Encore Reading of RIPTIDE

Paul Barnes, co-founder and former producing and artistic director of Minnesota's Great River Shakespeare Festival, directs an encore free reading of Michael Raver's new play, RIPTIDE, at Pearl Studios (519, eighth avenue, 12th Floor) on April 18th at 3:30 & 6 pm.

"It is incredibly gratifying that our first reading of RIPTIDE generated as much positive response and interest as it did. I'm really happy to have a second opportunity to direct a reading of Michael's latest work and to share it with people who couldn't get to the October reading or who'd like to hear the play again."

The first public reading of RIPTIDE was presented at Manhattan Theatre Club's Creative Center last October, with Mark H. Dold, Michael Potts, James Lloyd Reynolds and Raver himself performing the play.

"RIPTIDE is characterized by Michael Raver's remarkable gift for writing dialogue that sounds like what real people actually say," says Barnes. "That, plus Michael's natural intuition, devilish wit, and understanding of the human heart make his plays a pleasure to direct."

Performing the reading are Mark H. Dold (Off-Broadway: Freud's Last Session), James Lloyd Reynolds (Goodspeed's La Cage aux Folles), Jeff Talbott (Broadway: Sly Fox and Fortune's Fool) and Michael Raver (How We Built the Bomb) with stage directions read by Kurt Hellerich.

It's Labor Day weekend and George (Reynolds) and Nathan (Talbott) have just purchased their first home together, a house in Fire Island Pines. Their celebratory weekend is halted when George's ex-, the brilliant and handsome Daniel (Dold) appears on the beach. Old wounds are opened and sexual boundaries are pushed to the limit as Bash (Raver), Daniel's new young love interest, shows up, challenging everyone to question their relationships, as well as their own definition of what love -- and commitment -- is.

Actor/Director/Playwright Austin Pendleton says this about the play: "I think RIPTIDE is a terrific play. It's humorously and heart-breakingly about relationships, it's utterly contemporary and yet seems timeless and universal at the same time."

For reservations, email riptidereservation@gmail.com.