"Whitehare" to Receive Staged Reading at the Neurodivergent New Play Series

Adin Lenahan's dark comedy will be directed by Em Hausmann as part of Piccione Arts's ongoing play series dedicated to neurodivergent empowerment

This October, the Neurodivergent New Play Series - an ongoing production of Piccione Arts - continues with a reading of Whitehare - written by Adin Lenahan and directed by Em Hausmann - at A.R.T./New York’s South Oxford Space, located at 138 South Oxford Studio, Brooklyn, NY on October 20th at 2pm EST.

Tickets are available at www.ticketleap.events/tickets/neurodivergentplays/the-neurodivergent-new-play-series, with a minimum $10 donation for limited in-person seating & pay-what-you-can for at-home for at-home livestreaming up to two weeks after the live performance. Regular updates are available at www.linktr.ee/neurodivergentplays and on Instagram & Facebook @neurodivergentplays.

The play tells the story of Levi Leavitt, whose life is falling apart around him: a marriage in shambles, a child incarcerated, a sister-in-law who appears out of nowhere, and the eerie presence of a monster born from the internet. A comic-gothic-melodrama about the traumas living just below the surface of a small house in Mascouten, Illinois...bear witness to the secrets, the repression, the horror, to Whitehare!

“Playwriting is the place where I can make sense of the madness in my head,” says playwright Adin Lenahan, “[and] where I can give life to the stories in my head that distract me to the point of negatively impacting my life, I love to make people laugh. I love to make people feel less alone.” Director Em Hausmann states “as the play unravels, you begin to realize that the real horrors lie within the characters and their histories,” adding that “although it's a horror play, I was really intrigued by the way that Whitehare is actually a compelling and vulnerable story about the burdens of family trauma.”

Both Lenahan and Hausmann emphasized the importance of neurodivergence in the arts, with Lenahan saying that neurodivergent empowerment means “[n]ot being ashamed, no longer trying to bend to other people and their rules, but instead existing within a space that respects the place we're at. Not mistakes, but progress. Honesty in asking for what we need and how we feel.” Hausmann adds that “the best art comes from true collaboration, where we can embrace each other to create and share stories across our differences. Neurodivergent artists bring unique perspectives to the table that deserve to be empowered and championed.”

Founded in 2023 by award-winning autistic playwright and producer Anthony J. Piccione, the Neurodivergent New Play Series is dedicated to presenting matinee readings on the 3rd Sunday of every month - with seasonal breaks in December, January, July, and August - of plays written entirely by neurodivergent and disabled playwrights (i.e. autism, ADHD, dyslexia, OCD, Tourette syndrome, etc.) as part of a growing resident company of playwrights whose interests and specialties span a wide range of subjects, genres & structural approaches, with each play personally selected from a neuroinclusive resident company of directors. Learn more at www.linktr.ee/neurodivergentplays or by following @neurodivergentplays on Instagram and Facebook.

The Neurodivergent New Play Series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council.