Off-Broadway's Inverse Theatre Company, known as the purveyor of many febrile entertainments by prolific verse playwright Kirk Wood Bromley, will launch a new play reading series, "The Inverse Playground," on Feb. 25 at 7 PM at the St. Mark's Theatre (94 St. Mark's Place at the corner of First Avenue).

Joshua Spafford, who has appeared in many Bromley plays, is the curator of the series. The inaugural offering is Corny, a new comedy by Robert Simonson. The cast will include such downtown theatre regulars as Bill Coelius, Melanie Martinez, Emily Greenhill, Dave Shalansky, Al Benditt, Matt Oberg, Darius Stone, Spafford himself and writer-director auteur John Jahnke (Lola Montez in Bavaria).

Corny looks at Ben, a perhaps too tender-hearted New Yorker who is nearly driven to despair by the confounding behavior of his friends, family and coworkers, who seem to willfully expel any sense of joy or curiosity from their cool, cynical existences.

Simonson's plays have been produced and workshopped at Soho Rep, the adobe theatre company, Nada, Theatre Three and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. [Full disclosure: Simonson is the editor of Playbill On-Line]

The reading is at 7 PM. The St. Mark's Theatre is located at 94 St. Marks Place in the East Village at the southeast corner of First Avenue. — By Christine Ehren