Arnette and Mello to Lead Staged Reading of Stop Kiss

By Adam Hetrick
25 Dec 2009

Diana Son's 1998 play Stop Kiss, about two women who are attacked on the streets of New York, will receive a one-night-only staged reading in Manhattan Jan. 16, 2010.

Brian Letchworth will direct the 8 PM reading that is hosted by The New York State Young Democrats. Stop Kiss is the inaugural presentation from Young Dems Act Out Against Hate. Sarah Jane Arnegger produces the event that will take place at Hunter College.

The cast will feature Crystal Arnette as Sara, Jennifer Mello as Callie, Jared Johnston as Peter, Jeremy Seglem as George, Mary Leggio as Mrs. Winsley/Nurse and Bernard Burlew as Detective Cole.

Stop Kiss, according to press notes, "is about loving and the consequences of loving — both wonderful and terrifying, both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Through humor and ordinary interactions, important questions are asked: When do we risk our personal safety for the sake of speaking our truth? What happens when our hearts are open to another person? Taking risks, both personal and emotional, is at the core of Diana Son's deceptively simple play. Stop... or go forward? Kiss... or keep walking? Speak up... or stay silent?"

Stop Kiss premiered Off-Broadway at the Public Theater. The original cast included Jessica Hecht and Sandra Oh.

For tickets, priced $25, visit ActBlue. The Ida K. Lang Recital Hall at Hunter College is located at 695 Park Avenue.