BoHo Theatre, now in its 17th season, will present a series of play readings via Zoom in lieu of in-person live performances, given the continued uncertainty about safety of live performance during the COVID pandemic. The reading series, called “In the Wings,” will feature four plays under consideration for full productions in future seasons. The theme for the reading series is “An Exploration of Truth.” Artistic Director Stephen Schellhardt says, “For many years, but particularly this past year, the power of truth-telling has been foremost on our minds at BoHo. Who is telling the truth? Who is deliberately deceiving us? What do we lose when we can’t distinguish truth from fiction? Can withholding the truth be an act of kindness? All four of the plays in our In the Wings series explore these questions in some meaningful ways.”
The readings will begin on March 24 with THE NEW GALILEOS, by Amy Berryman, a nightmarish scenario of a corrupt government seeking to suppress devastating climate research. Elizabeth Swanson will direct. It will be followed on May 24 with NATIONAL MERIT, by Valen-Marie Santos, directed by Stephen Schellhardt. This new play scrutinizes academic achievement, socioeconomic privilege, and racial injustice within a private school setting and is presented in association with Northwestern University’s Next Step Project.
The third and fourth plays of the series will be presented in summer and fall 2021, respectively. Date and titles to be determined.
BoHo Theatre 2021 “In the Wings” Readings – "An Exploration of Truth”
THE NEW GALILEOS
By Amy Berryman
Directed by Elizabeth Swanson
March 24 @ 7:30pm
Info and tickets at www.bohotheatre.com
Suggested donation $5.00.
Three female climatologists find themselves detained by government bureaucrats. The scientists are each given the option to disavow their research in exchange for millions of dollars, or to disappear.
In an Orwellian nightmare, they discover just how much they can trust each other as they consider the price of their recantation and their freedom.
NATIONAL MERIT
By Valen-Marie Santos
Directed by Stephen Schellhardt
in association with Northwestern’s Next Step Project
May 24 @ 7:30pm
Info and tickets at www.bohotheatre.com
Suggested donation $5.00
Six high school students are forced into the world of standardized testing. What does it mean to be of “National Merit” status? What is the cost of toiling for this title? Who even gets to achieve it? With humor and heart, Valen-Marie Santos’s new play NATIONAL MERIT scrutinizes academic achievement, socioeconomic privilege, and racial injustice within a private school setting. BoHo is thrilled to partner once again with Northwestern University to present this in-development reading from an up-and-coming playwright.
Reading #3
Summer 2021
Reading #4
Fall 2021
BoHo Theatre tells stories examining and celebrating human relationships — focusing on the Bohemian pillars of Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Love — using bold, intimate theatrical stagings. Our vision is to create a shared community of artists and patrons in which all members are moved through art to make thoughtful, well-examined, caring relationships the highest priority in their lives.