Twelve original short plays premiere on the mountain for a midsummer celebration of the land and the creative community that lives there the weekend of June 25-26 at the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve.
“Land” features the works of local writers T.M. Bradshaw, Rita Galchus, Mike Kane, Brian Kletchka, Gail Lennstrom, Phillip Potak, Rod Sauquillo, David Turan, Rick Van Valkenburg and Kristina Zill. Performing, directing, and collaborating are the Catskills actors Annie Breglia, Mike Breglia, Gabe Faure-Brac, Kylee Hendrickson, Catherine Morrison, Jonathan Saminski, Rod Sauquillo, Bill Solley, Usha Tagliaferro, Betty Tash, David J Turan and Rick Van Valkenburg.
Tickets are available free or for an optional donation at the link: bit.ly/land-2022
Organized and directed by the executive director of the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve David Turan and Stamford resident Marisa Caruso, “Land” is a community project that continues a pre-pandemic performance series called “Page to Stage,” in which the theater group Performance Plus has partnered with the Preserve Players to produce a collection of local original plays illuminating the process of script development. The partners ask local authors to write a short play with a central theme in mind.
Past themes have included “Doin’ it in Delco,” “Beyond Rip: Modern Day Fairy Tales,” “It’s About Time” and this year’s theme is “Land.” Through a combination of staged readings and fully staged pieces, with everything in between, the producers hope to give the audience a true sense of the steps a play takes to get from the author’s mind to the audience’s eyes and ears.
After sitting on the shelf for two years, this summer’s collection is ready to see the light when they will be presented June 25, 5-7:30 p.m. and June 26, 1-3:30 p.m. on the scenic Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve stage, located uphill from 2515 Tower Mountain Road, Stamford. Whether absurd or philosophical, the plays of “Land” reflect experiences and landscapes of their Catskillian creators. Consider bringing a comfortable lawn chair (hay bale seating is provided), and wearing sunscreen, a hat, and bug spray for the outdoor experience.
This project is made possible with funds from the Restart New York Grants, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered in Delaware County by the Roxbury Arts Group. This project is a collaboration with the Michael Kudish Natural History Preserve. To learn more about their work in the Catskills, visit: mknhp.org
