BALTIMORE, MD – October 30, 2025 – Everyman Theatre is excited to announce the staged reading of Resident Company actor and playwright Katie Kleiger, featuring her new play, Different Words for Happiness. The reading will take place on the theatre’s main stage on Monday, November 10, as part of the Everyman Script Tease series. The reading will be directed by fellow Resident Company Member, Megan Anderson. Joining Anderson is an ensemble cast comprised entirely of Everyman Resident Company Members, including Katie Kleiger ( POTUS: or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive) as Ava, Felicia Curry (Baltimore, Broadway, and Beyond) as Eleanor, and Tony K. Nam (Art) as Nathan, while Helen Hedman will read the stage directions.
Currently in its second year, Script Tease is a reading series that offers audiences a first look at new plays and a rare glimpse into the creative process of playwriting, while empowering local creatives to bring these stories to life on stage. Patrons of Everyman also enjoy the benefit of seeing the full artistic range of some of their favorite actors, a testament to having an ensemble resident company.
This play presents a fresh and poignant exploration of confronting the past and redefining personal happiness. Different Words for Happiness follows Ava, whose world is upended by a late-night call from an ex, sending her into emotional turmoil. As Ava strives to regain control and face the ghosts of her past, she encounters Eleanor, a middle-aged doctor in the midst of a midlife crisis and a life of unfulfilled dreams. Their lives become deeply intertwined as they navigate blame, forgiveness, and the pursuit of happiness.
“The opportunity to share my debut play at Everyman, a theatre that has already shaped me so much as an artist, is deeply meaningful. I have been writing for over a decade, but only in the last few years did I take the full plunge into playwriting, so having such a supportive and safe space to cultivate and share this work is such a wonderful gift,” says Kleiger. “While I don’t normally gravitate towards acting in my own plays, getting the chance to do so next to Felicia, Tony, and Helen on the Everyman stage feels like coming home. I hope you can join us on November 10th for this reading!
Kleiger joined Everyman’s Resident Company in 2018 and has entertained Baltimore crowds in numerous productions such as POTUS: or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Sense and Sensibility, Steel Magnolias, Proof, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Dancing at Lughnasa. Her accolades include winning the St. LouisTheater Circle Award for Best Actress in a Comedy and the prestigious Helen HayesAward for Outstanding Ensemble.As an accomplished singer and songwriter, Katie Kleiger has showcased her musical talent as a guest artist. She appeared in the cabaret Baltimore, It’s Me, an event notable for also introducing Curry to Everyman’s audience.
Kleiger’s venture into playwriting is a shining example of the multiple talents found within Everyman Theatre’s Resident Company of Artists. Everyman’s dedication to showcasing new and distinctive voices is highlighted by the versatility of this group. While celebrated for their work on stage, many company members, like Kleiger, are also writers, directors, educators, visual artists, and musicians. This rich pool of creativity ensures a dynamic artistic environment that continues to enrich the theatre’s programming and its engagement with the community.
“We are fundamentally rooted in the multi-talented Resident Company of Artists. By championing these new voices—actors who are also writers, directors, and artists who intimately know the soul of our theater—we are committing to sharing the most rich, diverse, and powerful stories possible, which is the heart of Everyman,” says Vincent M. Lancisi, Founding, Artistic Director.
Script Tease Reading Series
Different Words for Happiness
by Katie Kleiger
Monday, November 10
Doors open at 6:00PM for a social hour, concessions available in the lobby, with drinks permitted inside of the theater. Performances begin at 7:00PM. For more information, please click here.
ABOUT KATIE KLEIGER
EVERYMAN THEATRE: (Resident Company Member) Crumbs from the Table of Joy, Sense and Sensibility, Steel Magnolias, Baltimore, It’s Me, Proof, Importance of Being Earnest, and Dancing at Lughnasa. OFF-BROADWAY: McKittrick Hotel: Sleep No More; New York City Center: Ring Twice for Miranda; Soho Playhouse: The Fall. REGIONAL: Mosaic Theater Company: Unseen; Rep. Theatre of St. Louis: Pride and Prejudice; Philadelphia Theatre Company: Everything is Wonderful; Studio Theatre: White Noise, The Wolves, The Effect; Round House Theatre: Book of Will, Miss Bennet; Guthrie Theatre: Juno & The Paycock, Blue Stockings. AWARDS: St. Louis Theater Circle Award for Best Actress in a Comedy (Elizabeth Bennet in Pride & Prejudice), Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Ensemble (The Wolves). TRAINING: University of Minnesota/Guthrie BFA Actor Training Program. She is also a singer/songwriter, and her music can be found on Spotify, Apple Music, and all other streaming platforms.
ABOUT EVERYMAN THEATRE
Everyman Theatre is a professional Equity Theatre company in Baltimore’s Bromo Arts District. Founded in 1990 by Vincent M. Lancisi, Everyman centers its storytelling with a Resident Company of artists to carry out its mission of offering transformative, accessible theatre experiences. Led by Lancisi and Managing Director Marissa LaRose, Everyman Theatre invests in its community, believing that theatre is at its best when it’s “Built in Baltimore.” With the support of its partners, Everyman uses local vendors and local artisans to build every season, from the sets to the costumes, here in the city. Each season, the theatre employs over 150 full and part-time staff, actors, designers, and teaching artists to bring its programming to the people of Baltimore and the surrounding counties.
Everyman Theatre is supported in part by Lead Corporate Sponsor Gallagher, Evelius, and Jones, LLP, The Maryland State Arts Council (msac.org), The Citizens of Baltimore County, and The Shubert Foundation.