Let There Be, a reading of a new play by Stephen Kaplan
In 1883, two women—one married to the scientist inventing the lightbulb, the other to the reverend resisting it—sit down over birthday cake to debate the future. Sides aren’t what you expect and parlor talk jolts from lightbulbs to AI in a reality-bending collision of past, present, and the terrifying hope of technology racing faster than we can reckon with.
Stephen Kaplan Selected awards and productions: NNPN Rolling World Premiere: Tracy Jones (Finalist: ScreenCraft Stage Play Contest, B Street New Comedies Festival, Trustus Playwrights Festival); Long Drive Home (Theatre Aspen Solo Flights); Un Hombre: A Golem Story (Winner: Barbour Award; Finalist: Gulfshore Playhouse New Works Festival, Jewish Plays Project, Chameleon Theatre Circle’s New Play Contest, Wild Imaginings Epiphanies; Development: NJ PlayLab, RTB); Branwell (and other Brontës) (Semi-Finalist: O’Neill); Community (Finalist: Seven Devils; Road Less Traveled National Residency, Semi-Finalist: Premiere Stages, March Forth Productions); Exquisite Potential (Theatre Ariel, Dezart Performs, Project Rushmore; Winner: NJ Playwrights Contest, Across the Generations New Jewish Play Festival, Finalist: Woodward/Newman Award, Semi-Finalist: Seven Devils); A Real Boy (59E59 Theatre, Last Act Theater, This Is Water Theatre and Semi-Finalist: PlayPenn, Ashland New Play Festival, Dayton Playhouse FutureFest and MTWorks’ Newborn Festival). SPACE at Ryder Farm. MFA: Point Park University.
In partnership with Round The Bend Theatre — a mobile theater company with a mission to encourage Hudson Valley playwrights and their work in development. Through the process of inclusive readings and reflection, new voices are nurtured for future work.
Each play in the series will be read by professional actors, followed by a discussion with the playwright and audience.
Additional Round the Bend Theater productions at Byrdclffe Theater:
Sunday, June 14, 2026, 3 PM
The Dummies Guide to Murdering Your Husband, a reading of a new play by Nathan Johnson
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Sunday, June 28, 2026, 3 PM
Play-Off, a reading of a new play by Jason Wang
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Sunday, July 12, 2026, 3 PM
Loving Vivian, a new musical by Timothy Brown and Daniel Chadwick
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Sunday, July 26, 2026, 3 PM
The Goodness Robot, a reading of a new play by Paul Allman
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Sunday, August 9, 2026, 3 PM
Let There Be, a reading of a new play by Stephen Kaplan
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Sunday, August 23, 2026, 3 PM
Julia C, a reading of a new play by Daniel Pink
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