Off The Page is Actors Theatre of Little Rock’s series of one-night only presentations designed to extend our mission beyond the full productions we offer each season.

Off The Page offers audiences a chance to hear new or rarely produced plays that connect with today’s social and political issues. These plays allow us to include multiple voices in important, ongoing conversations around race, religion, gender identity, and more. Each reading concludes with a talkback featuring artists and community members.

Each play is rehearsed by a group of actors for no more than 25 hours and performed with scripts in hand. Some of these plays will be fully produced in future years, and some of the plays are just interesting to hear once. Either way, you get to taste more plays each year.

Play readings are $7 (with tips accepted for the performers) and include a brief post-show discussion to give the audience a chance to reflect on the piece and the themes and issues it presents.

Want to get involved?

Want to be cast in a play reading? Fill out the form below to be in the casting pool that we consider for readings! Casting submissions are always open, so you only need to fill out the form once! If there is a specific reading coming up that you are interested in, feel free to reach out and let us know!

Audition for the Readings!

Upcoming Readings:

Mrs. Phu's Cleansing Juices (and also salads) by Emily Witt

We are excited to announce our first play reading, Mrs. Phu's Cleansing Juices (and also salads)! Mrs. Phu's will make its Arkansas Premiere Thursday, August 18th at Nexus Coffee & Creative! Tickets are $7 if purchased in advance or $10 at the door. Get your tickets through the link below!

Play Reading Tickets!

About the Play:

Entering Mrs. Phu's means crossing a gauntlet of steadfast Reaganites and pro-lifers. Just on the other side of the trenches lies a world where a waiter wrangles eccentric customers, a hippie lady floats aimlessly, and three very different women gather to receive abortions under the constraints of stringent federal mandates.

Mrs. Phu's will be directed by Maddy Meigs.

Meet the Cast!

We are excited to announce the cast of Mrs. Phu's Cleansing Juices (and also salads)! Make sure to get your tickets for this ONE NIGHT ONLY performance!

Meet the Director!

Maddy Meigs (she/her)

Maddy is a full-time film teacher at North Little Rock High School and a part-time theatre maker. She is so thrilled to bring this new and important piece to Central Arkansas. Catch her (and several other cast members) at the Joint in Argenta doing improv every Wednesday. Thanks so much for supporting local artists, and caring about reproductive rights. Abortion is a human right. Support it at ArkansasAbortionSupportNetwork.org

Meet the Playwright!

Emily Witt (she/her)

As a child, I loved words so much that I never put my books down. Even when crossing in front of busy streets and beeping cars. I penned my first play at the ripe age of seven, which followed a torrid love affair between the two lawn gnomes in my yard. Don’t worry—they’ve since reconciled, and their relationship continues to grow stronger each day, just like my adoration for words. Now, I pour that same passion for the English language into my work at Texas Freedom Network, a multi-issue progressive & advocacy organization. I earned my BFA in Playwriting from Chicago's DePaul University in 2017, where my play about our country's barriers to abortion access, Mrs. Phu’s Cleansing Juices (and also salads), was given a mainstage production. Soon after, the play received a Distinguished Achievement Award for Playwriting from The Kennedy Center. Now, I reside in Austin, TX. I spend most of my free time volunteering with SAFE, an org that serves sexual assault and domestic violence survivors, writing plays, and hanging with my dog.