A Work-in-Progress Worth Witnessing: “Clos(in)g – Act 1”

American Legacy Theatre | Staged Reading | November 2025

The Plot

At its heart, Clos(in)g is about community—one building, many lives, and the fragile balance between belonging and displacement. The play opens on the heels of Miss Angela’s funeral, the “heart of the building,” whose passing leaves a void among the residents who called her family. Through Brandy’s grocery dream, George’s grief, and the everyday rhythms of the tenants, playwright Megan Benjamin Bennett draws a portrait of transformation, grief, and found family.

But just as we begin to settle into these lives, Act 1 ends with a gut punch—an overlapping, whip-smart crescendo of dialogue that reveals the building has been sold. What happens to a community when its foundation—both literal and emotional—is ripped away? It’s a cliffhanger that lands hard.

The Setting and the Irony

Staged in Madisonville—Cincinnati’s latest hub of redevelopment—the play’s themes echo far beyond the page. The neighborhood’s mixed-use boom has sparked real-world concerns about gentrification and the loss of affordable housing. To watch Clos(in)g here, in this moment, adds an almost documentary layer to the experience. It’s a story about the heart of a community, told inside a community wrestling with its own identity.

The Reading

A staged reading (distinct from a full production) is often a work-in-progress moment where the audience hears the text aloud and begins to see what the piece could become. That’s the electricity of the night—you’re not watching something finished, you’re witnessing its evolution.

This cast only received the script on Monday, but by Saturday’s reading, you’d swear they’d been living in it for months. Even with scripts in hand, there was chemistry, rhythm, and genuine connection. Some moments still need tightening—an expected step at this stage—but the emotional truth of the characters is already beating strong.

Why It Matters

A reading isn’t just entertainment—it’s feedback-loop territory. The audience becomes part of the conversation. What you react to, what you lean into, what makes you laugh or sigh—it all feeds back to the playwright and director.

That exchange helps develop voices, stories, and underrepresented perspectives that might not otherwise reach a mainstage. In this case, Clos(in)g gives voice to people living at the edges of redevelopment, to those holding on to hope, history, and home.

The beauty of American Legacy Theatre’s process is that they commit to working with a playwright for two years. In an era when arts funding is precarious and new voices often get lost, that kind of long-term investment is extraordinary. It turns audiences into collaborators and makes theatre feel like a living, breathing dialogue.

Shawn Says:

Clos(in)g – Act 1 isn’t just the start of a play—it’s the start of a conversation. It reminds us that theatre doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful. Sometimes the most compelling stories are the ones still finding their shape, asking for our ears, hearts, and voices to help them grow.

Bottom Line

If you’ve never attended a staged reading, this is your sign. It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s where the future of theatre begins.

Mark your calendar: The full staged reading of Megan Benjamin Bennett’s Clos(in)g will take place May 16–17, 2026(venue TBA). After the performance, audiences will join a talkback with the playwright and cast their vote on whether the play moves forward to a world-premiere production.

Learn more about American Legacy Theatre at americanlegacytheatre.org.