Truthfully, it was the cast list that made this free reading a must-see for me. 

It was like someone went through my "Best of Theater 2009" list and picked the actors who were best suited to the roles in "Prophets of Nature."

The actors were Alexis Baigue, Daniel Beecher, Michael Behrens, Daisy Blake, Holly Fowers, Mark Gollaher, Jayne Luke, Tracie Merrill, Nick O'Donnell, and Josh Thoemke; Alexandra Harbold directed. 

Keith Reddin is one of the two playwrights responsible for "Too Much Memory," which is currently playing at Salt Lake Acting Company, so SLAC decided to give a reading of one of his other works for their "New Play Sounding Series" on Mon. Feb. 15.

He wrote "Prophets of Nature" because people were always calling him a Luddite for not owning a cell phone, and he wanted to understand where the term "Luddite" came from. He discovered that the Luddites weren't just afraid of technology; they were angry about the loss of their jobs at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

The title comes from a poem by Wordsworth that refers to both revolution and fabric; the play, set in 1814-1816 England, focuses on the reaction of the weavers whose jobs were rendered useless by the invention of machines that could do the work of six people.

Sounds like it could be dry stuff, but Reddin framed things in terms of human interactions that drew me in almost from the beginning. 

My favorite moments were the scenes between Nick O'Donnell and Jayne Luke. O'Donnell, who was hilarious playing hallucinations of Jesus and Stephen Hawking in SLAC's "End Days," proved his comic mettle once again as the selfish and spoiled Prince Regent who later became King George IV. Luke played his mother, Queen Charlotte, and they had the nearly full house cracking up with their squabbling.

Mark Gollaher was also wonderfully disapproving and regal as the long-suffering advisor who accepted George's orders for ever more extravagant banquets in spite of mounting debt.

Another standout moment came from Alexis Baigue as Lord Byron, who gave an impassioned speech to Parliament about the importance of understanding the weavers' point of view.

Josh Thoemke, last seen in Meat & Potato Theatre's "Shadows of the Bakemono," more than held his own as Hammond, who played a central role in the rebellion; while Daisy Blake and Tracie Merrill were emotionally moving as wives caught in the crossfire.

Since it was a reading, the actors were standing in front of music stands with their scripts, but they were so fully animated and engaging that I barely noticed. In the post-play discussion, Reddin announced that he firmly believed this play will never be produced since nine actors playing multiple roles is a challenge for the small theaters where his work is shown, but many in the audience protested this.

In many ways, Reddin says, the Luddites were early terrorists, using violence to fight against the changes they opposed. As such, "Prophets of Nature" is a work that explores issues that are still relevant today. 

My theater-going companion pointed out that the work has similarities to "V for Vendetta," and I think she's right. We can always use more exploration of the consequences of remaining complacent as well as those of fighting back against perceived oppression.

If you agree, you might want to attend the free political forum SLAC is hosting at 5 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 21 at the theater (168 W. 500 North). The panel features former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson; civil disobedient Tim DeChristopher; Utah Domestic Violence Council coordinator Rebecca Hall; and former Army journalist Marshall Thompson; with KRCL's public affairs director, Troy Williams, as moderator. More info.