Ken Tingley’s ‘Last Newspaper’ play debuted in Albany

Chronicle Managing Editor Cathy DeDe writes: A couple of quick take-aways from the first-ever staged reading of The Last American Newspaper, former Post Star editor Ken Tingley’s first-ever play, based on his memoir of the same title, hosted by Capital Repertory Theater in Albany on April 2 as part of their “Next Act New Play Summit.”

Kudos to Ken; it’s no small thing to write a book or a play.

I appreciated remembering some big local moments — the horror learning how staffer Mark Mahoney witnessed a fatal shooting first-hand, the ammonia leak that caused Fort Edward folks to evacuate in the middle of the night, the Post Star’s 2009 Pulitzer Prize win for writing editorials.

I was impressed by the number of people who turned out for “just” a staged reading. A bunch came from Glens Falls/Adirondack Theatre Festival. Good chops on stage, too.

ATF commissioned the play as a first project of the John E. Herlihy Literary Fellowship, administered by Crandall Public Library.

The next set of staged readings is planned here, July 25 to 27, as part of ATF’s summer season. I’ll be interested to see what if any changes they make.

People — at least this invested audience — like talking about newspapers, and what they mean to a community. That’s Mr. Tingley’s beat.

To those on stage who decried that “our community” no longer has a newspaper to cover local news and meetings or tell people about upcoming concerts, I did have to think, Hey, we’re sittin’ right here…two of us from ye olde Chronicle!”

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