Epstein, Kepros, Seldes, et al. Set for TFANA Reading Series

Theatre for a New Audience will present a four-part free reading series, featuring such actors as Alvin Epstein and Marian Seldes, on Mondays, February 12-March 5 to coincide with its productions of The Merchant of Venice and The Jew of Malta, starring F. Murray Abraham.

The four readings all focus on the theme of Jews as outsiders. The initial offering, on February 5, will be Sir Arnold Wesker’s Shylock, directed by Allan Arbus. The play is an alternative telling of Shakespeare’s story, this time setting the conflict between Shylock and Antonio in the context not only of a larger society where Jews and Christians interact, but in the context of the philosophic and economic conflicts that molded Renaissance Europe.

It will feature Epstein in the title role and Seldes as Rivka Kolner, Shylock’s sister — the same role she played in the show’s Broadway production, which was entitled The Merchant — along with Mia Barron, Jordan Charney, David Townsend, Carmen Lacivita, Cindy Katz, Robert Stattel, Gareth Saxe, Max Casella, Kate Forbes, Melissa Miller, Jesse Pennington, and Nicholas Kepros.

On February 12, Kepros will take on the role of Shylock in A.R. Gurney’s Overtime, directed by Evan Yionoulis. The play begins with the end of the last act of Merchant of Venice, as Portia and her guests celebrate their victory over Shylock at her estate. Sliding Shakespeare’s characters into the American ethnic conflicts of our own multi-cultural time, Gurney wittily teases new ideas out of the familiar characters by taking their story several startling steps further. The cast also features Kathleen McElfresh, Jedediah Schultz, Maria Elena Ramirez, Edward O’Blenis, Aya Cash, Jeffrey Withers, Rufus Collins, and Brennan Brown.

On February 26, the series continues with Michael Feingold’s adaptation of Henry Bernstein’s 1908 melodrama Among Gentlemen, directed by Carl Forsman; and the series concludes on March 5 with John Galsworthy’s 1921 drama Loyalties, directed by Arin Arbus. Casting for those readings will be announced at a later date.

All readings begin at 7:30pm. Reservations are required; call 212-229-2819, ext. 10.