CHAUTAUQUA – The Chautauqua Theater Company, under the leadership of Vivienne Benesch, artistic director, and Sarah Clare Corporandy, managing director, presents David West Read’s “Afterlove” for three Signature Staged Readings from today through Friday on the Bratton Stage.

Performances are at 8 p.m. tonight, 6 p.m. Thursday and 4 p.m. Friday.

Directed by Andrew Borba, associate artistic director, the cast of “Afterlove” features guest artists Charlie Semine (CTC 2005 Conservatory alum; multiple television credits including “Mercy,” “Smash,” and “The Following”) and Aaron Roman Weiner (Regional credits include LAByrinth Theater Company, Roundtable Ensemble, and Hangar Theatre). Chautauqua Theater Company Conservatory actors Audrey Corsa (The Juilliard School) and Keren Lugo (NYU Graduate Acting) complete the cast.

The creative team is led by the theater’s design fellows, including Charlie Jicha (set), Dominique Hill (costumes), Megan Turnquist (lighting) and Brandon Reed (sound). Drew Ledbetter, Chautauqua Theater Company artistic associate, serves as assistant director and Michelle Eisen serves as stage manager.

AFTERLOVE: A FUNNY AND POIGNANT LOOK AT THE AFTERLIFE OF LOVE

David West Read’s newest play, “Afterlove,” explores life, loss, and love in the tradition of great romantic ghost stories. A troubled young doctor, struggling with the loss of a patient, finds unexpected tenderness when he’s visited by an enchanting female ghost.

David West Read is a New York-based playwright and screenwriter. He currently writes for the CBC comedy series “Schitt’s Creek,” starring Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara. His plays include: “The Performers” (Longacre Theatre), “The Dream of the Burning Boy” (O’Neill Theater Conference, Roundabout Underground), “The Great Pretender” (Old Globe New Voices Festival, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), Happy Face (Pacific Playwrights Festival) and “The Dark Pines” (Cape Cod Theatre Project). David is a graduate of the Lila Acheson Wallace Playwrights Program at The Juilliard School and the MFA program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he also has taught in the Department of Dramatic Writing.

THE NEW PLAY WORKSHOP AND SIGNATURE STAGED READINGS

The New Play Workshop is the component of Chautauqua Theater Company dedication to supporting important new American playwrights. As part of the New Play Workshop, Chautauqua Theater Company produces a Signature Staged Reading series. Since its inception more than 10 years ago, the series has gained incredible momentum and developed into something truly unique. As one writer describes it, the New Play Workshop readings are “not just another music stand stop for plays in development – they’re a genuine opportunity to see the play come to life with top actors, designers, and directors for an audience that truly welcomes new theater.”

More than 175 plays were submitted to be part of Chautauqua Theater Company’s 2015 New Play Workshop Signature Staged Readings series. Of those submissions, Chautauqua Theater Company staff selected two new plays to benefit from one-week workshops and staged readings.

“‘Afterlove’ has gone through significant revisions since we first read David’s script, which is exactly what The New Play Workshop is about,” Borba said. “We’re here to support playwrights in the development of their work. We’re all excited to get Afterlove on stage and in front of an audience so we can see what works and what doesn’t.”

Past seasons have hosted new work by Nikole Beckwith, Zayd Dohrn, Kate Fodor, Rinne Groff, Molly Smith Metzler, Alex Lewin, Michael Mitnick, David Schulner, David Zellnik, and Anna Ziegler, among others. Our past NPWs have gone on to receive productions both Off-Broadway at Manhattan Theater Club, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons and at regional theaters across the country.

New play development at Chautauqua Theater Company is made possible in part by a grant from the Roe Green Foundation.