13P (Thirteen Playwrights, Inc.), the OBIE Award-winning collective of 13 playwrights, will present the second of two back to back premieres at two different downtown spaces this spring .
The theatre will present the world premiere of Kate E. Ryan's docu-play
Mark Smith, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll, with production design by Ken Nintzel, premiering at Walkerspace, 46 Walker Street (between Church Street and Broadway) from June 3 through June 24. The official opening night will be Monday, June 5 at 8:00 p.m. (Gary Winter's drama At Said premieres earlier at Performance Space 122, 150 1st Avenue, at 9th Street, from May 13 through June 4.)
Mark Smith "tells the story of an 80's American rock star who has fallen into obscurity. We go behind the music to the people who knew him—his high school music teacher, his mother, his girlfriend, his dead father, and his hair stylist. Told mainly in documentary form the play takes us on an unusual drive through a mythical town complete with reenactments and a secret basement jam session," state press notes.
Ryan's plays have been produced by New York theater companies including Clubbed Thumb, The Flea, and the Ontological-Hysteric. Her work has been presented at Annex Theatre in Seattle, the Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, and the Williamstown Theatre Festival workshop. She developed
Mark Smith (former title: Brian) while a member of the 2004-2005 Soho Rep Writer-Director lab. Other plays include
Design Your Kitchen, The Pool Skimmer (developed with Clubbed Thumb) the one-act
Sprinkler, and the short play
The Kitchen Staff. She is currently at work on a new full-length play called
Dot. The six-member cast (who all play multiple roles) will feature: Hannah Cabell, Andrew Dinwiddie, Alissa Ford, Kristen Kosmas, Melissa Miller, and Eric Dean Scott.
In addition to production design by Nintzel, the show will feature lighting design by Garin Marschall, sound design by Leah Gelpe, and music by Karinne Keithley. Megan Goodchild produces and Maria Goyanes is the Supervising Producer for 13P.
"13P
was formed in 2003 by 13 mid-career playwrights concerned about what
the trend of endless readings and new play development programs is
doing to the texture and ambition of new American plays. 13P realizes
full productions of new plays. The resources of the company are placed
at the disposal of the playwright at work, who serves as the company's
artistic director during the production of his or her play." The
members of 13P are Sheila Callaghan, Erin Courtney, Madeleine George,
Rob Handel, Ann Marie Healy, Julia Jarcho, Young Jean Lee, Winter
Miller, Sarah Ruhl, Kate E. Ryan, Lucy Thurber, Anne Washburn, and Gary
Winter.
The complete performance schedule for
the play will be: previews Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4 at 8:00 p.m. The remainder of the run will be Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 with an additional performance on Saturday, June 24 at 3:00 p.m. All tickets will be $15.00. The box office number for reservations is Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or
www.smarttix.com.
