlo
When a mother and her two daughters gather to cook the famous arancini recipe left behind from their recently-deceased Nonna, they begin to unravel her mysterious life, revealing their own generational wounds in the process.
January 24th, 2020 at Theatre 71
Rebound
Written by Dan Haft and David Logan Rankin
A movie star and a struggling actor compete for the same role in a Broadway play – Who gets the part? Well, that’s up to a very divided and volatile casting team! Rebound is an hilarious and provocative exploration of the nature of bonding & friendship amidst the chaos of the casting process.
November 18th, 2019 at Vineyard Theatre
The Corner of bitter and SWEET
Book by Lanie Sakakura
Music and Lyrics by Paul Fujimoto
New musical adaptation of The NY Times Best Seller, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Book by Lainie Sakakura, music and lyrics by Paul Fujimoto.
October 23rd, 2019 at Theatre 71
LEaving Brooklyn
In 1955, as the Dodgers and the Yankees battle it out on the field, a blue-collar Brooklyn family battles for its own survival. The father, a former minor league player, wants his sons to go to college. One of his sons has been invited to a Dodgers training camp, while the other will never be able to play ball, as the mother tries to hold this scrappy family together. A funny, gritty, and poignant tale of complex lives, Leaving Brooklyn was part of the Queens Theatre’s 2018 Fall season.
Written by Jeff Mandels & Directed by Bill Russell
July 16th, 2019 at Vineyard Theatre