The Putnam Theatre Alliance will present scenes from their new play “Pay Dirt” at the Putnam Arts Council, 521 Kennicut Hill Road, Mahopac, on Saturday, October 14 at 5 pm.
The Alliance is Arts on the Lake (Kent), the Philipstown Depot Theatre (Garrison) and Tompkins Corners Cultural Center (Putnam Valley) acting as a unit to present more ambitious programming than the organizations could do on their own.
Formed during the pandemic, the Alliance first presented radio plays from 1939 on Zoom in the spring of 2021, coupled with commissioned short plays by John Leonard Pielmeier, Christine Toy Johnson and Craig Lucas.
The more ambitious “Pay Dirt Project” is a commissioned full-length play being written by Nan-Lynn Nelson, Vickie Ramirez and Kate Moira Ryan, directed by Alice Jankell.
“Pay Dirt” focuses on the struggle over land in what would become Putnam County just before the American Revolution, when property changed hands and soldiers changed sides with ferocity and speed. The main characters include landowner Mary Philipse, the Philipse family’s enslaved miller Cesar, and Wappinger Chief Daniel Nimham.
The presentation at the Putnam Arts Council will include key scenes, key characters and a plan for how the production will be realized and tour the three theaters in March 2024. It is expected to last about an hour, but the gallery will remain open and the audience will be invited to share refreshments with the producers and the diverse cast of actors.
This event is free. Those planning to attend may reserve a place HERE.
Tompkins Corners Cultural Center is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization located in the historic church at 729 Peekskill Hollow Rd. in Putnam Valley, New York. Events include concerts, play readings, visual arts exhibits and classes, historical talks, family events, and Poets’ Corner Open Mics. Visit our website- TompkinsCorners.org, our TCCC Facebook Page, or email info@tompkinscorners.org.