Staged Reading of SWIFT ILL

This reading is a collaboration between Diversionary Theatre and The Old Globe/USD Shiley Graduate Theatre Program. Playwright and MFA student, Madi Goff, creates a musical comedy about grief, politics, and pandemics. Be prepared for dark humor and political satire!

SWIFT ILL is the story of a queer woman, Kayla, who loses her fiancé to Covid and is visited by three victims of past pandemics - a 14th century Italian knight who died of the Black Death, a young 1918 soldier killed by Influenza, and a 1990s trans queen who died after contracting HIV/AIDS. Together, Kayla and her ghostly companions move through their grief, goodbyes, and on with their lives. Or, in the case of the dead, their after-lives.

Songs will be spoken and the performance will include a short intermission.

Content warnings: suicidal ideation

Parking Information

Limited street parking is available during the evenings on all the surrounding streets. There is metered and unmetered street parking available during the day time.Please come early to allow ample time to find parking before the start of the performance.

What is a staged reading?

Once a play is written, a common part of the development process is the staged reading. This is when a producer or playwright engages a director and actors to read the play aloud, often with an audience. A staged reading allows the playwright to witness how their words come to life off the page. The staged reading process includes several rehearsals along with a performance (or two). The goal is for the writer to receive feedback, make script adjustments, experience an audience's reaction to the piece, and attract potential collaborators.

What will it be like?

The set up of staged readings can vary. The actors are not memorized, so scripts will be in hand. Often a specific actor is assigned to read the stage directions of the script, including the audience in what might be happening on stage. Depending on the level of "staging" in the rehearsal process, actors may be sitting in chairs with their scripts on music stands in front of them OR they might move through the space as they would in the final performance. In the case of musicals, if the music is written, the actors might sing some or all of the songs. When the music is not yet written, the actors might speak lyrics as heightened text.