Centenary Stage Company’s Women Playwrights Series returns this spring with three brand-new play readings. Readings will take place on Wednesdays throughout April at 7:00 pm in the Sitnik and Kutz Theatres of the Lackland Performing Arts Center at 715 Grand Avenue, Hackettstown, NJ on the campus of Centenary University. The Women Playwright Series readings are free to attend with donations welcome, advanced reservations have a $5.00 fee. Centenary Stage Company will also offer a live streaming option accompanying the in-person performances. Live stream access is free to participate with donations appreciated. WPS live streams will be made available for viewing at centenarystageco.org. For more information, go to the company website or call the box office at (908) 979-0900. Every reading will also be followed by a talkback with each playwright.

The 2023-24 Women Playwrights Series selections include:

Abigail by Sarah Tuft – What happens when at out-of-town tryout of “The Crucible” – helmed by a once legendary director making his comeback and funded by his renowned actress wife – casts an arrogant veteran theatre actor opposite a beauty influencer with absolutely no experience! A lot!! In 2024, the search for truth in the role of Abigail Williams puts Arthur Miller’s classic on trial.  Abigail by Sarah Tuft will be presented on Wednesday April 10th at 7:00 pm in the Sitnik Theatre.

Wasabia by Wendy Herlich – When fiercely independent Vivian gets a knock on her door from Carla, a young hospice volunteer desperate to shine, the two strike up an unlikely and un forgettable friendship. Ener Val (Valium) and Di (Digoxin), who lend a hand in exploring life’s choices. Through a series of red carpet rants, Lifetime interviews, and a truly unique game show, Vivian and Carla help each other in making some life-altering decisions. Wasabia by Wendy Herlich will be presented on Wednesday, April 17th at 7:00 pm in the Kutz Blackbox Theatre.

For A Brighter Tomorrow by Sophia Naylor – In 1974 both Cosmonauts Dmitri and Yuri are aboard a secret Soviet space station, a tiny capsule, miles from earth. As the cosmonauts argue the mundane intricacies of life – particularly to woo Pat Nixon – they’re interrupted by an urgent radio message. Suddenly the fate of the world rests in the hands of these two unlikely heroes, who must do everything in their power to discover the truth and ultimately determine the right thing to do. For A Brighter Tomorrow by Sophia Naylor will be presented on Wednesday, April 24th at 7:00 pm in the Kutz Blackbox Theatre.

Centenary Stage Company’s Women Playwrights Series since 1992 has featured the work of more than 80 emerging playwrights from around the country and helped to develop their work. The program has also taken over 20 plays to full production from the series, including more than 21 World Premieres. Led by program director Catherine Rust, for over 30 years, and now helmed by Mikaela Kafka, the Women Playwrights Series offers playwrights the opportunity to work with professional actors and directors in a workshop rehearsal process, and to hear their work in front of a live audience – a critical part of the development process. The program •      has provided a working platform for the under-served voices of women writing the theatre. Lively talkbacks with the playwright and cast follow each presentation, and one play is selected each year as the winner of the Susan Glaspell Award and receives a full production in the following main-stage season with CSC.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit centenarystageco.org or call the Centenary Stage Company box office at (908) 979-0900. The Centenary Stage Company box office is open Monday through Friday from 1:00-5:00 pm and two hours prior to performances. The box office is located in the Lackland Performing Arts Center on the campus of Centenary University at 715 Grand Ave. Hackettstown, NJ. Centenary Stage Company can also be found across social media platforms; Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter. Like and follow to receive the latest in CSC news and special offers. 

The 2023-24 Season of Performing Arts events at the Centenary Stage Company is made possible through the generous support of the NJ State Council on the Arts, the Shubert Foundation, the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation, the Sandra Kupperman Foundation, the John and Margaret Post Foundation, The New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the CSC corporate sponsors, including Platinum Season Sponsor the House of the Good Shepherd, Silver Sponsors, Heath Village, Visions Federal Credit Union, Explore Warren, and Fulton Bank, and Centenary Stage Company members and supporters.