Authenticity '19
Authenticity
by John Morogiello
Dates: December 5, 7, 8, 2019
Location:
The Quick Center Blackbox
Buy Tickets on the website for the Quick Center of the Arts:
https://quickcenterforthearts.secure.force.com/ticket?_ga=2.199967278.1007026756.1551700634-149460549.1505317777#details_a0S0H00000Oht4qUAB
Theatre Fairfield is excited to perform the World Premiere of Authenticity; script by John Morogiello from an idea created by John Morogiello and Jackob G. Hofmann, the play’s director. This production is a staged reading. What IS a staged reading? Read our Director’s Note below:
It’s a question I get asked a lot, especially by folks who are not of the theatre. My immediate response is usually something like: “Staged readings are theatrical presentations that do not incorporate elaborate sets, complicated lighting design, or full costumes. Actors have limited rehearsal time and read lines directly from their scripts.” True. But staged readings are so much more than this. By design, staged readings are well thought out theatrical events. Our production of Authenticity is no exception. Even though production elements for tonight’s show have been kept to a minimum, it’s important to note that everything you’re about to see on stage is by choice. Whether it be the placement of a music stand, a simple article of clothing or a selection of music, careful consideration has been given to all.
Staged readings function on a multitude of levels. For audiences, staged readings offer a unique occasion to entertain, challenge, and inspire. For playwrights, staged readings can provide important opportunities for script development and growth—a chance for writers to see plays on their feet and make adjustments if necessary. Finally, from a producer’s standpoint, staged readings can help potential investors assess a play’s merit before committing to the expensive production phase.
Hofmann then describes his collaborative process on developing Authenticity with playwright John Morogiello:
The bulk of my directing career has been dedicated to the development of new plays. My personal process is one that is rooted in thoughtful staging, discovery, and, most importantly, collaboration. It’s a process that shifts and modifies with every reading I direct. Earlier this spring, I approached the creative team at Theatre Fairfield with an idea to commission a play from a colleague of mine, playwright John Morogiello. Since John and I had a successful past working history together (I directed the New York premieres of Mr. Morogiello’s Engaging Shaw
and Blame it on Beckett), the idea seemed like a perfect fit for Theatre in the Raw. In short, my proposal was for John to write a new and exciting play based on the themes of TF’s 2019-2020 season. Once this idea/pitch was approved, John and I immediately began our work sessions together. It was through these long months of discussions and four rewrites that John was able to deliver us tonight’s fine offering: Authenticity.
Finally, Hofmann offers some words about the play:
Authenticity
at its heart is a play about the truth—a virtue that seems to be sadly elusive these days. For some, truth doesn’t seem to matter at all anymore. This is something that needs to change and this change needs to start from within if we want truth to matter on a grand scale. Perhaps Virginia Woolf said it best: “If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.”
Sage words, yes?
Read more about the dynamic duo of Morogiello and Hofmann in their successful premiere of Engaging Shaw, which was a New York Times critics’ pick!
Press Release for AUTHENTICITY
Written by Sam Millette ('20)
