MAC Original Playreading Series: The Freeing of the Bird by Ronnie Hernandez

Name: MAC Original Playreading Series: The Freeing of the Bird by Ronnie Hernandez
Start: 2025-09-11T19:30:00-04:00
Location: Media Fellowship House

Schedule

Thu, 11 Sep, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Media Fellowship House | Media, PA

Thursday, September 11
Reading begins 7:30
Admission is pay what you wish, $10 donation suggested
Written by Ronnie Hernandez
Directed by Kelci Shlierf

About the Play
The Freeing of the Bird period-ambiguous drama takes the story of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and reframes its ill-intended mockery of women as genuine, serious slights against them. It captures the story of Katherine and Bianca, two sisters navigating a world dictated by the will of men. When their father sets an ultimatum that Katherine, a free-spirited and romantically uninvolved woman, must settle down to marry before her lovestruck sister will be allowed to, tensions increase within the family until someone must give in. They struggle between dedication to themselves, fondness for each other, and an overarching society that expects certain things from them. How does a person who is a woman, find her identity in anything other than what a woman is expected to be?
About the Playwright
Ronnie Hernandez (He/They) is a protean theatre artisan with a passion for meaningful, engaging and diverse works of art. He is a director, actor, and playwright primarily, but his work expands into hair and makeup design, props, poster design, and anything else he is able to get his hands on. He is committed to creating and contributing to thought provoking experiences for both his audiences and the teams with which he collaborates. Ronnie is a recent graduate of West Chester University's Department of Theatre and Dance, entering the workforce with a BA in Theatre Arts (Musical Theatre Concentration). He is currently a non-Union artist.

About the Series
The Media Arts Council (MAC) Play Reading Series was created by playwrights Julie Zaffarano, Dave Ebersole, and Keenya Jackson, in partnership with the MAC to create a space for local playwrights to hear their work read by talented actors and receive feedback from a public audience. The only regular new play reading series in the area, it brings exciting new stories to Delaware County.

Playwrights, actors, and directors who are interested in being involved in the series should Dave Ebersole at [email protected], Keenya Jackson at [email protected], or Julie Zaffarano at juliezaffarano.gmail.com. Due to the limited budget for this project, we are unable to offer actors or directors a stipend through the MAC.