Tessa Thompson to Lead Live Reading of Play Nora Highland

Following its successful launch, Play-PerView, the new live-streaming theater initiative co-founded by producer Jeremy Wein (NYC PodFest, ”Kevin McDonald: Alive”) and actor and producer Mirirai Sithole (Black Mirror: Smithereens, ”School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play,” “If Pretty Hurts…”) that delivers unique, one-time-only, live-streamed theatrical events and original series into the homes of theater fans around the globe, announces programming for the coming week. Proceeds from all events will be directed to arts organizations impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Virtual tickets starting at just $5.00 are available by clicking here.

On Wednesday, April 1 at 7:00pm, Play-PerView will stream a live reading of Ryan Spahn’s comedy ”Nora Highland” featuring Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok, Men in Black: International, Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Lady and the Tramp, HBO’s Westworld, Second Stage Theater’s ”Smart People”) and Drama Desk Award winner Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, “Buyer and Cellar,” “Grand Horizons,” “Torch Song”). The play—a semi-finalist for the O’Neill Playwrights Conference and previously presented in the inaugural Pride Plays at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre—examines the complexities of casting an openly gay performer in a gay role when everyone wants to hire a straight actor to play the part. This reading will benefit the Broadway Cares COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund and Covenant House New York.

“Family Friday,” Play-PerView’s original, non-scripted weekly series focusing on families in the theater community, will continue Friday, April 3 at 8:00pm with “LIVE from Putnam County.” This second installment will feature alums of the Broadway production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, including Tony Award winner Celia Keenan-Bolger (”To Kill a Mockingbird”) and her husband Tony Award nominee John Ellison Conlee (“The Full Monty”) , joined by Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (”Aladdin”) and Tony Award nominee D errick Baskin (”Ain’t Too Proud”). Adrienne Campbell-Holt (Artistic Director of Colt Coeur) and Tony Award nominee Hunter Bell will drop in to discuss their new musical ”Other World.” This episode of “Family Friday” will directly benefit Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn-based theater company on whose board Ms. Keenan-Bolger sits, and the Parent Artist Advocacy League COVID Childcare Relief Fund.

On Monday, April 6 at 8:00pm, Play-PerView will present a one-time-only reading of ”Cadillac Crew,” written by Tori Sampson (”IfPrettyHurts…,” “This Land Was Made”) and directed by Chalia La Tour (”Slave Play”). The reading will feature Dria Brown (Bedlam’s ”Hamlet/Saint Joan” national tour), Ashley Bryant (“The Play That Goes Wrong,” “A Free Man of Color”),  Brontë England-Nelson (”Three Tall Women”), and Ms. La Tour as four civil rights activists at the height of the movement, who—on the day of a highly-anticipated speech by Rosa Parks—find themselves wondering whether the proclamation of equality for all mankind… includes women? This reading will benefit The National Black Theatre and Women In Need.

Future Play-PerView events will feature the works of Bess Wohl (”Grand Horizons,” “Small Mouth Sounds”), Micah Stock (Tony nominee, ”It’s Only A Play”), Sharr White (”The True,” “The Other Place”), Johnathan Caren (Canyon, The Sinner), Martyna Majok (Pulitzer Prize winner, ”Cost of Living”) and others, to be announced in coming weeks.