New Repertory Theatre will present New Voices @ New Rep, a staged reading series featuring four new works by established and emerging American
playwrights. New Voices @ New Rep is open to the public, and admission is
free.  Acclaimed actor and director, Austin Pendleton (below, left), will join the series for the final reading, "The Black Monk," a new musical.

All readings will take place at New Repertory Theatre, on the Mosesian Stage, Arsenal Center for the Arts, located at 321 Arsenal Street in Watertown.

According to Rick Lombardo, New Rep's Producing Artistic Director, "New Voices @ New Rep is an integral part of our mission, as it affords playwrights the opportunity to see their work read by professional actors for the first time. They can then return to it and develop it further.

"We receive a few hundred new scripts each year, and New Voices also helps us evaluate some of the top plays under consideration for our next season of Mainstage and Downstage @ New Rep shows."

All readings will be directed and performed by New Rep artists, and each will be followed by a short talkback session. 

The schedule includes:

"A House With No Walls"
A Political Drama
By Tom Gibbons
Directed by Adam Zahler
Sunday, January 21, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

From the acclaimed writer of "Permanent Collection" and "Bee-Luther-Hatchee" comes a new play inspired by real events. This explosive drama pits a conservative African-American academic against an ultra-liberal Afrocentric political activist and begs the question: How do we really choose to remember our past?

"Lacuna Park"
A Comic Look at Making Serious Choices
By Erick Herrscher
Monday, January 29, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Spring is about to bust; there's something new in the air, something joyful, and yet it's all spinning out of control. When Annika reveals an unplanned pregnancy to her long-term boyfriend, James, he gives her an ultimatum: him or the baby.  Uncertain and torn, Annika makes her choice only to have James come running back a year later after being struck by a tree and losing his memory. Annika is forced to confront the question yet again. Knowing what the future holds, do you make the same decision when given a second chance?

"Throat"
A Drama about Coming Home
By Mando Alvarado
Tuesday, February 6, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Returning from the noxious desert of Iraq, Cesar, a Marine, is thrust back into civilian life and onto the unforgiving streets of New York. Disconnected from his new surroundings, he attempts to rejoin the "real world" through Maggie, his sexually-charged, alcoholic therapist, and a park full of pigeons.  Although Cesar is consoled more by his pigeons, the connection to Maggie is greater than either could ever have imagined.

"The Black Monk"
A Chamber Musical
By Wendy Kesselman
Based on a short story by Anton Chekhov
Featuring Austin Pendleton
Monday, February 19, 2007, 7:30 p.m.

Andrei, a young artist, is haunted by the terrifying and intoxicating Black Monk, a legendary figure who only appears to one person every thousand years.  Upon returning from Moscow to his home in the Russian countryside, he marries his childhood sweetheart and everything seems to be coming up roses.  But as the Monk's grasp tightens on Andrei, things take a dark and dangerous turn.

Admission to all readings is free. As seating is limited, reservations are encouraged.  Call New Rep's Box Office at 617-923-8487 or e-mail tickets@newrep.org.

-- OnStage Boston