Caridad Svich's UPON THE FRAGILE SHORE Benefit Reading Set for New Dramatists, 10/16

The initial line-up of worldwide organizations that will present readings of 2012 OBIE Award-winning playwright Caridad Svich's new play Upon the Fragile Shore has been announced. This work of intertwining monologues explores human rights and environmental issues around the world especially in relationship to human-made tragedies and their aftermath. These readings are an initiative of NoPassport (www.nopassport.org) for Human Rights International reading scheme.Theater's, artists and students are invited to present readings live, or via video in digital segments (available for viewing on the Fragile Shore YouTube channel this October, https://www.youtube.com/user/fragileshore). The play centers on stories from the United States, Nigeria, Syria, Malaysia, sub-Sahara, and Venezuela. Scripts will be distributed by NoPassport theatre alliance & press, an unincorporated collective dedicated to the advocacy, production and publication of works expressive of cross-cultural and aesthetic diversity in the arts. This action is co- production among NoPassport, Jody Christopherson, (The Skype Show, New York Theatre Review,http://newyorktheatrereview.blogspot.com/) and Missing Bolts Productions (Co-Artistic Directors Zac Kline and Blair Baker) (http://www.missingbolts.com/).

A New York alumni reading of the play will be held at New Dramatists in New York City on Thursday October 16, 2014 at 7pm, under Emily Mendelsohn's direction, cast includes; Hadi Tabbal, Christina Pumariega, Jody Christopherson and LaTonia Phipps. The event will be followed by a panel of speakers that include; playwright activists, Tala Manassah, J.T. Rogers, Mona Mansour and Winter Miller.

Among the theaters and venues that will be presenting the play are; Ensemble Free Theater of Norway, Ion Theatre (San Diego, CA). Theater Alliance (Washington D.C.), National Institute of Dramatic Art (Sydney, Australia), Alameda Theatre (Toronto, CA), University of Pretoria (South Africa) Dept of Theatre, and Baruch College (NYC), Missing Bolts (Digital Film Action, NYC), CalArts (California); Teatro Paraguas (Santa Fe, New Mexico); Theatre Asylum (Canada); Colectivo Teatral Nuevo Mexico as affiliated event of Siembra: Latino Theatre Festival (Albuquerue, New Mexico) and alumni reading at New Dramatists (NYC). Additional presenting venues will be announced in the near future.

The play is based on an earlier short play And so it is commissioned by New York Madness. Upon the Fragile Shore is a play with 16 characters, played by 4 actors, that focuses on human rights and environmental issues around the world especially in relationship to human-made tragedies and their aftermath. It is the third play in Caridad Svich's trilogy of plays addressing national issues/global concerns, that include Upon the Fragile Shore, This Thing of Ours and The Orphan Sea(commissioned and to be produced by University of Missouri-Columbia, fall 2014). Svich's other plays include; 12 Ophelias, Iphigenia...a rave fable, and The House of the Spirits, based on the novel by Isabel Allende. Two of her American Quartet of plays; The Way of Water and Spark sustained global NoPassport schemes in 2012.Spark premieres September 2014 at Theater Alliance in Washington D.C.

For more information about Caridad Svich's Upon the Fragile Shore or how to participate in joining the reading scheme via live reading or digital video please visithttp://www.nopassport.org/upon-fragile-shore-nopassport-human-rights-reading-scheme