The Holding Room

Five seniors await their final audition at a small university in Ohio. In the holding room, they rehearse for their productions of Midsummer, wait for lunch, and ask some hard questions. The Holding Room looks at the pressure that students deal with as they audition for college - financially, mentally, and socially.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

The Holding Room originated as The Average High School Play. The play premiered with the Mount Vernon Players at ThePlace@TheWoodward on June 20-22, 2009. The play was revived by Right Brain Productions at ThePlace@TheWoodward on November 18-20, 2011. The play was presented at the Mount Vernon Music and Arts Festival at ThePlace@TheWoodward on August 8, 2012. The cast featured Chicago-based actor Stephanie Fongheiser. 

The Holding Room was featured as a part of the 2023 Waterworks New Reads Series at Live Arts in Charlottesville, VA on May 26, 2023. The reading was directed by Daniel Kunkel. The cast featured Katie Rogers, Sophia Christensen, Gavin Pugh, Eli Smith, and Ezra Steve Smith.

The Holding Room was featured as part of the summer programming at Buck’s Rock Camp in New Milford, CT on August 3, 2023. The staged reading was directed by Xander Cavanagh. The reading was stage managed by Paige Leinhard. The cast featured Sophie Cohen, Mia McCarthy, Maeve Taras, Jules Jacobson, Hayden Groner, and Laila Muhanna.

The Holding Room had a workshop reading at Lake Ridge Academy in North Ridgeville, OH on November 3, 2023. The reading was directed by Anjali Ajmani with producing from Kristy Rodriguez. The cast featured Annalise Bennett, Christian Gorny, Jacob Robertson, Katie Tillery, and Sabrina Wisniewski.

The Holding Room had a staged reading at New Albany High School in New Albany, OH on February 2 & 3, 2024. The reading was directed by Elliott Lemberg.