The Depot for New Play Readings

About the Organization

In 2015 the Depot for New Play Readings opened as a gathering place for theater lovers who wish to stay abreast of trends in theater today. The group meets to read and discuss new work in a former train station outbuilding in Hampton, a rural village in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner.

The Depot sits on land formerly inhabited by the Nipmuck Tribe.

Our mission is simple. Meet friends. Read new plays.

In 2015 the Depot for New Play Readings opened as a gathering place for theater lovers who wish to stay abreast of trends in theater today. The group meets to read and discuss new work in a former train station outbuilding in Hampton, a rural village in Connecticut’s Quiet Corner.

The Depot sits on land formerly inhabited by the Nipmuck Tribe.

Our mission is simple. Meet friends. Read new plays.

  • In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

    In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

  • Rich Rubin's “Ivory Tower” tells a two-part story, divided by 150 years and set in the same room, where the legacy of nineteenth-century African slavery plays out. Deftly using ivory literally and symbolically, Rubin sets the primary drama in the “ivory tower” of a small New England college, where the new president, an African-American classics scholar, faces a decision that jeopardizes the college legally. Explosive and honest, “Ivory Tower” mines the complex questions that arise when we work to address the injustices of slavery, in our lives and in our communities. Strongly recommended.

    Rich Rubin's “Ivory Tower” tells a two-part story, divided by 150 years and set in the same room, where the legacy of nineteenth-century African slavery plays out. Deftly using ivory literally and symbolically, Rubin sets the primary drama in the “ivory tower” of a small New England college, where the new president, an African-American classics scholar, faces a decision that jeopardizes the college legally. Explosive and honest, “Ivory Tower” mines the complex questions that arise when we work to address the injustices of slavery, in our lives and in our communities. Strongly recommended.

  • In “Machines Eat People” Max Gill delivers a nuanced and multi-layered drama about two families whose interactions one weekend change the way the characters think about themselves and each other. With great restraint, Gill builds tension and holds emotions taut. Everyone who attended the Depot reading was affected by it. The stakes felt so real, one actor vowed to avoid the mistakes his character made. A beautiful unfolding of one specific moment after another straight to the poignant end. Strongly recommended.

    In “Machines Eat People” Max Gill delivers a nuanced and multi-layered drama about two families whose interactions one weekend change the way the characters think about themselves and each other. With great restraint, Gill builds tension and holds emotions taut. Everyone who attended the Depot reading was affected by it. The stakes felt so real, one actor vowed to avoid the mistakes his character made. A beautiful unfolding of one specific moment after another straight to the poignant end. Strongly recommended.

  • Kevin Brodie addresses the history of the abuse of native children in Catholic-run boarding schools in his powerful play “Save the Man.” Daniel, a Shoshone teenager, escapes his school and hides in the barn of a family of Sikh farmers. The family's humanity cannot undo years of trauma, though. With fully developed characters, heartbreaking scenes, and multiple languages and cultures, "Save the Man" left the Depot audience speechless. A powerful play with timeless themes. Strongly recommended.

    Kevin Brodie addresses the history of the abuse of native children in Catholic-run boarding schools in his powerful play “Save the Man.” Daniel, a Shoshone teenager, escapes his school and hides in the barn of a family of Sikh farmers. The family's humanity cannot undo years of trauma, though. With fully developed characters, heartbreaking scenes, and multiple languages and cultures, "Save the Man" left the Depot audience speechless. A powerful play with timeless themes. Strongly recommended.

  • In “Alicia” J. Lois Diamond dramatizes the career of the great Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso with cinematic scope. We meet Alicia, old and blind, and, as she talks to dance students, through flashback, recounts her life. Choral roles populate scenes with multiple characters, while Alicia’s dancing comes to life in beautifully crafted dialog. In Diamond’s telling, Alicia wanted only to dance, no matter the cost to others or to herself, and despite her willfulness, sympathetic. Highly recommended.

    In “Alicia” J. Lois Diamond dramatizes the career of the great Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso with cinematic scope. We meet Alicia, old and blind, and, as she talks to dance students, through flashback, recounts her life. Choral roles populate scenes with multiple characters, while Alicia’s dancing comes to life in beautifully crafted dialog. In Diamond’s telling, Alicia wanted only to dance, no matter the cost to others or to herself, and despite her willfulness, sympathetic. Highly recommended.

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