FIRST READS: Staged reading series

2026

Montana Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce our next First Reads Series – Bonnets: (How Ladies of Good Breeding Are Induced to Murder), by Jen Silverman, Your Local Theatre Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again, by Anna Ouyang Moench, and Hotdish, by Paul W. Kruse.

First Reads is an annual series of staged readings produced by Montana Repertory Theatre in partnership with Missoula Public Library. Admission is free and open to all, with donations encouraged. These readings allow us to test these stories in the community before adding sets, costumes, or other theatrical elements, enabling the audience and actors to immerse themselves in the text and envision future productions. We are grateful for your attendance!

Performances will run Saturday, March 28, Saturday, April 11, and Saturday, May 2 at 2 PM (doors at 1:30 PM) in the Cooper Room at Missoula Public Library (4th floor).

Bonnets: (How Ladies of Good Breeding Are Induced to Murder)
by Jen Silverman
Saturday, March 28, at 2 PM (doors at 1:30 PM)

A punk comedy of rage and revenge that ends in a total blood bath, narrated by God. “Try shoving Joan Jett in a corset and see what she does to you.” — Jen Silverman

Your Local Theatre Presents: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Again
by Anna Ouyang Moench
Saturday, April 11, at 2 PM (doors at 1:30 PM)

Eddie is fresh out of Juilliard, and he’s ready to make his mark on the American Theater. But first, a quick stint at your local theater for a production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” to keep his health insurance. As the years pass, Eddie finds himself back at your local theater, over and over and over again. Much remains the same: the play, the stage manager, the green room — though Eddie's in different costumes as he ages through the play's male roles over the course of his career. A love letter to actors, artists, and dreamers of all professions who make sacrifices large and small in service of their work … and ultimately wonder whether it was worth it.

Hotdish
by Paul W. Kruse
Saturday, May 2, at 2 PM (doors at 1:30 PM)

Not even an untimely death can keep Maryjo from Barbara Anne’s potluck. Little do these women know, they are about to be the victims of a multi-level marketing pitch from the Virgin Mary herself. Hotdish is a surreal comedy that explores the complex matrix of social, emotional, and spiritual acrobatics that make-up the life — and death — of a group of women living in the Upper Midwest.