The Prey, an original work by South-Florida playwright Gina Montet, will be presented by Mangrove Creative Collective at its first public reading on July 27, 2015 at The Little Haiti Cultural Complex- 212 NE 59th Terrace in Miami, FL 33137. The reading is part of the South Florida Theatre League’s Summer Theatre Fest, which hosts a reading series of new works by local playwrights at member theatres.
Set deep within the wild Florida frontier and inspired by actual events, The Prey is a chilling interpretation of one of Florida’s most notorious killers. The story is set in and around historic Smallwood’s Trading Post, which remains open and preserved as a museum today. Playwright Gina Montet gives further insight into the work’s backdrop in the July 2, 2015 Mangrove Creative Collective blog post.
This public reading of The Prey is one of the steps in the Collective’s developmental process for new works. This multi-layered process includes readings, one-on-one time with the writers, discussions with the actors and audiences, exploration, fundraising, and assembling the best creative team to move the project forward.
Mangrove Creator and Project Manager for The Prey, Joseph M. NeSmith, offers: “Our goal is to open the doors and invite the audience into the process of creating new work. In addition to readings, we are sharing our playwrights’ thoughts and the Mangrove Creative Collective’s process via our blog. We first organized two private readings of The Prey, once with the Mangrove Creators reading the parts, then once with a full cast of professional actors that were excited to lend their talent and skill to a new piece of theatre about our region.”
“The Mangrove Writing Lab allows the playwright a chance to hear the words and make new discoveries while continuing to work on the script. With The Prey, it’s an opportunity to get an audience response to the material while we continue working toward a workshop production.”
For the public reading Mangrove has partnered with the City of Miami and the Little Haiti Cultural Complex. Along with the South Florida Theatre League, this reading has been fiscally sponsored by Front of the House. Catering by Lovables is providing the pre-reading reception on July 27, along with private donations.
Mangrove Creative Collective has two additional plays in the works- Tangled Roots by Matt Stabile, which will be entering the writing lab this summer, and Coral Fables, by Gina Montet, which is in the early stages of creation.
Mangrove Creative Collective seeks to serve, engage, and energize the South Florida community by creating and developing innovative storytelling. Our work highlights South Florida’s rich culture and history, illuminating homegrown, culturally-diverse stories for a global audience. Learn more about the Collective at www.mangrovecreativecollective.org, and follow updates at www.facebook.com/MangroveCreativeCollective.
