SWEEET NOISE FESTIVAL OF READINGS-2025 at New Perspectives Theatre Company – New York, NY

Please Note: Reading Admission is by Donation ($10 suggested). Workshop tickets are $15 for non-LAB members.

Learn more on our website: http://www.newperspectivestheatre.org/current-programs/2025/10/14/sweet-noise-festival-fall-2025

FRIDAY, November 14:

FIRST LOOK: Neanderthals by Christine Benvenuto, 7:00pm

On the winter solstice, anthropology student Graceful arrives for a trial run as a live-in caregiver to Marti, an older woman showing early signs of dementia. When a mysterious man appears—claiming to be Marti’s son—the day turns strange and unsettling. As screams echo outside, memory, grief, and guilt collide, forcing both women to confront buried truths about fear, loss and survival. Directed by Melody Brooks

SATURDAY, November 15

WORKSHOP: Creating Documentary Style Theatre with OBIE-winner Stephanie Berry, 12:00pm

Stephanie Berry is a writer whose work emerges from the intersection of art, ritual, and social consciousness, grounded in her deep roots in Harlem and her decades-long career as an actor, educator, and community builder. A pioneer in documentary style theatre pieces, Berry’s work blends personal narrative, historical inquiry, and communal storytelling to transform lived experience into theatrical ritual.

LEARN MORE ABOUT STEPHANIE HERE

UP & COMING: The Village Beautiful by Jane Denitz Smith, 4:00pm

A small New England town is preparing to celebrate their 250th Anniversary. School children, assigned to dig through the historical archives, discover disturbing facts about the town’s development, including a shocking revelation that challenges residents’ rosy assumptions about what they have to celebrate. Directed by Teresa Fischer

SUNDAY, November 16:

FIRST LOOK: Day of the Kings by Daphne Greaves, 4:00pm

In 19th-century Havana, where a society built on enslavement quietly enslaves everyone, Dr. Enriquetta Faber lives in disguise as a man to practice medicine in defiance of the law. Longing for connection, she begins a love affair that risks exposure and ruin. Across town, the Nuñez family works to uphold the illusion of wealth and power while their daughter Blanca and the enslaved Esteban develop forbidden feelings for each other. During the annual Festival of the Three Kings, Havana hides behind costumes and revelry—but the celebration unmasks rebellion and reveals the truths everyone struggles to conceal. Directed by Elena Vannoni

RECEPTION and On Her Shoulders New Database Launch, 6:30pm

Join us for wine and refreshments celebrating our Women’s Work Project and the launch of our new and improved international database 1,000 Years of Women Writing Plays!

NPTC’s Women’s Work Project has been developing and producing award-winning, provocative scripts since its inception in 1994. We invite our friends as well as colleagues in the industry for a preview of new works, and a taste of things to come!