The Reading Theater Project has announced first play of the 2025-26 season, “Proud” by Judd Lear Silverman.
The production opens Friday at 7:30 p.m. and performs over two weekends at the WCR Center for the Arts, 140 N. Fifth St., Reading. Tickets are available online or by calling 484-706-9719. More information can be found at ReadingTheaterProject.org/Proud.
About the play: In May 2018, a three-day traffic jam persisted on the Schuylkill Expressway — a pride of peacocks, escapees from the nearby Philadelphia Zoo, were purposefully marching down the side of the highway on a top-secret mission. This is their story, from their POV.
The cast features four actors playing peacocks: Kevin Wade plays Tom, the heroic leader; Patrick O’Neill plays Dick, the intellectual/ historian; Jose Alejandro Roman plays Harry, the beloved showman; and Molly Carl plays Pat, the youngest peacock.
Another for actors play humans: Erick Goldsmith plays the vain TV anchor Jim; Rebeca Dunn plays popular TV news reporter Andrea; Alison N. Lines plays the zoo official, a zoologist and Philly Zoo spokesperson; and Xiomara Linda Guerrero plays the state policeman, a tired traffic cop.
The production team includes Kimberly Patterson, director; Sophia Stopper, stage manager; Jody Reppert, set construction; Mak Sherrid, costume designer; and Jewell A. Brown, production manager and sound designer. Chris Heslop composed and arranged music to be performed by a saxophone ensemble conducted by Mike Eben. Saxophonists include Kaden Baluta, Sophia Moyer, Carlos Manuel Alvarez-Mejia Jr., Aidan Kidd and Rocky Rochlin.
Judd Lear Silverman (Courtesy of Reading Theater Project)
Silverman has recently planted roots in the Reading area after having directed and designed here in the 1980s. His short and long plays have been seen across the country and internationally, with locations as far flung as Nova Scotia; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Anchorage, Alaska. He has been published in numerous books and anthologies (with “Pround” recently published by Next Stage Press).
After years of working for various producers, agents and managers, he began teaching theater and English, most recently at Pace University in New York City.
All productions this season will follow the pay what you will ticket pricing model: an audience member can choose their own price for a ticket, including $0. We recommend $25 for this production, and encourage those who are able to pay the $50 pay it forward price. This ticket pricing model is part of our Theater for All initiative to make theater more accessible to all audiences.
This production is the first in Reading Theater Project’s season, “Embracing Our Humanity.” Audiences can look forward to the annual 5-Minute Fringe Festival in February/March 2025 at the Yocum Institute for Arts Education in West Lawn and the world premiere of “Banshee” by Adam Richter in May 2026 at the WCR Center for the Arts in Reading.
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Alvernia University Theatre presents “Hamlet,” featuring senior theatre major Aliyah Daniels in the title role and directed by Nathan Thomas, Ph.D.
Aliyah Daniels plays the title role in the Alvernia University Theatre production of “Hamlet.” (Courtesy of Alvernia University)
Performances will be held in Francis Hall Theatre on the Alvernia campus, 400 St. Bernardine St., Reading, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Nov. 13, 14 and 15 at 8 p.m., with a matinee on Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. General admission is $5; tickets are available at the door. Additional details are available on the university events calendar.
“Shakespeare shows us a person who is going through the challenges faced by many young people in any time period — family issues, romantic obstacles, questions of values and beliefs — and then a sword fight,” said Thomas, director of the theatre program.
In connection with the Nov. 13 performance, Undergraduate Admissions will host a pre-show information session for prospective students interested in theatre at Alvernia. The session introduces academic pathways, production opportunities and Alvernia’s approach to experiential learning through the arts.
For more information about Alvernia University Theatre’s “Hamlet,” visit https://www.alvernia.edu/events/2025/10/alvernia-theatre-presents-hamlet. Explore more community events at alvernia.edu/events.
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Reading Civic Theatre has announced auditions for teens ages 13-18 fo “Beetlejuice Jr.”
This musical adaptation of a Tim Burton favorite follows the story of a strange and unusual teenage girl named Lydia Deetz, who befriends the recently deceased couple that previously owned her new home while grieving the loss of her mother.
Meanwhile Beetlejuice — bioexorcist extraordinaire — aims to manipulate anyone he can to say his name three times so that he is able to do as he pleases in the mortal realm. With themes of family, love, loss and grief, this musical will kick off the 2026 season.
Auditions will take place on Nov. 15 from 6-10 p.m. and Nov. 16 from 1-4 p.m., with callbacks and a dance call on Nov. 22 from 6 10 p.m.
Auditions will be held at the RCT performance space, 4350 Perkiomen Ave., Exeter Township.
Performance dates will be Jan. 30 and 31 and Feb. 1, 6, 7 and 8. Visit readingcivic.org for more information about character descriptions, directing staff and what to prepare for auditions.
Art
Berks Arts presents the 22nd annual Frank Scott Memorial Art Show: The Art of Jazz in the Schmidt Gallery at the GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading in February, with the option to also show at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Reading in March of 2026 during the 10-day Boscov’s Berks Jazz Fest.
Submit up to three pieces of artwork that will be viewed by our 2026 Art of Jazz juror, Emily Edelstein.
Artists are encouraged to provide photos, videos and links to allow the juror the best possible opportunity to examine, evaluate and credit their artwork.
There will be cash prizes for winners as well as an opportunity to sell or auction your work.
Edelstein is the executive director of CraftNOW Philadelphia. She studied at the John C. Campbell Folk School and the Penland School of Crafts.
She holds a bachelor of arts degree in global studies from Penn State University, and a master of science in arts administration from Drexel University, where her thesis explored the role of craftspeople within the modern American art world.
The deadline for submission is Jan. 16. For more information, visit www.berksarts.org.
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