"Lunch-Hour Theatre" Resumes on September 15; Julie Harris to be Honored on November 14

Food for Thought Productions — Susan Charlotte, artistic director — will recommence its popular one-act play reading series “Lunch-Hour Theatre” on September 15 at the National Arts Club, located at 15 Gramercy Park South.

The first two plays scheduled to be read are Tennessee Williams’s Night of the Iguana and The Rose Tattoo, both of which began as one-act works before the author expanded them into full-length plays. Night of the Iguana will be directed by Frank Corsaro, director of the 1961 Broadway premiere production starring Bette Davis. Each reading is preceded by a buffet lunch at 1pm and folllowed by a Q&A session with the director and actors.

Food for Thought will host a special event on November 14, when a playwriting fellowship will be bestowed in the name of the revered actress Julie Harris. The afternoon event will include an excerpt from the Carson McCullers classic The Member of the Wedding, in which Harris starred on Broadway and on film; Hallie Kate Eisenberg will read the Harris role of Frankie Addams, Mary Bond Davis (Hairspray) will read the Ethel Waters role, and Food for Thought favorite Joel Vig (Ruthless!) will play John Henry. Harris herself will be on hand to present the fellowship in her name to a student whose work will subsequently be performed during the spring season of “Lunch Hour Theatre.”

The season will continue through December 19; authors whose plays are scheduled to be read include Arthur Miller, D.H. Lawrence, August Wilson, Noël Coward, George Bernard Shaw, and Steve Martin. Among the stars expected to perform in the various plays over the course of the season are Patricia Neal, Kathleen Turner, Campbell Scott, Rosie Perez, Marcia Gay Harden, and Swoosie Kurtz. In addition, Food for Thought’s “Cocktail Hour” reading series will be held once a month on Friday evenings at 6pm, beginning on September 19. One-acts by Agatha Christie, Tom Stoppard, Oscar Wilde, W.C. Fields, and Mel Brooks are among those scheduled to be read.

For additional information and a full schedule of events, call 212-362-2560 or visit www.foodforthoughtproductions.com.