Hudson Stage Company, Westchester County's only professional company dedicated to the presentation of new works, kicks off its fall 2001 season with a reading of War in Paramus, with Tony Award-winners Blythe Danner and Daisy Eagan, under the direction of Austin Pendleton Sept. 21.

In the fall, Hudson Stage Company will present staged readings of two new plays and a full production of another new work.

The darkly funny War in Paramus takes place in the American suburbs of 1970, where a teenage girl (Eagan) "strives for independence as the Vietnam war is overshadowed by the struggles at home," according to production notes. The reading also features Heather Burns (of Off-Broadway's Lobby Hero). The reading is free and includes post-performance discussions with the writer, director and cast. The reading is 7:30 PM at the Croton Free Library, Croton-on-Hudson, NY.  Call (914) 271-2811 for information.

The company's full production this fall will be the New York premiere of Michael McKeever's comedy 37 Postcards. Directed by company producer Dan Foster, the play opens Oct. 12 and plays Fridays-Sundays through Oct. 28. The cast includes Susan Pellegrino (Broadway's The Kentucky Cycle, Two Shakespearean Actors, A View From the Bridge), Nancy McDoniel (The Sisters Rosensweig), Dan Ziskie (Morning's at Seven, I'm Not Rappaport) and Eric Sheffer Stevens (who has worked at Alabama Shakespeare Festival and The Alley Theatre).  For reservations call (914) 271-2811.

The final reading of the fall season will be Dan O'Brien's An Irish Play on Nov. 16. O'Brien's Moving Picture was presented last season by Hudson Stage and was workshopped this past summer at the O'Neill Institute in Connecticut. — By Kenneth Jones