The Global Age Project

The Aurora Theatre Company presents its second annual Global Age Project, a series of readings of new works promoting the creation of forward-looking theatre. Seeking both serious and comedic new works that explored a wide range of topics such as family life, technology, business, politics, spirituality, and the arts, the company received 460 original submissions from the U.S. and Canada and narrowed them down to 4 finalists. Each reading is followed by a discussion about the issues raised in the work.

American Whupass
Monday, April 16 at 7:30pm
Written by Justin Warner; Directed by Raelle Myrick-Hodges
A faded football star and former wrestling champ duke it out as special interest groups move in. A rollicking political satire from Peabody Award-winning playwright Justin Warner, American Whupass chronicles an embattled incumbent’s re-election campaign and the importance of winning at all costs. An O’Neill semi-finalist, Warner’s works have been staged in New York, London, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Over The Mountain
Monday, April 23 at 7:30pm
Written by Brian Thorstenson; Directed by Elizabeth Williamson
During a civil war in an unnamed country, two sisters are torn apart by the choices they make. One is left in the midst of fighting while the other struggles on the border, providing safe passage for refugees. An Associate Artist at Z Space Studio, Brian Thorstenson’s plays include Shadow Crossing, Drop, Sudden Tuesday and Summerland.

Happyslap
Monday, April 30 at 7:30pm
Written by Laura Jacqmin; Directed by Tom Bentley
The world of three young Londoners is turned upside-down when an American confronts them on their own turf. Exposing a shocking, little-known underworld of contemporary society, Happyslap is a disturbing portrayal of what happens when disaffected youth, technology, and casual violence collide. Laura Jacqmin’s work has been staged and developed at the Kennedy Center, Victory Gardens Theater, and National Center for New Plays. Jacqmin is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists.

Learn To Be Latina
Monday, May 7 at 7:30pm
Written by Enrique E. Ureta; Directed by Ben Yalom
A fast-paced, far-out comedy about race, identity, and making it big in the music business, Learn To Be Latina features a very un-hip boy band, sock puppets and a Lebanese American wannabe pop star. Ureta is the recipient of Theatre Bay Area’s CA$H Grant.

Subterranea
Monday, May 14 at 7:30pm
Written and directed by Craig Lucas
What do Socrates, Plato, an airline steward and a failed actress have in common? Set in a tunnel below Grand Central Station and Athens circa 399 BC, acclaimed playwright Craig Lucas presents his Global Age Project commission, the keystone play of this year’s reading series. Lucas’ plays include Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, Blue Window, God’s Heart, Missing Persons, Stranger, The Dying Gaul and the OBIE Award-winning Small Tragedy.