Frontmezzjunkies reports: The postponed theatrical marathon returns June 22 with readings of five major plays and a star-studded cast
By Ross
Back in February, I wrote about Twelve Hours with Tracy Letts with a mixture of admiration and envy. It was exactly the kind of theatre event that makes me wish I could instantly transport myself to New York for a day: twelve uninterrupted hours devoted to one of America’s most compelling playwrights, performed by an extraordinary collection of artists inside one of Broadway’s most distinctive spaces. Then a major snowstorm swept through the city, and the event was postponed before it could begin.
Now, four months later, that long-awaited celebration finally has its second chance.
On Monday, June 22, Twelve Hours with Tracy Letts will take over Circle in the Square Theatre from 11:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Presented by Animus Theatre Company in association with Circle in the Square Theatre School, the marathon reading festival will feature staged readings of five of Letts’ most acclaimed works: August: Osage County, Killer Joe, Linda Vista, The Minutes, and Man from Nebraska.
The festival itself has become something of a New York theatre tradition. Since first launching in 2014, the event has celebrated major contemporary playwrights through marathon readings that give audiences a rare opportunity to encounter multiple works by a single writer in one immersive sitting. Previous editions have focused on writers such as Beth Henley, John Patrick Shanley, and Leslye Headland. This year’s gathering also honours the legacy of influential acting teacher and mentor Alan Langdon, for whom the festival is now named.
Few contemporary playwrights feel as suited to this kind of theatrical deep dive as Tracy Letts. His plays occupy wildly different worlds, yet they are united by an unwavering fascination with people trying to survive disappointment, longing, ambition, resentment, and love. Families implode. Communities conceal uncomfortable truths. Relationships fracture under pressure. Yet even in their darkest moments, Letts’ characters remain recognizably human.
That range becomes especially apparent when looking at the lineup itself. August: Osage County remains one of the great American family dramas of the twenty-first century. Killer Joe explores violence, desperation, and moral collapse. Linda Vista examines middle age and loneliness with both humour and pain. The Minutes peels back the comforting myths communities tell themselves. Man from Nebraska follows a man confronting a profound spiritual crisis. Together, they form a remarkable portrait of a playwright constantly asking difficult questions about who we are and how we live alongside one another.
The participating cast only adds to the excitement. Performers include Jason Biggs, Beanie Feldstein, John Gallagher Jr., Katrina Lenk, Matthew Lillard, Hamish Linklater, Thomas Sadoski, Adrienne Warren, and Jak Malone, among many others. Part of the appeal of a reading festival is its unpredictability. The focus shifts away from production elements and toward actors, text, and the thrilling possibility of discovery.
I still won’t be able to attend. That disappointment has not entirely faded since February. If anything, seeing the festival finally arrive only makes me more jealous of those lucky enough to spend a day inside Circle in the Square, moving from one Letts play to the next. Yet I am genuinely glad that the event found a new date rather than quietly disappearing beneath a snowstorm and a crowded theatre calendar.
There is something deeply heartening about a full day dedicated not to spectacle, but to storytelling itself. Actors gathering simply to read. Audiences gathering simply to listen. Five plays connected by a writer whose work consistently explores the messy, complicated ways people search for meaning, connection, and understanding. That feels like the real spirit of this event. Long after the final reading concludes, what lingers is the simple idea of people spending twelve hours together inside great stories, searching for something truthful in the company of strangers.