16th Annual BLACK BOX NEW PLAY FESTIVAL Set for 5/31-6/23

The Gallery Players of Park Slope, Brooklyn are hosting the 16th Annual Black Box New Play Festival. The Festival premieres 14 new plays, varying from 10 minute to full length productions, over the course of four weekends. Each weekend will contain a different program of plays, beginning May 30th and running to June 23rd. Performances will take place at 8:00pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, as well as 3:00pm on Sunday.

The Black Box New Play Festival is The Gallery Players' signature season-ending festival of new works by both new and established playwrights. More than 400 plays have graced our stage in the 15 years of producing the festival, including Nat Cassidy's The Reckoning of Kit and Little Boots, a New York Innovative Theatre Award-winner for Best Play in 2008.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.galleryplayers.com or by calling Ovationtix at 212-352-3101 (phone hours 9-9 weekdays, 10-6 weekends).

Tickets are $18 for adults, $14 for seniors and children 12 and under. The Gallery Players is located at 199, 14th Street, between 4th and 5th Aves. in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

BOX 1: May 30th - June 2nd

R.I.P. by Agnes Garrett
Directed by Alexander Harrington and starring Antonietta Corvinelli, Mark E. Phelps, and Armand Phillips
Terry and Paul's attempt to arrange the burial of his mother is disrupted by the funeral director's love affair with his plant.

Checking the Basement for Leaks by Doug DeVita
Directed by Mary McGinley and starring Charmaine Broad, Nicole McLaughlin, and William Goldberg
In 1972, with the world changing rapidly, a mother's belief system is completely upended by her child's altercation with his teacher.

Department of Transport by Anne Phelan
Directed by Angelo Berkowitz and starring Caitlin Goldie, Nicole McLaughlin, Amanda Lea Mason
Sheila was looking forward to going home to Brooklyn after her successful trip. It all went perfectly, until she got pulled out of a line at a London airport.

The Old Man by David Loughlin
Directed by Norma Medina and starring Misha Braun and Johnny Mineo
Sean and Denny appear to have been cut-out of their father's will, until they discover in the basement a treasure beyond their wildest dreams.

Lost and Found by Jerry McGee
Directed by Neal Kowalsky and starring Brandon Ferraro and Katie Braden
Two lives are changed with the loss of a gold watch. The finder and the loser each discover more about themselves than they expected when they ask: What is the right thing to do?

Gambler's Second Choice by Johnny Mineo
Directed by Tim O'Donnell and starring James Hickey and Jonathan Bell
When two strangers meet on a subway platform, they discover that it's never too late to meet your full potential.

BOX 2: June 6th - June 9th

A Defense of Marriage by Jerry Leventhal
Directed by Karyn Joy DeYoung and starring Nancy Evans and Ellyn Stein
If two grandmothers become friends because their worlds have changed and become more accepting, can they embrace all the changes in the world today?

The Teller's Tale by Julie Weinberg
Directed by Kyle Fox and starring Vicki Oceguera, Jenny Hoofnagle, and David Kubicka
In anticipation for the interview of her life, a bank teller proves just how qualified she is for the big promotion.

Stretching Out by Anthony P. Pennino
Directed by Brian Olsen and starring Jacob Moore, Andrew Gelles, and Britton Saffer
Comic book writing team Tom and Jack have dreamed up many impossible situations, but when faced with a corpse that cannot be budged their creative powers will be put to the test.

Outpost by Lily Rusek
Directed by Heather Arnson and starring Valerie Terranova and Josh Evans.
A veteran's wife discovers her escaped husband has taken refuge in an abandoned building, and that he cannot seem to leave the war behind.

Escape from Garden Grove by Mathilde Dratwa
Directed by Brian Roff and starring Martine Moore and Victoria Blankenship
Sophie is 15 and hates home. So she's kidnapping her grandma from the nursing home, and they're running away to Belgium. If only the bus would come. If only Grandma knew where Belgium was.

The Whole Ball of Wax by Judd Lear Silverman
Directed by Sidney Erik Wright and starring Amanda Lea Mason, Melissa Macleod Herion, Halley Cianfarini, Daniel Boisrond, Jacob Moore, and Adam LeongSix friends, each with something to prove, discover just exactly how tangled a web they've woven on the eve of a wedding.

BOX 3: June 13th - June 16th
Boy Friends by T.J. Edwards
Directed by Alexander Harrington
Starring J.B. Alexander, Joel Haberli, and Matthew Schrader
The boundaries of friendship are tested for three friends, between their children's play dates at the park.

BOX 4: June 20th - June 23rd
Hologram by T.J. Edwards
Equity Showcase
Directed by Robin Leslie Brown

The Gallery Players (TGP) has provided Brooklyn audiences with quality theatre since 1967. Located in Park Slope but beloved on both sides of the Brooklyn Bridge, The Gallery Players is dedicated to producing classic and contemporary plays and musicals as well as premiering new works. Recipient of the Off-Off Broadway Review's 2000 Award for Lifetime Achievement, and Innovative Theater (IT) awards for outstanding musical for Urinetown, Yank and Like You Like It. The Gallery Players' season comprises three plays and three musicals, covering a remarkably wide range of dramatic and comedic styles. The season finale is the annual Black Box New Play Festival, which gives world premiere performances of works by playwrights.