Geva’s Regional Writers Showcase

This was my first time attending Geva’s Regional Writers Showcase, an annual collaboration between Geva Theatre and Writers & Books. They invite writers from a 6-county area to submit plays of any length, and select a lucky few to present on two nights of readings. The purpose of the program, according to Jean Gordon Ryon (Geva’s New Plays Coordinator, and the facilitator of the evening), is to provide support, insight, and development to the writers, and to give them a chance to hear reactions to their work from a live audience. I tend to think of a play as a gift from the playwright, but Jean actually remarked that for the Showcase, the audience is giving “a great gift to the playwrights by being here,” and through “the quality of our listening and attention.” It was an evening not just for the audience’s enjoyment – we had a role to play, as well, as there would be post-performance conversations between us and the playwrights.

I happened to sit next to the director of the first play: Phone Call, by Phyllis Peters. Lara Rhyner gave me a bit more insight into the program, and said her cast (Gus Cuddy, the Executive Director’s son, who recently appeared in A Moon for the Misbegotten) had only had about two hours of rehearsal for the 10-minute play. Gus’ portrayal of a son talking to his dad (who turns out to be the devil – you had to be there…) on the phone didn’t betray any lack of preparation. At play’s end, Jean and Phyllis took the stage, and Phyllis thanked Geva for this platform for unknown writers. The audience was very engaged and happy to share their opinions and reactions (ok, yes, I jumped in as well). Phyllis nodded a lot as audience members spoke, even when they said things that seemed a bit off the mark.

The second play was a longer one-act: Fielder’s Choice, by David Andreatta. That had been the hook for me – I look forward to his incisive columns in the D&C, and I knew if his play was as smart and funny as his reporting, we’d be in for a treat. His play, coincidentally, was also about a father-son relationship, and I agreed wholeheartedly with two other audience members who commented at the end: “don’t change a thing.” David had been concerned about the authenticity of the dialog, but he needn’t have been. He told us it had been helpful to see our reactions as the play unfolded, and he also nodded as the audience shared their opinions, thanking them for the helpfulness of their comments.

Both authors deserve a lot of credit for their courage and grace in sharing their new plays with us, as I imagine they must have felt a bit vulnerable up on stage receiving feedback, even though we were a very friendly crowd. It’s not too late to get (free) tickets for the second reading next Monday: https://tickets.gevatheatre.org/TheatreManager/1/login&event=0