The joy of a staged reading

Jun 09, 2024

My play EDEN—about a kidnap and a murder, faith and truth—had its first audience recently. The excitement took place at a staged reading in Red Deer, with an audience of about 75 enthusiastic participants. Now that I’ve had time to reflect, I can honestly say, it was an experience like no other. I’ve been writing prose for years, but nothing can match the thrill of seeing your work come to life in such an immediate and tangible way. When you send a short story or book into the world, you cross your fingers and hope that your readers absorb at least a part of what you intended. But in this venue, intent and reactions are all smooshed together. I got to see my characters breathe, hear their lines spoken, witness the audience leaning forward, and discuss afterwards how they felt. It was exhilarating.

For those who might not be familiar, a staged reading is where the actors, seated or standing in front of an audience, read the script aloud with minimal or no staging, sets, or costumes. The focus is on the words and the performances, allowing the text to shine and the audience to engage with the narrative and dialogue in a direct and powerful way.

This whole experience, from the rehearsals to the reading to the talk back, has given me so much to work with going forward. It has reignited my passion for the story and inspired new ideas and directions.

I am incredibly grateful to Red Deer Players, our brilliant director, Evan McLeod, our talented actors, and our wonderful, insightful audience. Lucky me.

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