Join us for the first public reading of Stephen Elliott’s debut play, Independent Cinema For The Dying, co-presented with The Rumpus. 

Independent Cinema For The Dying is a one hour play about Paul, an author of seven books, who has recently found out he is dying. In an effort to “live twice as much in the time he has left” he decides to make a movie. Fortunately, a big star has optioned one of his books and agrees to be in his film. But will the celebrity actually show up?

Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt.

Stephen Elliot is the author of seven novels, memoirs, and story collections. He has written and directed two feature films, About Cherry which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and the soon to be released Happy Baby based on the novel of the same name. Principal production was recently completed on a film adaptation of his memoir, The Adderall Diaries, starring James Franco, Ed Harris, Cynthia Nixon, and Christian Slater. He is the founding editor of the popular online literary magazine The Rumpus.

Adrienne Campbell-Holt is the Founding Artistic Director of Colt Coeur, a Brooklyn-based theatre ensemble. Upcoming: World Premiere of Dry Land by Ruby Rae Spiegel (workshops at New York Stage & Film and Ojai Playwright’s Conference, production with Colt Coeur @ HERE, NYC). She is a recipient of a Jerome Foundation/Tofte Lake Fellowship, the EST/Sloan grant, an alum of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and a New Georges Affiliated Artist. BA Barnard College, Columbia University.

Sarah Mezzanotte made her NYC professional acting debut last month as Amy in Dry Land. She hails from the Pennsylvania countryside, and recently graduated from NYU Tisch, having studied at both Stella Adler and Stonestreet Studios. 

Jason Kravits is best known for his role as ADA Richard Bay on ABC’s Emmy Award Winning Drama “The Practice,” He has appeared more recently on TV on shows such as “The Blacklist” “Married,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Masters of Sex”; in the movies “Chinese Puzzle,” and “The Adjustment Bureau”; and on Broadway in productions of Relatively Speaking, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Sly Fox. He is co-creator of the hit web series “Lords of the Playground,” and author of “Green Eggs and Hamlet,” “The Kvetch,” “Rocky and Bullwinkle’s A Christmoose Story,” and the upcoming improvised cabaret “I…(A Life).”

The Rumpus is perhaps the most popular literary website. Featuring book reviews, comics, interviews with authors, and the Dear Sugar column penned by Cheryl Strayed. Launched January 20, 2009 and updated up to fifteen times a day, The Rumpus is a great way to kill time when you should be at work.