Script2Stage2Screen will Present a Staged Reading of A Very Holly Moosemas, a Family-Friendly, Feel-Good Show.
By Audrey Liebross
Script2Stage2Screen (S2S2S), a local performing arts organization for the development of original stage productions, will present two staged reading performances of A Very Holly Moosemas, Jean Ciampi’s family-friendly ode to the Christmas spirit. The performances will occur on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18, 2023 in Rancho Mirage.
S2S2S differs from many local theatre companies in that it presents only staged readings, rather than full-fledged plays. However, board member Hal O’Connell pointed out that the only real difference between an S2S2S staged reading and a full production is that, at S2S2S, the actors carry scripts.
While moose (I’ve always thought the plural should be “mooses” or “meese”) are rare in Atlanta, let alone Atlanta in August, they do certainly conjure up visions of snow and sleighs. (I’m sure Santa meets up with many moose on his way from the North Pole).
Moosemas focuses on Holly Anderson, a young woman who adores Christmas. Holly is convinced she can create Christmas movie magic in Atlanta in August. A bear, a scotch-drinking nun, a case of salmonella, a cranky short-term rental host, and a Scrooge of a boss may say otherwise. But, joy isn’t where you find it but where and when you create it. And at least we are getting to the Christmas season, although it feels more like late summer instead of November here in the Coachella Valley.
Brent Anderson is directing the staged reading, with a cast well-known to local audiences: Don Cilluffo, Laura Martinez-Urrea, Renee Poignard, Alex Price, Jesus Sandoval, and Alexana Thomas. Brent told us by email that he wanted to become involved with Moosemas as soon as he realized that the writer, Jean Ciampi, was the same author who wrote The Bold and Bob, in which he performed last season; S2S2S’s reading of that play received five Desert Theatre League nominations.
Formed in 2010 by a small group of playwrights, S2S2S started as a vehicle to premiere original plays. As an arm of UUCOD, it has developed into a diverse performing arts organization in the Coachella Valley with the mission of highlighting social justice, families, sexual equality, the dignity of humanity, and the joy and humor of life.
Moosemas certainly concentrates heavily on life’s joy and humor — not only does the subject matter revolve around Christmas joy, but playwright Jean Ciampi’s tongue-in-cheek approach to writing is apparent from her bio:
Jean Ciampi is a playwright, columnist, Dramatists Guild of America member, passport holder, scuba diver, actress, baseball fan, director, Texan, humorist, dog lover and cilantro hater. She is a member of the 2022 Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive and would like to play roller derby. Her first play, Potato Gumbo, written in Saudi Arabia, won a Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence but did not win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. She still has sour grapes with Hamilton about that…
Coachella Valley Theatre World does not review S2S2S’s performances; by the time we’d be able to publish a review, their two-evening run would be over. We therefore urge our readers to follow our preview articles about S2S2S’s upcoming performances to make sure they don’t miss any productions.
A Very Holly Moosemas will take place on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18, 2023, at 7:30 p.m. All of S2S2S’s performances take place at UUCOD, 72-425 Via Vail Rancho Mirage, CA 92270 (across from the Rancho Mirage Dog Park). Tickets are $15 cash or check at the door, or they may be purchased via PayPal on the S2S2S website, www.script2stage2screen.com . Will-call reservations may be made at script2stage2screen@gmail.com.
PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Fisher
The rest of S2S2S’s season consists of:
Let It Rain, by Ed Friedman (January 26-27, 2024). Putting on a classic American play should be easy for an established community theatre, but it doesn’t work out that way when there are competing agendas among participants. And community stakeholders have their own ideas as well.
The Most Distinguished Citizen of Ledbetter Gap, written and directed by Jason Hull (February 23- 24, 2024). It takes more than you think to win a big award in a small town!
Life, Love, And The Pursuit, by Shelley Chester (March 22-23, 2024) Maxine Stafford, 67, meets a successful 55-year-old writer, Ryan Allen Squire. As Maxine attempts to play matchmaker for Ryan, the two develop an unlikely friendship that changes both of their lives.
Young Playwrights’ Celebration: Main Character, by Brooklyn Rutledge (April 19-20, 2024). Cass is a completely, totally, absolutely average high school girl, definitely not anybody who would be a main character. She is overly aware of this fact, and yet, here she is dealing with all the annoyances that come from being the star of the show.
Southlake, by Mike Byham (May 24-25, 2024). We peek in on the life-defining moments of Randall Scott – a Vietnam veteran who with his young, pregnant wife Rose settled into the quiet farming suburb of Southlake, Texas in the early 1970’s. Told through scenes that alternate between the early 70’s and 2022, it’s a story of love, regret, change and redemption. And there’s a ghost.
Engagement Rules, by Rich Orloff (June 21-22, 2024). This comedy follows the intertwined lives of two couples who have become good friends despite (or because of) their multi-decade age gap. Both couples face problems at the intersection of sexuality and spirituality, forcing everyone to face questions that none of them can answer easily.