The Lancaster Dramatists' Platform will present a reading of "Laertes Dies Too," a new play by local playwright Rachel Luann Strayer, on Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. at the Franklin & Marshall College Philadelphia Alumni Writers House, 633 College Ave., Lancaster. The event is co-sponsored by the Writers House and Creative Works of Lancaster.

In "Laertes Dies Too," Adam wakes up in a bathtub, unsure where he is or how he got there, though he strongly suspects he is dead. Laertes and his sister, Ophelia, guide him on his journey as he tries to uncover his memory. "Laertes Dies Too" is a companion piece to Strayer's 2013 play, "Drowning Ophelia."

Strayer's play will be directed by Iyla Stebbins and presented reader's theater style. The cast includes Noah Askew, Greyson Yousif, Kat Anne Thorpe, Georgie Staley, and Madi Burt.

Strayer is a published and internationally produced playwright, director, and theater artist. Her first full-length play, "Drowning Ophelia," has been performed across the U.S. and internationally. "Laertes Dies Too" was a semifinalist for both the 2025 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and the 2024 Premiere Stages Play Festival before receiving its first staged reading at The Container Globe in Detroit. Strayer has written several other full-length plays, some of which have been finalists for various awards, as well as short plays and monologues. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from Wilkes University. To learn more about Strayer and her works, visit http://www.RLStrayerWrites.com.

The reading is free and open to the public, and donations will be accepted. For more information, visit http://www.lancasterdramatists.org or email lancasterdramatists@gmail.com.