Laughter, ‘Meet & Greet’ reality in stage production

CHARLOTTE'S OFF BROADWAY

Charlotte's Off Broadway presents “Meet & Greet: An Evening of One Acts,” Sept 4- 21, 2025: Lane Morris, Marsha Perry, Joanna Gerdy and Stephanie DiPaolo.

Three plays, one production.

Charlotte’s Off Broadway kicks off the fall season with “Meet & Greet: An Evening of One Acts” bringing a night of comedy to the stage. The production runs Sept. 4-21 in the Black Box Theater at the VAPA Center. Tickets are $30 per person, with a pay what you can night on Sept. 10.

The three acts will highlight three Black actors from Charlotte. The production will take the audience through “Hamilton Audition” by Susan Hatem, “The Job Interview” by Don Zolidis, and “Meet & Greet” by Stan Zimmerman and Christian McLaughlin.

“Hamilton Audition” was born from Hatem noticing the lack of representation in a play. “I was talking with a theater friend about Hamilton and about how great it was, but the women roles don't have a lot to do, and he was like, well, there weren’t any women in the room. I was like, that's not an excuse and that's not true.”

Although the play is comedic it also explores real issues, Hatem hopes that the production will spark “a conversation of enjoyment, but also a conversation about race and gender.”

Zimmerman’s inspiration behind “Meet & Greet” came from his experiences writing for women throughout his career in sitcoms like “Golden Girls” and “Gilmore Girls.” 

“My first book published was called ‘The Girls from Golden to Gilmore.’ And I wrote that book because people kept saying, why do you keep writing for women?” Zimmerman said. “I love it, first of all, and they keep asking me to, so I really wanted to explore that idea of men writing for women, but also what is it like for women of that age to have to go and audition?”

The play showcases how hilarious it is when four actresses collide at an audition for a sitcom and comments on how society views aging in the entertainment industry, especially for women.

“We ask a lot of aging actors, both men and women, but especially of women,” Zimmerman said. “We expect them to look the same, be the same and, as we all discover, our bodies don't quite agree with that idea, and they change. Even though people think you can get a glow up or plastic surgery, you know, there are still certain things with your body that are inevitable.”

“The Job Interview” takes a different approach and shows two candidates going through the job process that becomes more bizarre as the interview continues.

All three acts point out humor as well as harsh realities. 

“Parody and satire are a way to reshape the conversation a little bit and make you think about things you didn't think you would.” Hatem said.

On opening night, the audience will get to share their feedback in a post-show talkback with Zimmerman and Hatem and can continue the conversation with the playwrights.
Zimmerman said “There's nothing better than having live audiences and for a writer to hear where the laughs are or the tears or where people make noises. I love this part of it.”

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