Cold Reads, Warm Company
During the COVID shutdown, as a longtime member of Michael Laskin Studio, I took part in a weekly Thursday evening play reading series that offered both community and a much-needed creative workout and a place to simply play.
I participated in over a dozen cold readings, gathering on Zoom with fellow actors for an evening of storytelling with no rehearsal. Audiences were welcome to join us for free, logging in simply to listen and share the experience. The series included established plays as well as new work introduced through the studio’s Writer’s Lab, giving playwrights the chance to hear their scripts out loud and actors the opportunity to dig into fresh material.
One week it might be a comedy, the next a drama or a farce. Sometimes a two person play, sometimes a large cast. Each reading asked us to jump in, make instinctive choices, and find our way through the story together.
What made the series special was its focus on experience rather than outcome. Reading cold stripped everything down to the essentials. The writing. The characters. The listening. After each reading, the conversation centered on the play itself and the playwright’s work, not on performance polish. Just curiosity, connection, and the joy of doing the work.
When so much of the world felt paused, those Thursday nights kept my creative muscles engaged and my spirit connected to story and community. The Michael Laskin Studio had been my artistic home for more than a decade, and during COVID, it continued to be exactly that. A place to show up, work out, and stay close to storytelling.
