ARTICLE
Cotuit Center for the Arts’ 2nd Wednesday Theater will present a staged reading of “The Mooncusser’s Tale,” a poetic ghost story directed and written by Lee Roscoe, on Wednesday, May 9, at 7:30 PM. Admission is free. “The Mooncusser’s Tale” is based on legends of the notorious mooncussers—land-based pirates who haunted the shores of the Outer Cape in the days of the great sailing ships. Set in the 19th century, the tale revolves around the greed and betrayal that threaten the family of Captain Ephraim Bowers. "The Mooncusser's Tale" has been performed on Shoestring Radio Theater, public radio, San Francisco. The Cotuit cast will soon be recording it for airing on WOMR-FM, with support from The Mooncusser's Tavern and the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, which may feature an exhibit centered on the play. In an interesting touch, the members of the Bowers family will be portrayed by the Schuyler family, Jade, Paul and Quinn. Paul and Jade play Captain Ephraim Bowers and his wife, Salome, and their son, 14-year-old Quinn, plays the Bowers’ 14-year-old son, Mark. Ephraim's brother Solomon will be played by Rod Owens, who recently appeared with playwright Lee Roscoe in "A Woman's Heart.” The Schuylers are also local filmmakers, whose latest film "Runner,” a suspenseful thriller, written and directed by Paul and produced by Jade stars Jade as a woman fighting for her life after witnessing a murder. Jade's play "The Tuna Goddess," will premiere at Cape Rep this summer. Roscoe is an award-winning environmentalist and environmental educator, a reporter with hundreds of local, regional, and national pieces to her credit. A former NYC-trained Equity actress and Yale Drama series finalist, Lee has worked off-Broadway both backstage and onstage and in independent films. Closer to home, she has acted at W.H.A.T. and the Provincetown Theater. Her plays, which she describes as “very short and longer,” have been performed at Living Theater, NYC; Provincetown Theater; Boston Playwrights Theater; Women's International Theater Festival; the Nauset Fellowship, and many others. Her adaptation of "It Can't Happen Here" by Sinclair Lewis premiered at Tilden Arts Center as a benefit for Cape Codders for Peace and Justice in 2006. Roscoe’s chapter in the recently published "The Cinema of Norman Mailer'' was praised in a review by the British Film Institute for its “verve and distinctly feminine braggadocio.” Second Wednesday Theater is a monthly play-reading series of rarely performed classics, undiscovered gems, and exciting new works. Admission is free, and wine is available for $5 a glass. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.