Portraiture

A reading of a play by Margaret Van Sant
(Helltown Players Trustee)

As a finalist for the 2023 Kaplan Playwriting Competition, “Portraiture” will receive a public reading on Friday, July 7 at 7pm at WOMR Radio Station in Provincetown.

The reading is free and open to the public.

The reading of this full-length play – written by Helltown Players Trustee Margaret Van Sant – will be followed by an audience talkback. This will allow the playwright to consider rewrites before the play will be submitted for final adjudication. The winner will be announced in the Fall.

The Kaplan Prize is supported and administered by Eventide Theatre Company in Dennis, MA.

About the Play…

What woman had the greatest impact on American arts? Gertrude Stein, Mabel Dodge Luhan both claim the title in this humorous look at the past, but Alice B. Toklas want to change history when the women are interviewed.

The play examines the jealousy, attraction, and competition between Mabel Dodge Luhan, Gertrude Stein, and Alice B. Toklas as they are interviewed by a journalist.

Hellion Margaret Van Sant

“Years ago,” said Van Sant, “I traveled to Taos and stayed in Mabel’s amazing house which she built with her native American husband Tony Luhan. I knew nothing about her and became fascinated by her life. Who was this woman who had salons in Greenwich Village, lived in and then left Provincetown, and founded yet another arts colony in Santa Fe/Taos. So, I began reading about her.”
- Margaret Van Sant, Playwright, Helltown Players Trustee

A discussion follows the reading and will be important for the development of the script.

The Cast…

The outstanding cast of “Portraiture” has been seen in many theaters on the Outer Cape. The cast includes:

• Jadah Carroll - Gertrude Stein

• Phoebe Otis - Alice B. Toklas

• Sara Sneed - Mabel Dodge Luhan

• Racine Oxtaby - Sylvia Santos

• John Shuman - a museum tour guide (John will also be reading the stage directions)