Studio X-hibition New Play Development 2023

 Through this program, Theatre Exile has presented live readings of local playwrights’ scripts while they are in progress for an audience of peers and casual theater fans. These readings provide an opportunity for playwrights to see their work performed for an audience and receive constructive critiques from their community. 

In 2023, Theatre Exile was proud to present readings of Trying by Alison Scaramella (April 10), Without Consent by David Robson (May 8), and Honey Bee Baby by Erlina Ortiz (June 12).

Read about our 2023 readings below, and follow this program’s journey into next season and beyond. If you have a play we should consider, visit the “Join Us” tab in our website menu and submit your piece.

2023 Readings:

Trying

by Alison Scaramella

Maggie and Jamie have been trying to have a baby for… a while. After a recent loss, they are getting back on the not-so-sexy horse, navigating lots of peeing on sticks, friends with babies, and unsolicited advice on their path to building their family. When their luck seems to have turned for the better and they proceed through a blissfully uneventful first trimester, they are blindsided yet again by bad news, and for the first time, find themselves disagreeing about how to move forward.

Monday, April 10, 2023 at 8 p.m.

Without Consent

by David Robson

In this timely and provocative drama, Carmen, the wife of an entertainment legend, is interviewing a nurse, Lisa, to supervise the care of her husband, who is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s. In the process, the questioner becomes the questioned as Lisa confronts Carmen with sexual accusations against her husband and with her complicity in the alleged incidents.

Monday May 8, 2023 at 8pm

Honey Bee Baby

by Erlina Ortiz

Melisa is a kind-hearted follower of rules. She desperately wants a child, if only she could pass the government mandated test that will allow her to do it. Young Clarisa knows nothing except the perfectly curated life her parents have carved for her in their fortified underground mansion. She too has a test to pass, if only she could focus, follow, listen; the way Mother wants her to. In the magical and disturbing Honey Bee Baby, the bees are gone, the resources are scarce, and every one must earn their place in this world where the lines between right and wrong are blurred with blood.

Monday June 12th, 2023 at 8pm

About Studio X-hibition

For 25 years, Theatre Exile has committed to cultivating the future of theater through new play development. New play development began in 1996 when Theatre Exile presented a world premiere of The Further Adventures of the Gavone Family, a locally written show by Joseph Sorrentino. That commitment to new and cutting-edge work has continued to thrive and grow. In 2010, Theatre Exile formally launched Studio X-hibition, which presents live readings of local playwrights’ scripts while they are in progress for an audience of peers and casual theater fans. These readings provide an opportunity for playwrights to see their work performed for a live audience and receive constructive critiques from their community. 

Through this program, Theatre Exile has contributed to the development of over 27 plays, 15 of which were later produced for regional and national audiences. Additionally, several shows have received notable awards and commendations, including the Smith Prize, Kesselring Honorable Mention Prize, and the Plays for Now grant from Venturous Theatre.

New play development has remained one of Theatre Exile’s core tenets since premiering Sorrentino’s show in 1996. Since its formal launch in 2010, Studio X-hibition has grown to include staged readings, workshop development programs, and writers’ workshops that support new, gritty, provocative theater. The annual series brings Philadelphia’s local playwrights to Theatre Exile as they explore a new piece that can challenge and provoke audiences to think about the process of storytelling. Through another program, Out of Exile, Theatre Exile commissions playwrights to create an original play for theatergoers of all ages.

Past Studio X-hibition