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 Actor's 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 full-length screenplays.

The series features guest curators (who choose the scripts) in an ongoing effort to spotlight emerging playwrights. Upcoming curators include:

• Jan14: Dan Mahre and Geneva Carr
  
• Jan 21: Playwrights Unit, Ensemble Studio Theatre
  
• Jan 28: Jane Hoffman
  
• Feb 4 and 11: George Xenus

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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