The Empty Space Theatre kicks off its new reading series of Northwestern writers Dec. 4 with Jennifer Haley's Nowhere Blue, U.S.A.. This once-a-month event will be held on the set of the current Empty Space mainstage production (in this case, Charles Ludlam's Reverse Psychology).
Nowhere Blue, U.S.A. is about finding freedom in being nowhere. Thirtysomething mother Meg and her developmentally challenged son Ed take a yearly trip to one of America's national parks. Coming along is Meg's uptight, African-American co-worker friend, Odin. Six years pass as they explore Death Valley, Mount Rushmore and the Burger Bong in an attempt to escape their suffocating lives back home.
Having arrived in Seattle from Texas three years ago, Haley has had work produced at the Annex Theatre (The Butcher's Daughter, The Interlude) and the Printer's Devil Theatre (Sunflowers, Circus Freaks and a Ruby Red Heart). Her University of Texas thesis script Sabbath Days in a Hot Pickup was nominated for the 1995 Austin Critics Table Best New Play Award.
Other reading to follow are:
Feb. 4: Raree by K.C. Davis
March 5: Ann Likes Red by Tonia Howick
April 16: Transgressions: The McKendall County Murders by Scot Augustson
June 11: The Hairy Baby by Ki Gottberg Admission is free. Tickets are available by calling (206) 547-7500. The Empty Space Theatre is located at 3509 Fremont North. The Empty Space Theatre is on the web at http://www.emptyspace.org.
— By Christine Ehren
