For the Love of Me

Join us for a staged reading of this new work by Kate McLeod.

It’s 1886: A young woman packs her few belongings and her determination into a shabby bag, boards a coffin ship in Dublin landing in the rat-infested streets of New York City. After a year with the rats she finds work on her knees scrubbing floors in the household of the famous artist, Frederic Church—Olana—in the Hudson Valley. At Olana, life changes for Emilia. She begins to understand her desires and her gifts through the connection with the Churches and others. Her dreams expand. But with the changes, come unexpected challenges.

A young man, who has made the same journey tends the barn animals. His conversations with the horses give him an idea: write a book—Parables From the Barn. A Catholic priest, intent on saving souls, pays particular attention to the Irish servants residing in Protestant households. The Church is a weapon against faithlessness and he is the savior—a maniacal one obsessed with Emilia. What happens when these three souls cross paths? What happens to the dreams and deep-seated beliefs when confronted with the realities of class, ambition and vulnerable human drive?

Kate McLeod is a playwright, lyricist, librettist, author, and former journalist. Most of her 20 plays have received productions and readings throughout the northeast, in London and Alaska at Edward Albee’s Last Frontier Theatre Conference. Recent recognition for her work includes being a finalist at The Secret Theatre’s One Act Festival and receiving Best Storyteller at United Solo in 2022 for her solo play, By the Light. Her play, For the Love of Me received readings at Julia’s Reading Room and American Irish Historical Society. McLeod was commissioned to write a play for the anniversary of the Lincoln Funeral Train. She conceived and produced The First and Possibly Only Bacon Theatre Festival in NYC in 2013. She is lyricist, book writer and conceiver of a musical titled, I Heart My Car, The Musical which she is developing with composer, Megan Cavallari.

Kate is a member of the Kennedy Center Playwriting Intensive, The League of Professional Theatre Women where she serves on the membership committee and The Dramatists Guild. She is indebted to Arthur Giron, Mac Wellman, Jeffrey Sweet, Austin Pendleton and many other teachers. MFACatholic University.

The Cast

ANDREA LYNN GREEN (Emilia) Broadway: Who’s Afraid of Viirginia Woolf? with Laurie Metcalf and Rupert Everett, directed by Joe Mantello. Off Broadway: The Butcher Boy, The Home Place (Irish Rep), Harrison, TX: Three Plays by Horton Foote (Primary Stages), Rocket Science (Playwrights Horizons). Favorite regional credits include Laura in The Glass Menagerie (Weston Theatre Company & Gulfshore Playhouse), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Hartford Stage), Giant (Dallas Theatre Center), Lucy (Delaware Theatre Company), Anne & Emmett (Ford’s Theatre & Atlas Lang), Shelby in Steel Magnolias and Maggie in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (CCC Outstanding Lead Actress nomination) at Connecticut’s MTC. TV/Film: CRASHING, THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, ELEMENTARY, THE CARRIE DIARIES, EXPOSED (with Keanu Reeves), THE SUPER (with Val Kilmer). Andrea is past President of CT’s Theatre Artists Workshop. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts Performance from SUNY New Paltz. Andrea’s website.

JAMES OCCHINO (Father Joseph) has acted professionally for 55 years, playing lovers, losers, letchers, heroes and villains with equal relish. He is honored to take part in this reading and grateful to Kate McLeod for telling this complex and very moving story.

GRIFFIN CARPENTER (Michael) is a recent graduate of NYU’s MFA Acting program. Originally from Maine, he has performed at Portland’s Good Theater as Christopher in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime and Charlie in Joshua Harmon’s Admissions. At school, favorite roles included Simonides in Pericles and Dubedat in The Doctor’s Dilemma.

This program is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.