Oak Park Festival Theatre is often asked, “How do you decide what plays to perform?” This sounds like a simple question, but apart from our Shakespeare productions in Austin Gardens, we also work to bring new plays to our audience. As we think about what we might produce for a future show, a play-reading is a good way to get feedback from attendees and see how the play is received by a live audience.
We are pleased that the Park District of Oak Park is co-sponsoring, with Festival Theatre, the upcoming readings of The Droll, Or a Stage-Play About the END of Theatre written by Meg Miroshnik, a contemporary playwright from Minneapolis. The readings will be staged at Pleasant Home on April 26 & 27 (more details & tickets on our website: www.oakparkfestival.com). Included in the ticket price will be drinks and refreshments provided by PDOP. There will be a post-reading talkback with the cast following the performance, which will take place at 7 p.m. on both dates.
Although the play is set in 1649, one year after a decree ordered the closure of all London theaters, it encourages us to think about the importance of theater/cultural events in our modern times. As actually happened, the closure leads artists to produce “underground” performances to keep theater alive. In Puritan England, theater was deemed an abomination during these times.
We are extremely fortunate in our village to have Oak Park Festival Theatre, our local professional theater company, which enjoys strong support both from the park district and the community.
As we approach our 50th year in Oak Park, we hope we never have to consider what we’d do if that support vanished. The arts are a vital and integral part of our community life in Oak Park and we encourage you all to check out this upcoming reading and our summer performances of Romeo and Juliet (July 7-August 17) in Austin Gardens.
Barbara Cimaglio
Oak Park resident
Member of Festival Theatre Board of Directors
