(Virtual) Table Reads Are Back!

After a hiatus, table reads for Los Angeles Local members are back! The first table read of the year was held virtually on April 27. 

Table reads began in November of 2017 with the thought, “How can actors blow the writer’s mind and give them a gift they’ll never forget?” Since then, over 200 readings have been produced, both through the union and independently through partnerships with writers from the Writers Guild of America, The Black List, Coverfly, Scenario, high-profile SAG-AFTRA members and independent writers, and other writers groups. For union reads, the Casting Society of America and Teamsters Local 399 members are used to cast the actors. Roughly 2,000 writers and performers have participated so far — and that is just the start! 

The L.A. Local MORE Table Reads Subcommittee is now under the Member Outreach Relations & Education (M.O.R.E.) Committee and plans each interactive event to foster a collaborative experience with sister unions. The committee’s goal is to provide an opportunity for Los Angeles Local members, writers and casting directors to forge career-changing relationships and hone their crafts in a more intimate setting, all within the safe walls of our L.A. program. Writers may also choose to invite producers to their table read to gain exposure for their work. 

The subcommittee began working on the first virtual table read in March by selecting a script and a casting director. After the script and cast were finalized, members of the subcommittee then volunteered to create an accompanying trailer and a virtual booklet that included script cover art, a brief story description, a playlist of script-inspired music, wardrobe and prop inspiration, virtual backgrounds for each scene, and short performer bios. 

The first script selected was The Jew Who Saved Christmas, written by Selyna Warren and Marissa Read, who form Team S&M. It is a Hannakuh and Christmas-inspired script that was written during the pandemic. The script follows the journey of Bernie Gold, the main character who must become Santa’s designated driver and “the Jew that saves Christmas” after Santa accidentally enters the wrong house on Christmas Eve and mistakenly eats a weed-laced chocolate chip cookie.

Each cast member fully immersed themselves in this fun and unique experience to bring the script to life. Subcommittee vice chair and The Jew Who Saved Christmas narrator Jewel Hargrove said, “As actors, we know how much time and effort goes into our craft, and it’s no different for our fellow storytellers. There truly is nothing like seeing the joy on a writer’s face after hearing their story come to life — often for the first time — by the actors we cast in these reads. In my opinion, it’s this loop of honor and celebration of each other’s work that creates the most honest and enduring relationships in this industry. 

“I personally stumbled on a writing mentor for my short film simply because he was so overwhelmed by the detail and care we put into his table read — he offered his advice to any of us who needed it, and I took him up on it! That’s how this whole thing should work, isn’t it? Honor begets honor.” 

Table reads typically end with a brief Q&A that provides positive feedback to the writer or writers. 

While this was just the first virtual event, the member subcommittee is hoping to hold more table reads consistently in the near future. 

For more information on how to get involved with table reads, please email the L.A. Local at la@sagaftra.org.

Photo: Clockwise from top left, SAG-AFTRA members Michael Hitchcock, Selyna Warren, Marissa Read and John Milhiser perform a scene from 'The Jew Who Saved Christmas,' the first of many virtual table reads hosted by the new L.A. Local MORE Table Reads Subcommittee.