Irvington Theater To Present Reading Of Rachel Yong's New Play at The Irvington Public Library

After premiering nine plays in two online festivals during the height of lockdown, Irvington Theater will present their first in-person Arts Incubator event in years - hosted at the Irvington Public Library!

Brooklyn-based playwright (and actor) Rachel Yong will present a free reading of her play Statewide Self Storage on Thursday, November 3 at 7:30pm, followed by a brief talkback with Yong, director Gregory G. Allen (Irvington Theater's Manager), and the cast (to be announced). Set at a row of outdoor storage units in a suburban desert, Yong's play is a thoughtful, moving tale of fathers and daughters, finding compassion, and making sense of the stuff we accumulate in our lives.

"Working on this play, which I started in 2009, has not been dissimilar to combing through a storage unit," said Yong when reflecting on her goals for the reading. "Every few years, after some period of major personal transition, I have revisited the piece, been surprised by what the me of three years before might have stored away or thought valuable, tossed out major chunks, and carried in new ideas and experiences. What's left, after a very long, slow, and private process, is, hopefully, a distillation... The play finally feels like it represents where I am today, and I think it's ready for a little more light shining in."

Designed as a way to invite audiences inside the creative process, Irvington Theater's Arts Incubator showcases in-development works of theater. Yong has embraced the series' spirit wholeheartedly: "It's an invitation to sift through a rather personal and complicated play with me and see what might be worth keeping."

Join Irvington Theater for a free reading of Rachel Yong's Statewide Self Storage on November 3 at 7:30pm at the Irvington Public Library, located at 12 S Astor Street in Irvington. Parking is available. Seating is limited, so you are encouraged to make reservations at www.irvingtontheater.com/statewideselfstorage.

Rachel Yong was first introduced to Irvington audiences when her play Guilt is a Mother was selected for the Theater's inaugural Arts Incubator Short Play Fest in 2021. Her plays have been performed at The Flea Theater, JACK, HERE, Berkeley Rep, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University. She is a founding member of Decent Company, where she wrote and performed three solo shows, including Diver Girl: or, The Most Fearless Rachel Yong! Prior to moving to New York, she was a proud member of PlayGround, the Bay Area's leading playwright incubator. She is the writer and creator of the comedy web series Randee So Dandy and has written and produced two short films screened at the Asian American International Film Festival. She also writes essays, novels, reviews, and poems.

Gregory G. Allen is the manager of Irvington Theater. He is an award-winning writer and director of film and stage. He spent six years as artistic director of 4th Wall Theatre in New Jersey, who specialized in lesser known and original theatre pieces. He is a published author of several books, a member of the The Dramatist Guild and The Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and a former member of the BMI Musical Theater Workshop.

Irvington Theater is home to a diverse range of innovative programming that entertains, enlightens, and inspires, establishing itself over its 120-year history as the cultural heart of the Rivertowns. Their theater, located inside of Irvington's Town Hall, remains temporarily closed as a much-anticipated HVAC system is installed. Until then, IT will continue to offer a combination of in-person, offsite events and virtual programming as part of #IrvingtonAnywhere.