Barn series 2023
January 31 - February 12
OUR RENOWNED FREE READING SERIES IS A FESTIVAL OF NEW PLAYS, AND A CRITICAL AND EXCITING STEP IN LAB’S DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WORK. MANY OF LABYRINTH’S WORLD PREMIERES HAVE COME FROM THE BARN, GIVING AUDIENCES A SNEAK PEAK INTO THE ARTISTIC PROCESS, AND A CHANCE TO SEE PLAYS BEFORE THEY’RE THE NEXT HOT TICKET.
SCHEDULE
JAN 31 : No Easy Way to be Free
by Sidney Williams, directed by Ross Klavan
Peter, a restaurateur and chef, finds his world crumbling away under the pressures of a global pandemic shutdown and intractable business concerns, culture conflicts and dissolving relationships. After a long life of fully committing to and adopting a character armor fashioned on his worship of Anthony Bourdain, Peter feels there is no raft to float him. Does he go all the way in his private narrative or can he find one drop of hope in the rolling sea that is his life and work?
FEB 1 : Diary Play
by Madeline Barr, directed by Adrian Wattenmaker
A one woman show constructed almost entirely of old diary entries from the playwright's teenhood interwoven with current day reflections. Through looking back, the playwright is able to answer questions about why she is the woman she is today, and create a newfound sense of hope for the woman she might eventually become in the future.
FEB 2 : Fun with Shame
by Florencia Lozano and Paul Martinez
A Ritual. A Roast. A Raga.
A Ceremony. A Circle of Jerks.
What are you Ashamed of?
An Examination of what Isolates Us
and a Surrender to the Rhythm that Connects us.
Feb 3 : Love Lake
by Dipti Bramhandkar, directed by Padraic Lillis
Things are changing in Nikhil’s hometown, Love Lake. Ex Silicon Valley darling and Nikhil’s childhood friend, Max, has started a “values based community” there called Mela, which has swept up old friends and neighbors into their new way of living, including Nikhil’s father. Is it a cult or is it what people really need? Nikhil returns to find out.
Feb 4 : Still
by Lia Romeo, directed by Charles Goforth
Thirty years ago, Helen and Mark broke up. Now he's running for Congress, and she has a secret that could derail his bid. A play about reproductive rights, political divisions, and the ways people change... or don't.
Feb 5 : The Spaces in Between
by Paula Pizzi-Black, directed by John Gould Rubin
New York City, December 2008. Jobs are scarce, morale is low but in this traditional Italian American household, you would never know. All the ordinary structures are in place, God, family, country, faith at the helm. Meet the Razzos. A not so ordinary family with a passion for everything that tastes good, feels good and looks good. If only life weren't so messy. If only curveballs wouldn't cut so deep. If only faith held.
Feb 7 : Spin
by Jake Brasch, directed by Padraic Lillis
Birthday clowns, park rangers, and barn owls- oh my! Jumping wildly through time, Spin kaleidoscopically charts the interconnected lives of a misfit band of humans (as well as a flock of horny barn owls). These strange bedfellows may struggle to see the big picture, but we don't. We relish in how freakishly, frighteningly, hilariously, their lives are hopelessly entwined.
Feb 8 : Silence in the Mountains
by Lyle Kessler
A Family of Holocaust survivors find hope in the arrival of a mysterious Stranger. An epic journey into the Heart of Darkness.
by Justin Reinsilber
“Behind every beautiful thing, there's some kind of pain.”
-Bob Dylan
Feb 9 :
the title of the play is ‘untitled’
Feb 10 : Shoe Story the Musical
Books and Lyrics by Ben Snyder
Developed with Ken-win Jung
Music by Will Stone
Directed by Heidi Marshall
Musically Directed by Richard Baskin Jr.
An urban fairytale about love, loss, dialectical materialism, and the cultural significance of a fresh pair of kicks.
Feb 11 : Planet Mirth
by Jen Cook-Ortiz, directed by John Ortiz
A peek into the lives of 2 sisters who’ve weathered many storms through the decades, but always manage to cling to laughter as an antidote.
Feb 11 : Hidden
by Margaret Ladd, directed by Erica Gould
An old woman has been searching for a missing child all her life. The little girl ran away in terror because she thought she might have committed a crime. But the little girl isn’t sure if the crime was committed by her; or done to her; or if there was a crime at all. Three strangers meet the old woman who is searching through old letters from her great uncle Abrasha whom she had loved as a child.Two strangers in an old restaurant in Greenwich Village see her and help her search her memories in search of the hidden child.
Feb 12 : Next Stop Broadway
A musical by Victor Almanzar and Melisa McGregor
A homeless veteran and NY subway drummer confronts the challenges to keep his home and his pet Pigeon safe, during the New York City Homeless crackdowns. Encountering and offering wisdom and hope to each character that passes through the underground and also exposing the struggles of homelessness and survival in New York City.