Read & Rant - January 2026
Read & Rant
Monday, January 19 @ 6:30 PM MST
Add to Calendar
2026-01-19 18:30:11
2026-01-19 20:30:00
US/Mountain
Read & Rant
<p>Athena Project’s Read & Rant program seeks to combine the sharing of theatrical work with the wider public and the new play development aspects of our former Plays In Progress Series while also fostering collaboration between playwrights and dramaturgs. Think book club for plays! Learn what makes a good script, discuss how it affects us, and explore the ways it links to the larger world. This monthly free offering to the community aims to raise awareness of the under-representation of woman, transgender and nonbinary stories on stage.<br><br>Each month, we discuss new and unproduced scripts selected from a nationwide call for submissions. Join us to converse with invited playwrights who bring an in-depth knowledge of the works and theatrical writing at large. Guided by a dramaturg, we also invite you to share your constructive comments, thoughts, and affirmations in order to aid in the development process of the pieces.<br><br>Once registered, you will receive an email with links to the scripts - we ask that these by read in advance of the event. Please read this description in full to receive information on how to access the links to scripts once you register.<br><br>This month we will be featuring:<br><br></p>
<p><strong>Atomic Bill and the Payment Due by Libbe HaLevy</strong></p>
<p>The Oppenheimer-adjacent true story of media manipulation at the dawn of the Atomic Age and the New York Times reporter who sold his soul to get the story. Anti-nuclear podcaster Jessie stumbles across mention of a reporter embedded in the Manhattan Project who was the source for all the earliest public information about the bomb. Through her search for long-suppressed information, interactions on the spiritual plane with dead journalists, and her own time-limited future, she embarks on a secret, deadly plan to raise visibility for nuclear issues. </p>
<p><strong>Dramaturg: Beverly Sylvester</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong>Time's Up by Mary Anzalone</strong></p>
<p>A country singer is sent to prison for attempted murder. She must survive in the hopes of being exonerated, but may die alone, when shortly after she arrives a fatal virus hits. A play with bite, humor, and love. A very ALIVE play about, well, maybe dying!</p>
<p><strong>Dramaturg: Dezi Tibbs</strong><br><br>Evening hosted by Read & Rant's incoming Literary Manager, Reilly Conlon!<br><br><strong>You will receive a confirmation email with your registration AND LINKS TO ACCESS THE SCRIPTS AND A ZOOM LINK FOR THE EVENT. Please be on the lookout for this email - if you scroll down there is a section with information on our plays and links for the scripts. If you do not see this email, please check your spam folder.</strong></p>
Closed Captioning is available for this event. The event functions as an open discussion with dramaturgs asking questions, and attendees responding at will: all engagement is completely optional. Use of camera is completely optional. All questions are posted in the chat in addition to being read out loud, and chat engagement is welcome.
