The Valley Players will present the fourth online staged reading in its Theater in Your Home series, “A Life-Altering Event” by Jeanne Beckwith (Roxbury), on January 21, 22 and 23 at 7 p.m. via the meeting platform, Zoom. Directed by Doug Bergstein (Warren) with technical design by Ruth Ann Pattee (Fayston), “A Life-Altering Event” is a contemporary, suspenseful two-act play taking place over a few days in the life of a Massachusetts couple, Judith and Dan.
Judith (Jessica Della Peppa, Plainfield) comes home to find her husband in shock. Dan (Seth Mikle, Waterbury Center) has had an automobile accident from which he miraculously walked away without a scratch. He should have died, and now he is looking for a rational universe. While new friends Keith (Josh Morse, Warren) and Bonnie (Lauren Ruth, Newport, NH) are visiting, a strange woman, Mary (Charlotte Norris, Austin, TX) shows up. She the wife of the man in the other vehicle. It soon becomes clear that she and her husband were not as ordinary as they first seem, and the mystery that surrounds them includes a bag full of cash and a secret code. Mary disappears after she is asked too many questions, which prompts Detective Dolan (Michael LeMay, Virginia Beach, VA) to ask some questions of his own.
“I really enjoy directing and acting in shows that have not been produced before,” said Bergstein. “There are no preconceived notions of how things should go. I also enjoy supporting local playwrights. This show accomplishes both objectives.”
There will be a Talk Back session with the cast and crew that audiences can attend on Saturday, January 23, after the show. Admission to watch the production is free, and donations are accepted. Other staged readings in the series are available for viewing on the Valley Players YouTube page. More information about all the productions is available at valleyplayers.com.
