A private developmental reading of Joseph Frederick Allen's Jackson’s Island: Huck, Tom, Queers and Us is taking place August 19 in midtown Manhattan.

Directed by Nic Cory, the cast features James Scully (Oh, Mary!), Ryan Jamaal Swain (POSE), Tony nominee Justin Cooley (Kimberly Akimbo), and Derek Johnson (The Other Two).

Jackson's Island follows Maxwell and Andrew through young adulthood in the years after their best friend's death. While Andrew grows to accept his sexuality and, in turn, his grief, Maxwell escapes to—and expands upon—the stories of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

Allen’s play, The Eulogy Approach, premiered at TheatreRow in 2023 starring the playwright and Leana Rae Concepcion. He was also the associate director and producer of Cecilia Gentili’s RED INK, which just concluded its Off-Broadway run.

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