FAU's Theatre Lab Presents 'Play Slam'

Atlantic University's Theatre Lab has announced the schedule for "Play Slam," a new theater play reading series with discussion to follow. There will be four productions in the series, each with a staging on Wednesdays, beginning Oct. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Parliament Hall, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton campus. Admission is $10 ($5 with student ID). To purchase tickets, call 561-297-4784, email theatrelab@fau.edu or visit www.fauevents.com.

The first show, "Bakersfield Mist," by Stephen Sachs, will be on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Maude, an unemployed bartender living in a trailer park, has bought a painting for a few bucks from a thrift store. Despite almost trashing it, she's now convinced it's a lost masterpiece by Jackson Pollock worth millions. But when world-class art expert Lionel Percy flies in from New York and arrives at her trailer home in Bakersfield to authenticate the painting, he has no idea what he is about to discover. Inspired by true events, this hilarious and thought-provoking new comedy-drama asks vital questions about what makes art and people truly authentic.

 "Informed Consent," by Deborah Zoe Laufer, will be staged on Wednesday, Oct. 28. If the truth could change everything, would you still want to know?  Ripped from today's headlines and based on a true story, Gillian, an ambitious geneticist, is hired to help solve why a Native American tribe is being devastated by diabetes, but her research threatens to destroy their most sacred traditions. Meanwhile at home, she and her husband are confronted with the choice of using modern science to determine whether their 4 year-old daughter will be haunted by the family's medical history. With genomic breakthroughs happening at breakneck speed, this heartwarming and honest tale explores the question of just how much knowledge is too much.

"American Hero"by Bess Wohl, will be staged on Wednesday, Nov. 4. At a toasted subs franchise in the local mall, three up-and-coming "sandwich artists"-- a teenager, a single mom, and a downsized refugee from corporate banking--are perfecting the mustard-to-cheese ratio according to the company manual. But when their shot at the American dream is interrupted by a series of strange events, they become unlikely allies in a post-recession world. "American Hero" is a supersized dark comedy about life, liberty, and the pursuit of sandwiches.

Theatre Lab will introduce "Soldier's Heart," by Tammy Ryan on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Before heading off to war in Iraq, Casey Johnson neatly organizes her life into a box of lists, envelopes and registration forms for her son's activities.  Months later, she returns to western Pennsylvania forever changed, with deep psychological scars that no amount of arranging seems to be able to fix.

Theatre Lab is the professional resident company of FAU that is dedicated to the development and production of new work in American theater. Theatre Lab will provide a bridge for students from the academic to the professional world and also expose students and the South Florida community to new works in American theater. Louis Tyrrell, founding artistic director of Florida Stage and Theatre at Arts Garage, has been named artistic director and Dorothy F. Schmidt Eminent Scholar in the Arts for this new initiative. Other Theatre Lab productions include "The Playwright's Forum." For more information, visit www.fau.edu/theatre/theatre_lab.php.