City Theatre's 14th Annual Summer Shorts Festival

CITY THEATRE BRINGS MUSIC & LAUGHS TO ITS

ACCLAIMED SUMMER SHORTS FESTIVAL

14^th Annual Summer Shorts Festival Features

Music by Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb & Michael John LaChiusa

and Comedies by Christopher Durang & Rising Star Marco Ramirez  

"America's Short Play Festival" wants to make South Florida audiences rock with laughter, both figuratively and literally.  City Theatre's 14^th Annual Summer Shorts Festival kicks things up a notch with three distinct performance series under the nationally-acclaimed Summer Shorts Festival umbrella:

A rocking new Shorts 4 Kids line-up for families with tunes penned by Grammy Award Winner Cyndi Lauper and breakout artist Lisa Loeb ("Stay: I Missed You") along with a mix of fast and funny plays for families and a new "Create-a-Short" Contest featuring the work of young artists; the company's naughty, bawdy late night undershorts Series featuring sinful comedies by the nation's hottest talents along with music penned by Tony-nominated writer Michael John LaChiusa ("The Wild Party"); and its celebrated Signature Shorts Series, which returns to its strong comedic roots with previous festival favorites Christopher Durang ("For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls" and "The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From") and South Florida's prolific Michael McKeever ("Splat!" and "Laura Keene Goes On.")  Signature Shorts will also feature a dark comedy by Harold Pinter.

Taken together, the Summer Shorts Festival trio of programs will perform at and in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami from May 28 - June 21, 2009 followed by a summer residency at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale from June 25 - 28, 2009. 

The Carbonell Award-winning festival has become a nationally recognized event, "partners with America's most prestigious theatre festival, the Actor's Theatre of Louisville, and in residence at our region's two premier performing arts centers," said Stephanie Norman, City Theatre Co-Founder and Executive Director.  "With a wealth of the nation's best writers - and now, musicians -- penning work for our stages we felt that this year's line-up needed to be hilarious, poignant- and certainly rocking.  We've also added a "Shorts Support" series of backstage passes and meet-the-artist parties to give festival lovers a chance to get up close and personal with the process from page to stage."

Adds City Theatre Artistic Director, Stuart Meltzer, "I'm incredibly excited about the plays and production values for this year's festival - and think audiences are in for a completely fresh, new take on Summer Shorts.  The new artists we've added to the festival this year are nationally known talents combined with festival stalwarts such as frequent festival favorite Rich Orloff and South Florida's nationally rising star, Marco Ramirez.  With 14 actors, 13 directors and 23 playwrights, this year's Summer Shorts Festival is going to be bursting at the seams with creative energy."

City Theatre's acting ensemble for Signature Shorts and undershorts includes Carbonell Award winners Stephen G. Anthony and Laura Turnball, festival favorites Elena Maria Garcia and Stephen Trovillion along with South Florida talents John Manzelli, Amy McKenna, Erin Joy Schmidt and David Hemphill.  The Shorts 4 Kids ensemble features rising talents Katherine Amadeo, Christopher Dall'au, TRoy Davidson, Nick Duckart, Vanessa Elise and Betsy Graver.

City Theatre's production team for all three series of "shorts" includes scenic and lighting designer Jeff Quinn, sound designer Steve Shapiro, costume designer Ellis Tillman and properties designer Jodi Dellaventura. 

Says Co-Founder Stephanie Norman, "our website, www.citytheatre.com has a calendar full of performances, parties, promotions, meet-the-artist receptions and family activities.  City Theatre's goal has always been to give many generations of arts lovers a signature event.  We truly have something for everyone, a festival that celebrates the best artists, hottest plays and coolest atmosphere in town." 

Production supported by: title sponsor Stearns Weaver Miller Weissler Alhadeff & Sitterson, P.A., the Florida Department of State Division of Cultural Affairs, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Miami, the City of Coral Gables, the Children's Trust, America's Capital Partners, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Broward Center for the Performing Arts, BankAtlantic Foundation, Bank of New York Mellon, Carnival Cruise Lines, Citizens Interested in the Arts, Dramatists Guild Fund, Dunspaugh-Dalton Foundation, Lynn Wille Fichman Family Foundation, Funding Arts Broward, Funding Arts Network, Jason Taylor Foundation, Miami Salon Group, The Related Group, South Florida Golf Foundation, Wachovia, WLRN.

14^th Annual Summer Shorts Festival, produced by City Theatre featuring 3 performance series: Signature Shorts, Shorts 4 Kids and undershorts.

May 28 - June 21: at and in association with the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Carnival Studio Theater in Miami; and June 25 - 28 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Amaturo Theater in Ft. Lauderdale.

Tickets for performances in Miami available through the Arsht Center's Box Office at (305) 949-6722 and through www.arshtcenter.org/summershorts. 

Tickets for performances in Ft. Lauderdale through the Broward Center's AutoNation Box Office at (954) 462-0222 and through www.browardcenter.org/summershorts.

 CITY THEATRE INFORMATION- (305) 365-5400 or online at www.citytheatre.com.

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