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New Victory Theater Announces 2009-2010 Season

The New Victory Theater, known for its family and children-oriented shows, has announced its performance schedule for the 2009-2010 season, beginning September 18, 2009 and running till May 23, 2010. Kicking off the season is the New Victory Scottish Theater Festival, running from September 18 to November 1, 2009. Following the festival is an incredibly varied season, featuring everything from puppetry, opera, circus, theatre, and more!

The performance schedule for the 2009-2010 season at the New Victory Theater is as follows:

Cinderella
The Duke on 42nd Street
Shona Reppe Puppets
Fife, Scotland
September 18 - September 27
The world's most beloved fairytale comes to life like never before in the hands of multi-award winning (Total Theatre Award, 2002 Edinburgh Festival Fringe) and internationally renowned puppeteer, Shona Reppe. Dedicated to producing inventive and highly imaginative small scale visual theater for children and their families, Ms. Reppe is considered one of the artists primarily responsible for Scotland's notable emergence as a force in British puppetry.

My House - U.S. Premiere
Studio 3B at the New 42nd Street Studios
Andy Manley in association with Starcatchers
Edinburgh, Scotland
October 2 - October 18
The first of its kind in Scotland, The Starcatchers Project explores the development and creation of theater for babies and young children (0-3 years old), their families and caregivers. In My House, creator Andy Manley, along with designer Claire Halleran and composer Danny Krass, invite parents and little ones to gather round as a simple cardboard box unfolds into a haven of colors, textures, shapes, and sounds. Presented in a New 42nd Street studio for an audience of only 25 at a time, this gentle and intimate one-man show is the perfect first-time theatrical experience.

The Man Who Planted Trees - U.S. Premiere
The Duke on 42nd Street
Puppet State Theatre Company
Edinburgh, Scotland
October 2 - October 11
"Laughs, heartbreak, war, regeneration, scented breezes, sparkling wit, and the best dog puppet ever" (The Guardian) sums up the Puppet State Theatre Company's theatrical adaptation of French novelist Jean Giono's environmental classic. Dog and his quick-witted chum Jean tell the tale of a thoughtful shepherd who plants a forest, acorn by acorn, transforming a barren wasteland. Winner of the Total Theatre Award 2008 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the 2007 Eco Trust's Eco Prize for Creativity, The Man Who Planted Trees is a unique blend of comedy, puppetry and storytelling with sensory effects.

Hansel and Gretel - U.S. Premiere
The New Victory Theater
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company in association with Brunton Theatre
Musselburgh, Scotland
October 15 - November 1
This unique production of The Brothers Grimm fairytale requires that the entire New Victory be transformed from basement to balcony to accommodate the complex and intricate needs of a "promenade" theater piece. Audiences follow the path of Hansel and Gretel as the pair journeys from their kitschy 1970s inspired home through a spooky forest and into the dangerous clutches of a bald-headed witch who is at once nasty, funny and completely off-her-rocker. Hansel and Gretel features live music, and for a little nostalgia and camp, some Bay City Rollers' tunes in the soundtrack. Described as "a world of dark absurdity that Tim Burton would be proud of (Edinburghguide.com)," Hansel and Gretel is based on an original work by the National Theatre of Scotland (Black Watch).

Peter and the Wolf - U.S. Premiere
The New Victory Theater
In the Wings
London, England
November 13 - November 29
Prokofiev's beloved masterpiece takes a fresh turn in this new production live narration by British film and stage actor Brian Blessed. Featuring 10 dancers and an ensemble of eight musicians from the Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra, this exciting U.S. premiere boasts a brand new prequel with music by Philip Feeney followed by the original 1936 Prokofiev composition. Peter's timeless adventures with Bird, Duck and Cat are staged with "tremendous visual flair" (The Herald), seamlessly blending a whimsical score with dance and theater.

Chestnuts Roasting on The Flaming Idiots - World Premiere
The New Victory Theater
The Flaming Idiots
USA
December 4 - January 3
The internationally adored neo-vaudeville troupe The Flaming Idiots reunite to "reignite" the New Vic stage with their juggling, comedy and general buffoonery this yuletide season. In Chestnuts Roasting on The Flaming Idiots, Gyro, Pyro and Walter bring some of their signature acts, including bean-bag chair juggling, sword swallowing, and flaming torch juggling, along with some zany new antics.

Once and For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen
The Duke on 42nd Street
Ontroerend Goed, KOPERGIETERY and Richard Jordan Productions, Ltd.
Ghent, Belgium
January 8 - January 17
You can ask all sorts of things from me. You can tell me what to do and what not to do, at what time I have to be home - you can do all that -- I don't care. But I will be home late whatever hour you give me. I will pass that limit, and I will be pissed drunk, and I will not be ashamed of myself. I have no choice, you see? I have to go too far. The moment some of you are thinking, "Does she have to do what she's doing?" Yes, I do. Okay? Because I need to go further, a lot further, until I myself don't know what to do anymore. And it's not because you've been there and done that that I shouldn't go there and do that because everything has been done before. But not by me.
-- Excerpt from Once And For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen

Winner of the Herald Angels, Total Theatre and Fringe First Awards at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Once and For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen is a mind-blowing and potent look at adolescence through the eyes of 13 astoundingly talented teenagers. In keeping with their collaborative approach, Ontroerend Goed, KOPERGIETERY and Richard Jordan Productions developed the play with creative input from the teen performers. "Not just an infectiously enjoyable show but one that affects our view of every teenager we meet from now on." (Variety)

Once and For All... will also be presented as part of the 2010 Under The Radar Festival.

The Enchanted Pig - U.S. Premiere
The New Victory Theater
The Opera Group, ROH2 at the Royal Opera House, Young Vic
London, England
February 5 - February 21
A co-production of The Opera Group, ROH2 at the Royal Opera House and the Young Vic (who last appeared at the New Vic with Sleeping Beauty in 2005), The Enchanted Pig is a unique production with feet firmly planted in the worlds of both opera and musical theater. With lyrics by Alasdair Middleton and a through-sung score by Jonathan Dove, The Enchanted Pig the hit of the Young Vic's 2006-07 season and has toured the UK since.

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)
The New Victory Theater
Reduced Shakespeare Company
Sonoma, California
March 5 - March 14
As one of London's longest running comedies, playing for 10 years at the Criterion Theatre in Piccadilly Circus, this irreverent romp through The Bard's canon has achieved international cult status. In The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), three actors take audiences through raucous, fast-paced parodies of Shakespeare's 37 plays, beginning with a send-up of Romeo and Juliet, followed by a Titus Andronicus cooking show, and along the way, presents Othello composed as rap. The Complete Works... has become one of the world's most popular shows, playing in a variety of languages.

46 Circus Acts in 45 Minutes
The New Victory Theater
Circa
Queensland, Australia
March 19 - April 4
The name says it all. With their beeline approach to highflying fun, the cheeky Aussies of Circa push their own limits as they perform feats of acrobatic wonder at breakneck speed. The show features aerial antics, such as trapeze and straps, as well as tumbling, juggling, extreme unicycling, and many more traditional (and not so traditional) circus acts. The competitive spirit among these four highly pedigreed circus talents, along with a non-stop party music soundtrack.

Time Step
The New Victory Theater
Parallel Exit
New York, New York
April 9 - April 18
Fusing the tap stylings of Astaire and Kelly with the classic comedy of Chaplin and Keaton, New York's own Parallel Exit creates a "rhythmic symphony of percussive sounds that proves riotously funny" (Backstage). Shuffling in time between past and present, the dancers and musicians tell the story of three high-stepping hoofers known back in the day as the Dapper Tap Trio. With jaunty piano and vaudevillian flair, Time Step evokes the bygone era of classic movie musicals.

Formed by artistic director Mark Lonergan in 1997, Parallel Exit has performed all over the world. The company received a 2008 Drama Desk nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience.

Elephant - U.S. Premiere
The New Victory Theater
Dodgy Clutch and Market Theatre
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK and Johannesburg, South Africa
April 23 - May 2
Elephant, both a poignant theatrical work and a visual feast of African song and exultant tribal dance, is a co-production between Dodgy Clutch of the UK and Johannesburg's Market Theatre, creators of the Broadway hit musical Sarafina (1988 Tony® Award nomination for Best Musical). Multi-talented performers from the UK and South Africa come together to present a powerful tale of family, redemption and ‘Ubuntu' (humanity). Featuring enormous elephant puppets that are unbelievably lifelike and tender.

PaGAGnini - U.S. Premiere
The New Victory Theater
Yllana
Madrid, Spain
May 7 - May 23
Mozart, Chopin, Pachebel, and even U2 take on a new tenor when Armenian virtuoso Ara Malikian and a wacky trio of gifted artists make musical mockery in PaGAGnini. With twists on symphonic treasures and modern tunes, this wordless concert is a splendid marriage of music and comedy capable of entertaining even the most erudite spectators.

A prized violinist, Ara Malikian has performed in more than 40 countries in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall (New York), Salle Playel (Paris), Musikverein (Vienna), Ford Center (Toronto), and Auditorio Nacional and Teatro Real (Madrid). Artists with whom Mr. Malikian has collaborated include the Lebanese singer Fairuz, flamenco dancers Joaquín Cortés and Belén Maya, the Ensamble Nuevo Tango and the jazz pianist Horacio Icasto.

Farfalle: The Butterfly Garden
Studio 3A/B at the New 42nd Street Studios
T.P.O. Company
Prato, Italy
May 14 - May 23
In The Butterfly Garden, Italian theater company T.P.O. experiments with computer graphics and digital technologies to create a thrilling new experience in participatory theater. With the children's cheering
carpet -- a ground-breaking device that uses touch sensors -- a stage is transformed into a magical landscape from which beautiful botanical images, rainforest sounds and brilliant prisms of color emerge in every direction in response in real-time response to dancers' movements. Even bigger thrills come when young ones from the audience are invited to touch and explore the glowing interactive garden themselves. "Redefines the idea of interactive theatre." (Scoop Independent News, New Zealand)

Visit www.bestofoffbroadway.com for further information.

VANITIES Ready for July 2nd New York Premiere at Second Stage

On July 2nd, Second Stage Theatre will finish its 30th Anniversary mainstage season with Vanities, a new musical written by Jack Heifner, with music and lyrics by David Kirshenbaum, and directed by Judith Ivey. Vanities will replace Mr. and Mrs. Fitch, which is postponed from the summer due to a scheduling conflict.

Vanities was originally produced during the summer of 2006 at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, California. The production received numerous citations, including two Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Musical Production and Best Original Score. The musical was most recently seen at Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California last August.

Vanities spans the turbulent 60's through the late 80's, and explores how important friends are as one faces life's defining moments: growing up, getting older, and getting over it. Vanities is a funny and poignant look at women who discover that, even in 30 years of rapidly changing times, the one thing they can rely on is each other.

Vanities will feature set design by Ann Louizos, costume design by Joe Aulisi, lighting design by Paul Miller, and sound design by Tony Meola. The music director is Bryan Perri, vocal arrangements are by Carmel Dean, and orchestrations are by Lynne Shankel.

Performing in Vanities will be Lauren Kennedy, Sarah Stiles, and Anneliese van der Pol. For ticket information, call the Second Stage Box Office at (212) 246 - 4422, or visit their website at www.2ST.com.

Visit www.bestofoffbroadway.com for further information.

McCarthy's Summer Shorts Fest Hosts 8 World Premieres, Including LaBute

The 3rd annual Summer Shorts Festival Off-Broadway will present world premieres of Neil LaBute's A Second of Pleasure and William Inge's The Killing.

The series runs July 24th through August 27th at 59E59 Theaters. Summer Shorts will showcase eight world premieres from both accomplished and emerging playwrights. The shorts are separated into two evenings an A Series and a B Series.

The Summer Shorts Festival schedule is as follows:

Series A:

· Things My Afro Taught Me
Written and performed by Nancy Giles
"A black girl, her hair, her adventures, and eventual escape from a Los Angeles acting cult."

· Death By Chocolate
By John Augustine
Directed by Robert Saxner
"A woman copes with menopause, her birthday, and the death of her husband. Luckily, she has alcohol and candy to help her get through the day. Unluckily, she faces an unwanted visit from her sister-in-law."

· A Second of Pleasure
By Neil LaBute
Directed by Andrew McCarthy
"A couple head off for a romantic weekend - or do they?"

· The Eternal Anniversary
Book by Bill Connington
Music and lyrics by Skip Kennon
"A hotel chef in 1913 New York City makes the perfect meal for his anniversary dinner. Very much in love with his wife, he is haunted by the suspicion that she was unfaithful to him years ago. Finding a lost bottle of Grand Marnier to complete the meal, he discovers evidence of her innocence. They can finally rest assured in their 'perfect love.'"

Series B:

· Don't Say Another Word
By Carole Real
Directed by Ian Belknap
"Irascible and compulsively honest, Josh tells his girlfriend Laura about a conversation he had with his guy friends. Big Mistake."

· The Sin Eater
By Keith Reddin
Directed by Billy Hopkins
"El is 14 and her father has been murdered. She’s plotting revenge and nothing is going to stop her. Not the police, not the court appointed psychiatrist, and definitely not her mother. Because her mother was the one who killed El's father."

· If I Had
By Roger Hedden
Directed by Billy Hopkins
"Landscape maintenance, class struggle, and a bikini-clad girl collide in a country with potable water."

· The Killing
By William Inge
Directed by José Angel Santana
"Desperation leads one man to ask for the ultimate favor from a stranger."

For tickets phone (212) 279-4200 or visit TicketCentral

Visit SummerShortsFestival.

'Is Life Worth Living?' And 'So Help Me God!' Part of Mint Theater Co. 09/10 Season

The Mint Theater Company announced its 2009-2010 season will start with Lennox Robinson's comedy, Is Life Worth Living? about a married couple, both actors, who are part of a travelling Irish acting troupe.  Is Life Worth Living will star the real-life couple JorDan Baker and Kevin Kilner. Is Life Worth Living? will begin performances August 19th and is scheduled to run through Oct. 11th at 311 W. 43rd Street.

After Is Life Worth Living, the Mint Theater Company's season continues with So Help Me God! a farcical piece written by Maurine Dallas Watkins, who wrote the play Chicago which inspired the musical of the same name. Two-time Emmy Award winner Kristen Johnston will head up this presentation. So Help Me God! will perform at the Lucille Lortel Theater on Christopher Street beginning November 18th.

Jonathan Bank, Mint's Artistic Director, will direct the revival Is Life Worth Living? Performances will begin August 19th, with Opening Night set for September 14th. In addition to Baker and Kilner, the cast includes Leah Curney, Bairbre Dowling, Brian Keane, John Keating, Laurie Kennedy, Jeremy Lawrence, Erin Moon, Grant Neale, Paul O'Brien, and Graham Outerbridge.

Is Life Worth Living? will have scenic design by Susan Zeeman Rogers, costume design by Martha Hally, lighting design by Jeff Nellis, and sound design by Jane Shaw.

Performances for Is Life Worth Living? will be Tuesday through Thursday at 7 PM, Friday at 8 PM, Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM, and Sunday at 2 PM. Tickets are $35 (Aug. 19th - 30th only), $45 (Sept. 1st - 20th only) and $55 (Sept. 22 -Oct. 11th). All performances will take place on the Third Floor of 311 West 43rd Street. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit www.minttheater.org

Mint Theater Company will present its second offering of the season, So Help Me God! by Maurine Dallas Watkins at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street), beginning November 18th. Kristen Johnston, two-time Emmy Award winner for her performance in "Third Rock from the Sun" will perform the role of Lily, a fabulous dramatic diva who must fend off a challenge from her ambitious but naïve understudy. Watkins play was written 20 years before All About Eve. So Help Me God! will be directed by Martin Platt.

Mint Theater Company, "that truffle hound of half-buried treasures from the past" (Village Voice), has a celebrated reputation for re-discovering worthy but neglected gems and has brought new vitality to timeless but timely plays since 1992. The Mint was awarded an Obie for "combining the excitement of discovery with the richness of tradition." Mint was awarded a special Drama Desk Award for "Unearthing, presenting and preserving forgotten plays of merit."

Advance tickets are available by calling the Mint box office at 212/315-0231 or go to www.minttheater.org. The Lucille Lortel Theater is located at 121 Christopher Street.

MY FIRST TIME Adds Unheard 'Adult' Stories in July For X-Rated Fun

The Off-Broadway hit My First Time (www.MyFirstTimeThePlay.com) will add new, previously unheard and unedited, real 'adult' stories about first time sexual experiences. The new material will be added to the end of each performance starting July 3rd.

Ken Davenport, producer of My First Time (Altar Boyz, Awesome 80's Prom) said: "When I created My First Time, I carefully edited all of the material in the show to make sure the show w asn't just X-rated sex stories. Well, in July, we're putting the X back in the sex,"

My First Time, recently featured on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and in an iPhone commercial, is the longest running play to open Off-Broadway in years. MY FIRST TIME features four actors in hysterical and heartbreaking stories about first sexual experiences written by real people . . . just like you.

First sexual experiences are one of the few things that almost every single person on this planet has in common, whether you’re Paris Hilton or P. Diddy, George Clooney or George Washington, yet we rarely talk about them.  Until now . . .

In 1998, a decade before blogging began, a website was created that allowed people to anonymously share their own true stories about their First Times.  The website became an instant phenomenon as over 40,000 stories poured in from around the globe that were silly, sweet, absurd, funny, heterosexual, homosexual, shy, sexy and everything in between. 

And now, these true stories and all of the unique characters in them are brought to life by  four amazing actors in the acclaimed 90 minute play, My First Time, presented by Ken Davenport, producer of Altar Boyz and creator of The Awesome 80s Prom.

Performances continue at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). For tickets, call Telecharge.com at 212/239-6200. Call 1-888-MY1-TIME or visit www.MyFirstTimeThePlay.com.

Get tickets here: My First Time Tickets!

$173.6 Million for Off-Broadway

From September 2007 to August 2008 Off-Broadway grossed 173.6 million dollars from the 5.47 million tickets sold, according to The Off-Broadway Alliance (OBA), an alliance of Off-Broadway professionals.

Incredibly, the OBA also stated that Off-Broadway outsold the Met, the Yankees, The Statue of Liberty, and Coney Island, as well as other popular New York City attractions during this time.

Box-office reports provided by various Off-Broadway ticketing agencies, producers, and managers supplied the data for this finding.  "The figures…reinforce what members of the Off-Broadway community have long suspected," stated Peter Breger, a theatrical attorney who serves as the chair of the OBA. "Off-Broadway is not only a major player in the city's arts and culture scene. Its economic enhancements to the City of New York are on par with — and in many cases, they outdistance — those attractions generally perceived to be among New York's top destinations for locals and tourists alike."

 The authors of the report, stated that it was as complete as possible, but that 100% of shows and theatres did not provide a contribution to the data, including some smaller productions.

The OBA describes itself as "an open forum for Off-Broadway producers, general managers, venue owners, press agents and marketing firms who meet to promote and support Off-Broadway theatre, encourage and assist new producers, plan for the future of the industry, share ideas and network."

TOXIC AVENGER Celebrates 100th Performance 7/3 With Special Ticket Offers

The producers of 2009's Best New Off-Broadway Musical*, The Toxic Avenger, announced today that they are celebrating the show's 100th performance on Friday, July 3 with a very special Independence Day Ticket Offer. To commemorate the year of the nation's independence (and America going green!), special $17.76 tickets will be available for the following performances: Friday, July 3 at 8PM; Saturday, July 4 at 4PM; and Sunday, July 5 at 3 and 7PM. Please note: there will be no 8pm performance on Saturday, July 4.

Exactly one-hundred (100) tickets for each of the aforementioned performances will be made available at this speciAl Price, and these tickets will only be sold in-person at the New World Stages box office (340 W. 50th St). These special tickets will go on sale when the box office opens at 1PM on Friday, July 3.

The Toxic Avenger is both a charming love story and laugh-out-loud musical -- complete with an unlikely hero, his beautiful girlfriend (a blind librarian and aspiring novelist), a corrupt New Jersey mayor and the most memorable and unbelievable duet you'll see on any New York stage! Audiences from teenagers to senior citizens have enthusiastically embraced this hilarious new musical comedy.

Based on the 1985 classic cult film from Troma Studios, The Toxic Avenger features music and lyrics by David Bryan (keyboardist and founding member of Bon Jovi), book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change) and is directed by Tony Award® winner John Rando. The cast includes Celina Carvajal, Nick Cordero, Demond Green, Matthew Saldivar and Nancy Opel.

* Winner: 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for "Best New Off-Broadway Musical"

For more info and tickets to Toxic Avenger Off-Broadway, click here.

Celebrity Autobiography will welcome Matthew Broderick, Carson Kressley, and Sherri Sheperd

Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick will join Eugene Pack's Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words by Bay Street Theatre Comedy Club on July 20.

Playing Mondays at the Triad Theater, Off-Broadway, Celebrity Autobiography,  present readings of the published life stories of the "famous and infamous."

The reading will feature Broderick (The Philanthropist, Producers), Rachel Dratch (Minsky's, "SNL"), Sherri Shepherd ("The View"), Carson Kressley ("Queer Eye"), Alan Zweibel, Dayle Reyfel and series creator Pack.

Celebrities whose personal stories are presented include Elizabeth Taylor, Mr T, Tommy Lee, Sylvester Stallone, Ivana Trump, Vanna White, Star Jones, 'N Sync, Zsa Zsa Gabor, David Cassidy, Neil Sedaka, Britney Spears, Madonna, Kenny Loggins, Burt Reynolds, Loni Anderson, Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.

For tickets ($60) visit BayStreet.

RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER ANNOUNCES TWO-WEEK EXTENSION FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF “THE AMISH PROJECT”

RATTLESTICK PLAYWRIGHTS THEATER ANNOUNCES TWO-WEEK EXTENSION FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF “THE AMISH PROJECT” WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY JESSICA DICKEY, DIRECTED BY SARAH CAMERON SUNDE

New York, NY (June 24, 2009) – Rattlestick Playwrights Theater has announced a two-week extension (through July 12) of The Amish Project, “a remarkable exploration of loss and forgiveness beautifully written and performed by Jessica Dickey” (The New York Times, 6/19/09), directed by Sarah Cameron Sunde. Performances began on Thursday, June 4th.
Opening night was Wednesday, June 10th.  The show, originally scheduled to close on June 28th, will now run through Sunday, July 12th.

 A fictional exploration of true events, The Amish Project is the story of a schoolhouse shooting in an Amish community, and the path of forgiveness and compassion forged in its wake. Imbued with poetry and humor, The Amish Project investigates a community grappling with loss and faith. The show was a sensation in the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival. It was workshopped at the Cherry Lane Theatre and is being presented in association with Nora Productions.  The Amish Project is represented by Morgan Jenness at Abrams Artists Agency.

 The creative team is comprised of Lauren Helpern (sets & costumes), Nicole Pearce (lights) and Jill BC DuBoff (sound). Kelly Shaffer is Production Stage Manager. 

 The Amish Project will have the following performance schedule for the
extension:

 Monday, June 29 @ 8pm
Tuesday, June 30 @ 8pm
Wednesday, July 1 @ 8pm
Thursday, July 2 @ 8pm
Friday, July 3 @ 8pm
Saturday, July 4: NO SHOW
Sunday, July 5 @ 3pm
Monday, July 6 @ 8p
Tuesday, July 7: NO SHOW
Wednesday, July 8 @ 8pm
Thursday, July 9 @ 8pm
Friday, July 10 @ 8pm
Saturday, July 11 @ 2pm
Saturday, July 11 @ 8pm
Sunday, July 12 @ 3pm

 Tickets are $35.00 and are available through SmartTix (212-868-4444) or www.smarttix.com <http://www.smarttix.com/> . Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is located at 224 Waverly Place (off Seventh Avenue South – between West 11th & Perry Streets).

Bios

Jessica Dickey (Writer/Performer) hails from Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, and lives in New York as an actor, writer and coach. She received her BFA from Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts; she also attended the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts.
New York credits have included Manhattan Theatre Club, Keen Company, Cherry Lane, AndHow! and HERE, with countless workshops and readings with Rattlestick, New Georges, Culture Project, and many others.
Regional credits have included multiple productions with Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre Company, George Street Playhouse, as well as the Denver Center, Portland Stage Company and the Dallas Theater Center.  Television credits have included “Law and Order,” “The Education of Max Bickford” and the pilot of “Cop Shop,” the latter both starring Richard Dreyfuss.  Developing new work is a passion for Jessica; she is a Founding Member of The Fire Dept and has birthed several new plays with The New Harmony Project. Jessica has been a writer all her life - from designing magazines when she was little (cover to cover!) to creating expressive arts curriculum for all ages (winning her the Bell Atlantic Leadership Award in 1997), to being a semi-finalist in the Emily Dickinson Poetry Contest in 2003, and now at the behest of her mentor, Arthur Laurents, a bourgeoning playwright.
The Amish Project is her playwriting debut.  www.JessicaDickey.com.

Sarah Cameron Sunde (Director) is a New York-based theater director specializing in new American plays and contemporary plays in translation.  Most recently, she directed Jon Fosse's Sa Ka La at 45 Bleecker Theaters, Peter Gil-Sheridan's What May Fall at The Guthrie Theater, and Elizabeth Hess' Living Openly and Notoriously at Baltimore Theatre Project. Since 2003, she has worked with Jon Fosse (Norway’s leading contemporary dramatist) as his director/translator in the United States.  Her 2004 production of Night Sings Its Songs formally introduced American audiences to his work and her 2006 production of deathvariations led The New York Times to call Fosse’s work “fierce poetic simplicity.” Other international directing work includes U.S.
premiere productions of The Asphalt Kiss by Nelson Rodrigues (59E59 Theatre/Drama Desk nominated production*), Mirita by Christopher Dunkley (Cherry Lane Studio), and work abroad in England and Norway. Sarah’s work as Fosse’s translator has been published in PAJ (Performing Arts
Journal) and Words Without Borders.  As a core member of Theatre Without Borders and co-founder of Oslo Elsewhere and the Translation Think Tank, she has spoken in venues throughout the country on the art of translation. Since 2001, Sarah has been the Associate Director of New Georges, an OBIE-winning downtown theater that develops and produces ambitious new work by women.  New Georges directing credits include Good Heif by Maggie Smith, Velma, Dear by Carson Kreitzer, one week of 365
Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks, and numerous readings and workshops.
Directing residencies and development programs:  Voice & Vision’s ENVISION Retreat, Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, New Harmony Project and Hermitage Foundation Residency.  Awards include an American Scandinavian Society Artist Award and a Princess Grace Directing Fellowship/Robert &
Gloria Houseman Theater Award.         

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is a multi-award-winning company which has produced over forty world premieres in the past fourteen seasons and was the recipient of the 2007 Ross Wetzsteon Memorial OBIE Award for its work developing new and innovative work.  Rattlestick’s Advisory Board participates in The Emerging Playwrights Project, which matches a new playwright with an established artist for an experienced eye and creative support.  Playwright and artist mentors have included Edward Albee, Jon Robin Baitz, Zoe Caldwell, Arthur Kopit, Craig Lucas, Joe Mantello, Terrence McNally and Marsha Norman.  Previous plays include Two Boys in a Bed, Message to Michael, Carpool, Volunteer Man, A Trip to the Beach, Ascendancy, Stuck, Vick’s Boy, The Messenger, Saved or Destroyed, Neil’s Garden, My Special Friend, Faster, Bliss, St. Crispin’
s Day, Where We’re Born, Five Flights, Boise, Finer Noble Gases, God Hates The Irish: The Ballad of Armless Johnny, Miss Julie, Acts of
Mercy: passion-play, Cagelove, It Goes Without Saying, Dark Matters, Stay, American Sligo, Rag and Bone, War, Geometry of Fire, That Pretty Pretty; or The Rape Play, the Off-Broadway GLAAD Award-nominated hit The Last Sunday in June and Craig Wright’s The Pavilion (Drama Desk nominee
- Outstanding Play of 2005) and Lady (Drama Desk nominee – Outstanding Play of 2008)

NEW YORK CITY PREMIERE OF REBECK'S 'THE UNDERSTUDY' TO STAR JULIE WHITE

Tony Award Winner Julie White is set to star in Theresa Rebeck's The Understudy for Roundabout Theatre Company at its Off-Broadway venue, the Laura Pels Theatre. White will play Roxanne, a stage manager.

Previews for the show will begin October 9th, and opening night will be November 5th. The play, directed by Roundabout's Scott Ellis, is billed as the following: 'Box office heroes and washed-up has-beens take heed: the play's almost the thing. In this bitingly witty and entertaining comedy by Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius), the lights of Broadway cast an affectionate glow over this look at one of the most notorious roles in the theatre: the understudy.'

White was awarded her Best Actress Tony for her performance in The Little Dog Laughed. She is currently performing in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, being put on by the Public Theatre. Her movie credits include 'The Astronaut Farmer,' 'Michael Clayton,' 'The Nanny Diaries,' and others, along with the upcoming summer action movie 'Transformers 2.'

The design team will include Alexander Dodge (sets), Tom Broecker (costumes), Kenneth Posner (lighting), and Obadiah Eaves (original music and sound).

Visit www.bestofoffbroadway.com for further information.