'Hiding in Daylight' Featured During Take Pride, Bloomfield!

When playwright Gregory G. Allen started writing the dystopian story HIDING IN DAYLIGHT about a gay purge, he didn't really know where he was going with it. At first he thought it was a short film, then a 15 minute play. That grew into an hour long one act play which will have its NJ premiere as a reading as part of the Take Pride, Bloomfield! festival happening in Bloomfield, NJ on Saturday, May 19th at 3pm. The dystopian LGBT tale tackles highly debated topics such as equality, politics, same-sex marriage, racial tensions - all as two couples come together to remember life before the gay purge and must decide if they can continue the risk of a weekly dinner together. The single evening and setting of the drama allows for layers to be unwrapped in real time as audiences learn more about the couples and what is driving the fears each of them carry.

The event will be a semi-staged reading and members of Bloomfield’s professional theater company 4th Wall Theatre will perform and partake in a Q&A afterwards with the playwright. The piece features: Beth Baur (co-founder of New Jersey School of Dramatic Arts in Bloomfield), Ted Cancila, Bruce McCandless, and Gwen Ricks-Spencer (Executive Director of 4th Wall). The event is FREE and meant for mature audiences.

"I am so excited to work with these incredible actors," playwright Gregory G. Allen says. "At the first read thru, they all gave such humanity to these characters and brought my work alive. I was so touched by the nuances in which they were giving these people for what was to be small event. After that, I knew I wanted them on their feet for the reading and to make it semi-staged."

Of the piece, Ricks-Spencer says “4th Wall was very happy to get involved with this reading. Our mission includes a focus on presenting new works. We’ve had the opportunity to work with Greg before on an original piece and when I read HIDING IN DAYLIGHT, I immediately knew that it needed to be presented to an audience. I expect that it will cause a great deal of thoughtful conversation, which is very exciting.”

Allen is an award-winning author who has been in the entertainment industry for 30 years as a writer, actor, filmmaker, and director. He is known locally as the former managing director of the Westminster Arts Center at Bloomfield College and has also been seen on stage and off for several 4th Wall Theatre shows. As a writer, he tells diverse stories that usually have a form of advocacy of some sort. From autism to foster care to gay rights, he has used the pen as his own private march.

"I knew I had to get this story out there because of what I see happening in our society today," Allen says. "People may think it's just a cake or it's just the firing of a gay school teacher or it's a purge in Chechnya and could never happen here - but I couldn't stay silent. My play took on the form of a call to action for people to pay attention while we still can. I am thrilled that other cities across the US are asking to do their own readings of this play to use it as a conversation starter. If that happens, I feel I've made a small ripple that can grow into a monsoon if given the chance ."

Take Pride, Bloomfield! is a program that runs January through June, 2018 at the Bloomfield Library and was made possible by an Incubation Grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. The festival examines the LGBTQ community through literature, film, and other experiences while building upon the energy and initiative of the LGBTQ organization Bloomfield Pride.

The playwright is grateful to Bloomfield Pride for including his play in this festival and looks forward to the discussion after the May 19th event which is open to the public. The reading takes place at the The Little Theater at the Bloomfield Library, 90 Broadway Street Bloomfield NJ. 973-566-6200. For more information, visit http://www.bplnj.org/take-pride-bloomfield

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