Baltimore Playwrights Festival Reads Two New Plays and A New Musical Today

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival (www.baltplayfest.org) continues its Thirty-Second Season with the reading of two new plays and a new musical today, March 23, 2013 at Fells Point Corner Theater, 251 South Ann Street, Baltimore, MD, 410-276-7837 (www.fpct.org).

Starting at 11:00 a.m., plays to be read are The Truth and Consequences of War, by Charles Durgin, followed at 1:00 p.m. by Unworthy of Love, by Michael Reimann, and at 3:00 p.m. by the new musical Affair of Honour, by William F. Reed. After each reading there will be a discussion of the script with the playwright, director and actors. The event is free, and the general public is encouraged to attend.

In Afghanistan an IED blast disables Danielle, a young army medic who returns home with life-altering injuries. Fearing that her will to persevere is slipping away her family intervenes. Uncle Alex infuses stability, her young cousin Marie inspires hope, and her boyfriend Jacob opens the door to intimacy. This story, The Truth and Consequences of War, by Charles Durgin, provides an honest and unfiltered look at the effects of war and the power of love through the eyes of one family.

Charles Durgin is originally from Binghamton (NY), lives in the Annapolis area, works at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and is an Adjunct Professor at George Washington University. In his professional life he has authored and/or contributed to books and journal articles in the field of neurorehabilitation but recently turned his attention to playwriting. His first play, a comedy, Are You Kidding Me?, received a reading as part of the Baltimore Playwrights Festival last season.

In Unworthy of Love, by Michael Reimann, a woman has been severely beaten and police psychologist Carolyn Garbo is assigned the task to determine which of three suspects committed the violent act. It's not long before she discovers all three had motive and opportunity. The audience is invited to sit in on this game of cat and mouse to distinguish perpetrator from suspect. Test your own investigative skills as Garbo separates fact from fiction in this modern day who-done-it.

Michael Reimann, a native of Washington, DC, graduated from the same high school where Warren Beatty, Shirley McLean and Sandra Bullock started their drama training. Earned a BA and MA at Lenoir Rhyne College and George Washington University, respectively. He is the author of two novels: The Man Who Discovers Himself and My Christmas Angel. More recently, his stage play Lethal Injection was selected by the 2012 Baltimore Playwrights Festival for their reading series, and a finalist in the 2012 SART ScriptFEST. The play received its first production at the Vagabond Theatre in, Baltimore, MD, directed by Larry Pinker. Mr. Reimann received Honorable Mention in the 77th Annual Writer's Digest Competition for his play Wall Paint. His play Helping Hand was selected as a finalist to the 2012 Magnola Arts Center's Seventh Annual Play Competition. And his one-act play, titled The Perfect Package is scheduled for production in New York early in 2013. Michael is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Politics and ambition collide with deadly consequences for two Founding Fathers in Affair of Honour, by William F. Reed, the true story of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Revolutionary rivals stake fate, fortune, family, and America's future on an ancient code, leaving one man dead, one man vanquished by history and memories, and a country haunted by their ghosts.

William F. Reed, composer, lyricist and writer, holds degrees in composition from Loyola University New Orleans and the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York. He has worked as a jazz pianist and music director for schools and theaters in New York, New Orleans, Washington DC, Chapel Hill, NC and San Diego, CA. Affair of Honour, his first musical, received a developmental reading at the 2012 New York Musical Festival (MYFM).

The Baltimore Playwrights Festival has presented over 282 productions by 173 playwrights at 27 different theaters. Our mission is to provide an environment that nurtures the talents of Maryland and DC playwrights through public readings, discussions, critiques and workshopping of new plays. Our summer season is devoted to the presentation of these newly developed works to area audiences in cooperation with local area theaters. We are a volunteer-operated 501(c)3 organization, and welcome any and all participation. Get Involved! Become a Member! Further information can be found at www.baltplayfest.org.

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