News Update: Soap Opera Stars Team Up For Virtual One-Act Plays

Several soap opera stars are joining forces to take part in an online reading of one-act plays presented by The National Arts Club. The playwright is a familiar name to soap fans — Scott Sickles, a writer at General Hospital.

Soap Opera Stars Unite

Broadwayworld is reporting that Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), Christian Jules Le Blanc (Michael), Beth Maitland (Traci), and Darnell Williams (ex-Sarge; ex-Jesse, All My Children), and also, Karla Mosley (Maya, The Bold and the Beautiful) as well as Tonya Pinkins (ex-Livia, AMC; ex-Heather, As the World Turns) are set to perform Sickles’ two plays — The Greater and Lesser Edmunds and Persephone.

The performances are set to take place on Thursday, July 16 at 3 pm (ET) via Zoom. For info on attending the reading, check out the National Arts Club.

In The Greater and Lesser Edmunds, Gideon is meeting his half-brother Augie. They have met only once before, at their father’s funeral… a father who kept two families at the same time. Gideon thinks he knows what Augie wants. Gideon is wrong.

And, in Persephone, we meet Helena who gave up her daughter Persephone at birth. They meet for the first time and it is going well…

Sickles has won five Writers Guild of America awards for his work on General Hospital and received seven Daytime Emmy Award nominations for his work on both GH and One Life to Live. He wrote the penultimate episode of OLTL in which Viki (Erika Slezak) spoke about why people watch soap operas.

Daytime Emmy-winner Fritz Brekeller is directing the plays. He’s worked as a stage manager at YR, BB, All My Children, and OLTL. He has also directed two episodes of Empire.

Bringing the Drama

The four remaining soap operas currently on the air include Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless (YR), General Hospital (GH), and The Bold and the Beautiful (BB). Check your local listings for air times.