'The Poor Itch' Hosts Post-Show Discussions March 8 & 12

The Public Theater announced details for two post-show discussions to follow performances of John Belluso's The Poor Itch.  The discussions will follow performances of the production, currently playing as part of the Public LAB series, on Saturday, March 8 at 8PM and Wednesday, March 12 at 8PM.

On Saturday, March 8, the post-show discussion will feature Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis, The Poor Itch director Lisa Peterson, and Victoria Ann Lewis, the Founding Director of the Mark Taper Forum's Other Voices Project, which was founded to encourage new voices for theater through specific programming for actors and writers with disabilities. Eustis, Peterson and Lewis will discuss the life and career of John Belluso, who died in 2005, as both an artist and an activist.

On Wednesday, March 12, Paul Reickhoff, Executive Director and Founder of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, will speak about his work with the organization, which is the first and largest group dedicated to the troops and veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A current 1st Lieutenant and Detachment Commander in the New York Army National Guard, Reickhoff served a tour of duty in Iraq from April 2003 to February 2004.

"In The Poor Itch, Ian comes back from the war in Iraq without the use of his legs but with a full-blown case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and a year's supply of OxyContin. Now, he has to face the person he has become after the war," describe press notes.

Tickets for all performances of The Poor Itch are $10 and available by calling (212) 967-7555 or ordering online at www.publictheater.org.