2018 What’s Next Fest!
A week-long celebration, making old things new and new things classic. Every night at 7:30 p.m. from Tuesday, August 21 through Friday, August 24 TAM will present staged readings of adaptations of classic literature, new plays in development, and more!
Tuesday, August 21 @ 7:30 p.m.
It was 50 Years Ago Today: The Making of The White Album
1968 was a tumultuous year for the Beatles, as well as the world at large. Influences as diverse as Yoko Ono, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, folksinger Donovan Leitch and Mike Love of the Beach Boys all contributed to the most eclectic batch of new recordings the group would ever produce, resulting in the astonishing double album simply titled The Beatles. Five months in the studio, Ringo quits, Eric Clapton sits in, solo careers begin and one of the greatest singles of all time—all this and more as Mark S. Cartier takes an in-depth look at the White Album on the occasion of its 50th anniversary.
Wednesday, August 22 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading of Buttering Toast by Ryan Vincent Anderson
Bob is depressed. His dad died. His job sucks. He’s been wait-listed for grad school. His relationship is crashing down. His weight is creeping up. His mom won’t stop bugging him. And he is fighting thoughts of suicide. But…at least his Toaster loves him. So there’s that. Buttering Toast—A not so serious look at a serious matter.
Thursday, August 23 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading of Tendrils…a play about transformations and bugs by Catia Cunha
Ro is writing a play about love. Except it’s never that easy. Her play is becoming a solo piece. Her bug buddy is experiencing the teenage rebellion phase of her metamorphosis full force. She’s plagued by depression manifesting as wandering wombs. She’s falling in love with what she’s pretty sure is a hallucination. Oh, and, on top of all that, she may or may not be turning into a plant.
Friday, August 24 @ 7:30 p.m.
Staged Reading of Howards End adapted by Caroline Hewitt and Autumn Dornfeld from the E.M. Forster novel. Directed by Linsay Firman
“Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its highest. Live in fragments no longer.” ? E.M. Forster, Howards End
Margaret and Helen Schlegel value poetry, romanticism, and emotion. Henry Wilcox wants more money and more power. Leonard Bast aspires to something above the bleak poverty he is stuck inside. When the four characters meet, the sisters’ relationship to each other, themselves, and the way they see the world, changes forever. Four actors play 20 characters in this adaptation of Forster’s 1910 novel which poses questions that seem more urgent now than ever: how can we connect with people who aren’t like us? Can relationships endure changed values? And, what do we owe each other?