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Mission

My job as a playwright is to entertain, educate and emotionally challenge the audience. Each work is a call to action, whether it be to storm the barricades, seek acceptance, or merely to love.

Upcoming events

Berkshire Opera Festival

presents:

 

A Workshop Performance

of

The Reef

(Act I of the opera)

 

Music by  Anthony Davis

Libretto by  Joan Ross Sorkin

Conducted by  Geoffrey Larson

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10, 2024 @ 7 PM

 

MERKIN HALL AT KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER

129 West 67th Street, NYC

 

Tickets:

https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/mch/event/anthony-davis-joan-ross-sorkins-the-reef/

 

For more info (including The Mount Book Club event):

https://www.berkshireoperafestival.org/thereef

 

Adapted from Edith Wharton’s novel and reset on a sugar plantation in Martinique, 1911, The Reef is the tragic love story between an American widow and a diplomat, defeated by the strict conventions of society that breed intolerance based on race and class.

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When no choice is the only choice…

 

The York Theatre Company

as part of its Development Reading Series

presents:

 

An Industry Reading

of

Bordello, The Musical

 

Music by  Emiliano Messiez

Lyrics by  Barbara Bellman

Book by  Barbara Bellman & Joan Ross Sorkin

Musical Direction & Vocal Arrangements by  Steven Gross

Directed by Will Pomerantz

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 @ 3 PM

FRIDAY, MARCH 1 @ 1 PM

 

Theatre Row

410 W. 42nd St. (Theatre 3), NY

 

Featuring:

Dana Aber • Ellie Biron • Emily Brockway

Harrison Bryan •Alison Cimmet • Cicily Daniels

Ryan Duncan • Jamie LaVerdiere • Jillian Louis

Omar Lopez-Cepero • Benjamin Magnuson • Samantha Massell

Shereen Pimentel • Cheryl Stern • Pablo Torres • Eric Van Tielen

 

By invitation only

 

Set in Buenos Aires in 1920, Bordello is the never-been-told-before story of one brave woman who risks everything to bring a notorious sex-trafficking ring to justice. With a musical palette that includes tango and klezmer, the musical is inspired by historical events surrounding Raquel Liberman, a Polish immigrant who was forced into prostitution and is now considered a folk hero in Argentina.

Something’s rotten in the borough of Brooklyn…

 

A READING

of

HAMLET IN BENSONHURST

 

By Joan Ross Sorkin

 

A reimagining of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, set in a Jewish family

in Brooklyn in 1969 in the shadow of the Vietnam War

 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2023 @ 7:30PM

 

Featuring:

Will DeVary • Ginger Grace • Tim Jerome

John McGowan • Carole Monferdini • Mikey Marmann

Rita Neidich • Allison Sheff • Niko Touros

 

Scarsdale Public Library

54 Olmstead Rd., Scarsdale, NY

North South Meeting Room

 

Admission is free, but reservations are required

sorkinbw@aol.com

Send name, number of tickets and email address

Confirmation will follow

 

Talk-back follows reading

NEW PRODUCTION:

 

(mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY:

The Hattie McDaniel Story

 

By Joan Ross Sorkin

Starring Tina Fabrique

 

Directed by Seret Scott

 

The Schoolhouse Theater

3 Owens Road

Croton Falls, NY 10519

 

July 14 - 30, 2023

 

The play explores the controversial life of Hattie McDaniel and her attempt to vindicate herself in the face of the NAACP'S unrelenting "Campaign against Mammyism" in Hollywood in the 1930s and 40s. Lurking beneath the surface of this campaign is the growing tension between light-skinned and dark-skinned Blacks within the burgeoning film industry. It is not just Hattie's story; it is America's story.

 

For more info, about the show, click on (mis)Understanding Mammy under “Plays” on the website above.

 ANNOUNCING

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF:

DANDELION

A New Family Musical

 

Book and Lyrics by Joan Ross Sorkin

Music by Mary Liz McNamara

 

Based on the book Dandelion by Don Freeman

 

Directed by Jill Zarcone

 

Playhouse on Park

244 Park Road

West Hartford, CT 06119

 

April 25 - May 14, 2023

 

The musical is the story of Dandelion, a shy, awkward lion who decides to reinvent himself when he is invited to Jennifer Giraffe’s impromptu party, but ultimately learns it's better just to be yourself. Additional themes include bullying and social exclusion. Most suitable for ages 5-11, but a show the whole family can enjoy!

 

For more info, about the show and music links, click on Dandelion tab under "Musicals" on the website above.