America Staged Reading Cast & Crew
WELCOME AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST!
On Sunday, November 9, 2025 we will be having a staged reading of a new play entitled “America” as a benefit for the Savannah Performance Alliance.
Actors will be reading from scripts that will be provided. There will be blocking with entrances and exits written into the script. There will not be a set, per se, but we will use tables and chairs to suggest it. A narrator will read important stage direction. We will use microphones and there will be lighting and sound cues.
This will require only about 8 hours of your time with a schedule that will look something like this:
2pm – Meet, discuss, and layout the stage and strategy.
2:30pm – Begin rehearsal. This will basically just be a walkthough/read through. We may stop and start and redo things as necessary.
5:00pm – Dinner break. Dinner will be provided.
6:00pm – Last looks, discussion, add mics, and do a mic check.
6:30pm – Doors open.
7:00pm – Staged reading begins.
9:00pm – Post show discussion with the audience.
10:00pm – Finished.
SCRIPT
On the surface, “America” is a dark thriller/drama about a group of people trapped in a roadside diner by an unspecified threat outside. But just undeneath that surface is an examination of the polarization of our country and the divisions that are threatening to tear it apart.
This is the most recent version of the script. There may be changes before the reading. More detailed and explicit blocking will be added.
CAST
ABBY (AJae Michele)
A cautious woman looking for a new start who finds herself trying to hold everything together.
CLAIRE (Carol Dines)
A scared woman who just wants to pretend that everything is okay.
DONNA (Scenarious Thurmond)
One of a group of three people who are sharing a ride cross country and end up in the diner on the fateful day. In the first act, Donna is bleeding heart progressive. In the second act, she is a MAGA conservative.
FAITH (Gwen Leahy)
An angry young woman who is used to fighting for survival.
GAVIN (Elliot Szabo)
A bit of an asshole who covers his fear with bluster and bravado.
ISAIAH (Rayshawn Roberts)
A preacher who is trying to make sense of what is happening and trying to keep the peace amongst the group.
Luis (Alister King)
A troubled man who wants to sieze control of the situation in ways that could endanger them all.
MIKE (Ethan Goble)
One of a group of three people who are sharing a ride cross country and end up in the diner on the fateful day. In the first act, he is a conservative Republican. In the second act, he is a jokester caught in the middle of a political discussion he doesn’t want any part of.
NAHIM (Thomas Houston)
A rational man caught in an irrational situation.
PETER (Trey Coles)
One of a group of three people who are sharing a ride cross country and end up in the diner on the fateful day. In the first act, he is a jokester caught in the middle of a political discussion he doesn’t want any part of. In the second act, he is a very progressive liberal.
SAMANTHA (Cami Nicole Hall)
The owner of the diner who has a dark past she is hiding from.