This weekend, director Steven Fogell and a handful of intrepid actors will take on a reading of Diana Son’s challenging, dark-humored “STOP KISS.”

Weaving two timelines, the play explores the relationship between friends Callie and Sara in pre-9/11 New York and what transpires after a passionate first kiss provokes a heinous hate crime.

Graphic descriptions of the assault make “STOP KISS” adult fare. But Fogell said, “Even though the subject matter is heavy, the play has a beautiful message and surprising moments of tenderness and comedy.”

The reading stars Bronsyn Foster Springer as Sara and Mary Granfors as Callie. It runs at 7:30 p.m. April 21 and 22 at the Bainbridge Public Library. Admission is free. For more information, call 842-1301.