Richmond’s Firehouse Theatre will host the next chapter in a popular local author’s quest to get his personal story onto the silver screen. Richmond’s own Slash Coleman has adapted his book, "The Bohemian Love Diaries," into a screenplay; a panel of 12 actors and actresses will read the script live on Tuesday.
Slash Coleman's "The Bohemian Love Diaries" was released in 2013. (Photo courtesy Slash Coleman)
Released in 2013 by Lyon’s Press, Coleman’s story highlights his early life being raised by “an eccentric family of half-Jewish, half-redneck artists in Richmond,” he says. His time in Richmond, the author says, was very different from what he thinks most experience.
“There were four accents at the dinner table at any given time,” Coleman says. “So I didn’t really have that white-bread, vanilla experience.”
One of the performing actresses, Peyton Moore, a freshman at Virginia Commonwealth University, will portray two psychologically damaged characters in the production. She says her passion for acting has been burning since her days in middle school.
“It was something I could use to escape,” Moore says. “It let me do something I loved without anyone judging me for it.”
Richmond author Slash Coleman (provided photo)
The reading will be a slightly altered version of Coleman’s original book. He says that by hearing the adapted story on stage in front of a public audience, he will be able to finish the editing process before taking the next step: a trip to Hollywood to begin shooting the film.
“Stuff that works on the page doesn’t always work on the screen,” Coleman says. “We’re using the stage as a laboratory.”
The Firehouse Theatre is located at 1609 W Broad St. The reading is free to attend and will take place Tuesday, Oct. 18, from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. More information on the reading
