Enjoy Saturday afternoons at Shake Rag Alley for our second staged-reading series, presenting original plays in progress on our intimate outdoor theater, Alley Stage. Music by Nath Dresser begins at 3pm with Afternoon Tea and treats served in the Art Cafe ($5). Reading at Alley Stage begins at 4 pm followed by a talkback session with the playwright ($5). Rain space: Sardeson Studio at 223 Commerce St.

About the play Western Swing by Marnie Bullock Dresser: A young woman travels to Montana, hoping to be named the literary executor for a young poet who has died tragically. When she arrives, she discovers the poet’s mother wants her for much more than just arranging the last poems her son wrote. This is only the first of many twists in a play that navigates ethics the same way it navigates tubing on the river – the rocks are sharp and there is blood involved.