Rising Circle Theater Collective Announces PlayRISE Festival

Five talented emerging playwrights of color will unveil exciting new works when Rising Circle Theater Collective presents PlayRISE, a series of readings featuring Bill Heck (Angels in America), Maria Elena Ramirez (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson), Francis Jue (M. Butterfly), Victoire Charles (Ruined), and Bhavesh Patel (War Horse), June 13-17 at Theatre Row's Studio Theatre.

The collection of new drafts from the 2011 INKtank writers intensive begins with Deepa Purohit's Flight, directed by Kareem Fahmy, June 13 at 7:30PM. "Birdie loses her song. Ba wants to die. Sang has taken a turn for the worst. Grounded in small town Ohio, three women seek freedom from the legacy they've created together."

The cast includes Patel, Yolande Bavan, Geeta Citygirl Chopra, and Lipica Shah.

The following night, June 14 at 7:30PM, will be Tatiana Suarez-Pico's 443, directed by Pulitzer Prize Finalist Kristoffer Diaz. "15-year old Cari is tired of her accent landing her as the butt of jokes. As she and her dead mother work diligently to correct it, Cari discovers a painful family secret everyone has kept from her."

The cast includes Ramirez, Maggie Bofill, Gerardo Rodriguez, and Raul Castillo.

Wednesday June 15 at 7:30PM will be christopher oscar peña's the suicide tapes, directed by Colette Robert. "Justin just wants to spend more time with his girlfriend, Natalie, but she's obsessed with her research on suicides off the Golden Gate Bridge. To make matters worse, his long lost actor brother, Dustin, arrives out of the blue desiring reconnection in his final dying days."

The cast includes Heck, Josh Barrett, Alex Hurt, Jennifer Ikeda, and Mia Katigbak.
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Melisa Tien will present Familium Vulgare on Thursday, June 16 at 7:30PM, directed by Ralph Peña with a post-show discussion led by Diana Son (Stop Kiss). "An Asian American family comprised of a Buddhist scholar, an amateur filmmaker and a failed science major navigate the peculiar waters of life after death."

The cast includes Jue, Sue Jean Kim, Alexis Camins, and Jade Wu.

The festival will close on Friday, June 17 at 7:30PM with Akin Salawu's I Stand Corrected directed by Donya Washington. "In a Brooklyn rehab hospital a paralyzed 9/11 fireman struggles to help his roommates - an Iraq Vet and an aneurysm survivor - get back on their feet. When a hate crime victim is placed in their room, the men uncover what is truly crippling them."?
The cast includes Charles, Marc Damon Johnson, Rafael Sardina, Christopher Bonewitz, Sevan Greene, and Sheila Tapia.

PlayRISE will take place at the Studio Theatre on Theatre Row June 13-17, 2011 at 7:30PM. Admission is free but tickets must be reserved by e-mailing: reservations@risingcircle.org. Rising Circle Theater Collective is a not-for-profit arts organization dedicated to broadening the scope of storytelling on the American stage by providing an artistic home for artists of color. If you'd like more information please e-mail Monet at literary@risingcircle.org or visit www.risingcircle.org.