For most films, the table read — an organized talk-through of the script — is a critical, if perilous, milestone. It can be a harrowing experience for everyone involved, as producers keep a watchful eye on potential glitches: a lack of chemistry between the stars, the hint of a humdrum performance, glaringly obvious plot problems. It can also be the pivotal moment when a script that has lingered in development for years finally gains momentum. Either way, it is typically done behind closed doors, open only to those closest to the production.
Or rather, it used to be. A new monthly performance series in Hollywood is taking the table read out of the studio and into the theater. Black List Live! is a reading of one of the scripts from screenwriting organization the Black List’s prestigious annual ranking of the best unproduced screenplays. The event usually stars actors that have a cultish fan base, if not above-the-marquee name recognition, such as Nathan Fillion (“Castle”) and Alison Brie (“Mad Men” and “Community”).
Inspired by Jason Reitman’s wildly successful live reads of classic films, each Black List Live! reading is a one-night-only event. The next one, which takes place Saturday night, involves a top-secret cast and a script called “Your Bridesmaid Is a Bitch.” The screenplay was named to the list in 2010 and acquired by David Ellison’s Skydance Productions (“True Grit,” “World War Z”), but has lingered in development since; it tells the story of a groomsman at his sister’s wedding forced to confront his cheating ex-fiancée and her new boyfriend. “It’s a horror film for the main character,” says the screenwriter, Brian Duffield. “A fun comedy for everyone else.”
For the performers, the events offer a chance to flex their acting muscles with minimal commitment or distraction (or pay – they tread the boards gratis). “It’s an opportunity for them to do something different,” Leonard says. Justin Bartha, who starred in the September reading of Victoria Strouse’s 2008 screenplay “The Seekers of Perpetual Love,” a road-trip comedy about a dysfunctional New York family and a New Age cult deprogrammer, jumped at the chance to be involved. “Unfortunately, sometimes the best scripts take the longest to actually get produced, and if they actually do end up getting made, I might not be lucky enough to be involved,” he explains.
Can staging a live reading be enough to catalyze studios to push a script into production? Given the vagaries of film financing, probably not, but in the meantime, Leonard is able to assemble dream casts that may never make the silver screen together. “At the end of the day,” he says, “the thing that excites me most is the unexpected combination of actors that you can’t get in a movie.”
Black List Live!’s next event is Nov. 15 at Ricardo Montalban Theatre, 1615 Vine Street, Los Angeles. For tickets, visit blcklst.com.
