ANN ARBOR—Ushering in 2020 in its new permanent indoor venue, Penny Seats Theatre returns to Stone Chalet Bed and Breakfast Inn and Event Center, 1917 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor (734) 417-7223, for a two-night new play reading series, One Day More running February 29 and March 1.

One Day More features new work of Michigan playwrights Michael Alan Herman, Josie Lapczynski, and Joseph Zettelmaier, presented in a concert-reading format, and directed by Penny Seats Board Member Heather Hudson. This event is pay-what-you can at the door, and concessions will be for sale. Seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended. Readings begin at 6pm and 8pm on Saturday February 29 and Sunday March 1.

Performances should end by 10:00 p.m. each night. After each reading, the audience will be invited to participate in a talk-back with the playwrights. The readings will feature many favorite local actors, including Brittany Batell, Kryssy Becker, Matt Cameron, David Galido, Julia Garlotte, Caleb Ian Gilbert, Dan Johnson, Allison Megroet, Jenna Pittman, Jasmine Rose, and Robert Schorr.

One Day More will feature the following plays:

NIGHT 1: STAGE FRIGHT (two horror plays)

6:00 p.m. – The Jigsaw Bride by Joseph Zettelmaier: A Gothic drama. At the end of the Victorian era, Maria von Moos finds an incredible discovery in the ruins of a Swiss castle…Justine, a woman frozen in time for a hundred years. She brings this stranger into her home, and a journey of science and hope begins. As Justine begins to remember who and what she is, Maria sees a future brighter than she could imagine. But harsh realities and betrayals threaten all they hope to accomplish when a traveling circus comes to town.

8:00 p.m. – The Mummy Queen, by Michael Alan Herman, adapted from Bram Stoker’s Jewel of the Seven Stars
In the opulent halls of the Trelawny Estate, five Victorians – a doctor, a lawyer, a housemaid, an aristocrat, and a constable find the master of the house in a bloodless trance. As they dig into the mystery of his illness, they discover something deeper and older than they could possibly imagine still wants revenge.

NIGHT 2: SCIENCE FICTION DOUBLE FEATURE (two science-fiction plays)

6:00 p.m. – Spaceling by Michael Alan Herman and Josie Lapczynski: A painter struggles to keep an alien lifeform hidden in his house amid a budding scientific investigation.

8:00 p.m. – The Known Limits by Joseph Zettelmaier: Astronomer Seth Kohler has found…something. Whatever that “something” is, he’s been given a loan of state-of-the-art equipment to learn more about it. Viv Kendall, the technician assigned to get the equipment up and running, finds herself drawn to this mysterious discovery, especially after learning that Seth’s mentor, originally part of the project, was recently institutionalized.

Tickets are pay-what-you-can. For more information, visit www.pennyseats.org.