IN THE
WORKS
Staged readings of new plays and musicals.
photo: WE THREE, by Linda Ramsay-Detherage
“IN THE WORKS” is Tipping Point Theatre’s developmental series,
focusing on the early process of page to stage.
It offers an opportunity for playwrights to have their new script read by actors, as well as collaborate with a director for one week. This process culminates in a staged reading in front of an audience. This audience is then invited to be a part of the artistic discussion after the reading.
A table reading of a new play…
KARA & EMMA & BARBARA & MIRANDA
by Ariel Stess
JAN 5, 2026 | 7:00 P.M.
General Admission, Free-of-Charge ($10 suggested donation)
Winner of the 2025 Yale Drama Series Prize and the 2024 Obie Award for Playwriting. A play that intertwines the lives of four women from different generations and social strata in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kara wakes up to find her husband and children missing. Twenty-year-old Emma runs away with a married man. Barbara’s ex-lover breaks into her home in the middle of the night. And the pipes in Miranda’s house burst.
Through a tapestry of internal monologues and scenes, KARA & EMMA & BARBARA & MIRANDA follows the journey of four women whose major life crises collide on Christmas Eve, leading them to accidentally help each other find a way out. An occasionally off-kilter, and deeply honest play about isolation, resilience, and the healing power of community.
Staged readings of a new musical…
THE BREAK
by Christopher Dimond and Michael Kooman
JAN 9-10, 2026 | 7:00 P.M.
General Admission, Free-of-Charge ($20 suggested donation)
Charlie and Samantha are at a crossroads in their relationship. As they near their tenth anniversary, the question of marriage looms large. They’ve always professed to be the type of couple who doesn’t need to get married, but lately… maybe something’s changed? They’re both feeling pressure to commit, but for reasons they can’t quite articulate, are hesitant to do so.
When Charlie finds an engagement ring hidden in Sam’s underwear drawer, they are forced to confront the issues they’ve been avoiding for years.
Having met in college and never seriously dated anyone else, the pair realize what they need before they take the plunge into marital bliss: A thirty day break. A relationship rumspringa, if you will. A month-long respite during which they can each sow their proverbial wild oats, at the end of which they plan to tie the knot.
We follow them both as their sexual walkabouts take them through the hilarious and heartbreaking trials and tribulations of dating in the modern world. Their separate journeys lead them on paths of self-discovery, and though they may not end up where they expect, their relationship evolves into something more complex, more mature, and ultimately more profound than they could have possibly anticipated.
At its heart, THE BREAK is a two-person musical about sex, love, and relationships. It’s about what sleeping with strangers can teach us about ourselves. It’s about the ways we grow together, and the ways we grow apart.
There will be a half hour talk back session after each reading. Audience is invited to stay and discuss the play with the cast and directors.