4th Annual New Works Festival at Bay Street Theater

Bay Street Theater and Sag Harbor Center for the Arts will host the 4th Annual New Works Festival from April 28 to 30. The three-day festival will include readings of plays and musicals in development.

The schedule includes “Molly Sweeney: A New Musical” on April 28 at 7 p.m., “The Impossibility of Now” by Y York on April 29 at 3 p.m., “Thomas Murphy” by Roger Rosenblatt presented in partnership with The Flea Theater in New York City on April 29 at 8 p.m., and “The Cocktail Party Effect,” by Scooter Pietsch on April 30 at 3 p.m.

The mission of the festival is to give playwrights a chance to hear their works in front of an audience, learn from that audience's response and to give the audience at Bay Street and the East End community a chance to experience cutting edge voices in the theater. Professional actors will read each play in its entirety, accompanied by minimal staging. Each reading will be followed by a talkback during which the playwrights and the audience will have the opportunity to ask questions of each other and share their reactions to the play.

Scott Schwartz, Artistic Director at Bay Street Theater, and Will Pomerantz, Associate Artistic Director at Bay Street Theater, curate the Bay Street New Works Festival. The New Works Festival is sponsored in part by The Sag Harbor Inn.

“This summer, Bay Street will be producing the world premiere production of Andrew Lippa and Jules Feiffer's musical, ‘The Man in the Ceiling,’ a work we first heard at the New Works Festival last year. I am so excited for our 4th Annual New Works Festival where we will present readings of four plays and musicals by writers with innovative voices that are both timeless and timely,” Mr. Schwartz said. “I am confident that all of these exciting works will go on to productions in the future, whether at Bay Street or elsewhere. We are also very pleased to welcome a new partner to our Festival this year, The Flea Theater. We are co-producing the reading of Roger Rosenblatt's lyrical and funny one man play, and all of us at Bay Street are so pleased to be collaborating with The Flea on this project.”

“Molly Sweeney: A New Musical” is based on the play by Brian Friel, book by Eric Ulloa, and music and lyrics by Caleb Damschroder. Molly Sweeney, blind since infancy, is presented with an operation that could restore her sight. With the support of her husband, Frank, and Doctor Rice, the three of them will embark on a journey into what “vision” really means.

“The Impossibility of Now,” by Y York is a comedy of remembering and forgetting. Words have lost their meaning as books, movies and life begin blurring for Carl, formerly a brilliant, brooding science writer, but now suffering profound memory loss after a freak accident.

“Thomas Murphy,” is based on the novel by Roger Rosenblatt, about an Irishman, dreamer and poet who lives alone in Manhattan and is wondering what to do with the rest of his life. His daughter Máire worries about Murph’s state of mind. He meets a blind and beautiful young woman, Sarah, and finds himself confronting love again.

“The Cocktail Party Effect,” by Scooter Pietsch is about three married couples that gather to celebrate their 10th New Year's Eve together. Their kids have gone off to college and as empty nesters, they confront being "alone together" after being distracted from their marriages while raising a family. A funny, ruthless look at what happens after we’re “fired” from the greatest job we've ever had...raising our children.

The readings are free, but tickets are required. Reserve seats online at baystreet.org or by calling the Box Office at 631-725-9500, open Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 pm.