In a town where top ticket prices hover at the $75 level, one of New York's best theatre bargains is the Naked Angels "Tuesdays at Nine" free playreading series.

Every Tuesday at 9 PM, assorted members of the extended Naked Angels theatre company convene at The Actors Institute at 159 West 25th St. (9th floor) to read plays by established and up-and-coming playwrights. The scripts presented range from play excerpts to short one-acts to poetry to full-length screenplays.

The series features guest curators (who choose the scripts) in an ongoing effort to spotlight emerging playwrights. The reading series continues through May with the following schedule:

• March 11:
  Host - Lisa Beth Miller
  Authors include Liz Benjamin, Jan Jalenak, Anna Li, Taro Alexander
  
• March 18:
  Host - Laura Barnett
  An evening of fiction about NYC
  
• March 25:
  Host - Marri Ann Milwe
  Authors include Yvonne Adrian, Stuart Spencer, Marilyn Rockafellow, Kathryn Rossetter, Elyse Knight, Craig Fols, Charlotte Colavin
  
• April 1:
  Host - Sarala Dee
  Authors include Maureen McDuffee, Dave Patterson
  
• April 8:
  Host - Anthony Vincent Bova
  Authors TBA
  
• April 15:
  Host - TBA
  Authors TBA
  
• April 22:
  Host - TBA
  Authors TBA
  
• April 29:
  Host - Joe Gilford
  Authors TBA
  
• May 6:
  Host - Stuart Spencer
  Authors TBA
  
• May 13:
  Host - Christopher Gorman
  Authors TBA
  
• May 20:
  Host - TBA
  Authors TBA
  

Plays and performers are typically announced the evening of the reading. Naked Angels, an experimental theatre company dedicated to developing plays, was founded in 1986 by such then-unknown actors and writers as Rob Morrow, Jon Robin Baitz, Marisa Tomei, Mary Stuart Masterson, Fisher Stevens, Ron Rifkin, Joe Mantello, Peter Hedges, Frank Pugliese, and Nancy Travis. No reservations are necessary for "Tuesdays at Nine"; call 212-397-7841 for more information.

-- By Andrew Ku