The South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC) today announced the casts for the inaugural SOMA backStage Reading Series productions: REVIVAL by Broadway veterans Chris Miller and Nathan Tysen (Saturday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 4 at 3 p.m.) and STILL by Juilliard Fellow Lia Romeo (Saturday, June 3 at 3 p.m. and Sunday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.). The casts are filled with Broadway professionals local to the New Jersey community including Tony Award Nominee Christiane Noll.
The SOMA backStage Reading Series is in partnership with local theater company SOMA Stage. The program emerged from SOPAC’s Creative Community Brain Trust, a collaboration of five arts leaders bringing innovative programming to the center. All readings in this series are free and open to the public, with a suggested donation of $15. Advanced registration for tickets is required.
“SOMA Stage is thrilled to be partnering with SOPAC for the launch of this series,” Artistic Director, Dana Spialter said. “There is something really special about SOMA. With all of the theater professionals who live in our community as well as the close proximity to NYC, being only a short 35-minute train ride away, it is the perfect place to be an incubator for new theatrical shows. My goal is that over time, the SOMA backStage Reading Series will become one of the next major players for the development of new works.”
Spialter created the SOMA backStage Reading Series provide the opportunity for new plays and musicals to be showcased to the public. The program particularly uplifts SOMA-based creatives, with both playwrights calling SOMA home and the casts being almost entirely New Jersey locals. The backStage Reading Series also offers a unique experience for audience members, who have the chance to view the new works in their earliest form and provide feedback to help shape the future of their development.
All readings will take place in The Loft at SOPAC, an intimate space that connects audiences with creatives and performers. Just 25 minutes from midtown Manhattan, SOPAC is a great place for audiences to experience the joy and excitement of SOMA backStage Reading Series’ new stories and visions.
