New screenplay reading series kicks off with "Plowing Up A Snake"

The New Hampshire Film and Television Office, in partnership with Red River Theatres, is proud to launch its new Screenplay Reading Series on October 9, 2008 at 7 p.m. at Red River Theatres in Concord with a reading of Plowing Up A Snake, written by award-winning New Hampshire screenwriter Dana Biscotti Myskowski and adapted from the novel by Merle Drown.

The Screenplay Reading Series will showcase new motion picture scripts read live by actors before an audience, followed by Q&A, creating a unique movie-going experience. The series focuses on the craft of cinematic storytelling, long before a frame of film is shot, and is dedicated to fostering a forum where screenwriters can hear their words come to life and network with actors, potential film investors, and other artists involved in filmmaking.

Plowing Up A Snake tells the story of a trio of vigilantes who murder the most hated man in the seemingly idyllic village of Enoch, New Hampshire. Clay Freeman, a man who believes evil deeds can be corrected through hard work, goes plowing up a snake in search of answers and redemption. When townsfolk refuse to talk, Clay divulges the identities of the men to the newly anointed, and vengeful, widow.

The Screenplay Reading Series presents works on an invitation-only basis (a submission process is forthcoming) and screenplays must have an emphasis on New Hampshire, either in their setting or their potential to be filmed in the Granite State. The screenplays are read in an intimate setting at Red River Theatres by actors cast into the screenplay’s respective roles by a director who works with the writer specifically for the reading. Screenplay readings can last anywhere between ninety minutes to two hours.

With three screenplay readings held throughout the course of a year, audiences have the rare opportunity to “listen” to a film script, take part in a dialogue with the writer afterward, and hear the artistic conversation that happens “behind-the-scenes.”

Tickets are $8 and are available at the Red River Theatres box office or online. Information on the Screenplay Reading Series can also be found at the website for the New Hampshire Film and Television Office. Visit Red River Theatres online at www.redrivertheatres.org.