AFTERMATH Set for Planet Connections, Now thru 6/27

Two earthbound spirits from different decades guide those in attendance through five unique situations of death and dying in Aftermath. Written and directed by J.C. Svec and proving once and for all what happens after death will kill you, Aftermath will be performed from today, June 17 to June 27 at The Paradise Factory, located at 64 East 4th Street as part of the 2015 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Members of the press are invited to all performances.

A woman who firmly believes in reincarnation tries to leave herself a message for the next time she comes round; consumerism comes in for a beating when a person with one foot in the casket is offered a unique chance to cash in on her situation; a grieving sibling meets a mysterious woman at her deceased brother's funeral; a man learns that moving on is dependent on who he's left behind; and one soul's solemn vigil in the search for life is urged to come to an end.

Aftermath will feature an ensemble cast consisting of Emma Asher, Elizabeth Bowman, Jolie Curran, Ed Rosini, Audrey Lane, Rachel Sobel, Evey Salehi and Ross Turkington. Production design is by Studio 31. The stage manager is Sam Sobel. The show will run 90 minutes with no intermission.

This is J.C. Svec's fourth time working with the Planet Connections Festivity. Previous productions include A Play on Words (2009), Small Bites (2010) and A Cordial Invitation (2011), the latter two both winners of the Best Evening of One-Acts Award. As a producer, director and designer, J.C.'s independent films, short form videos, graphic designs and scripts have been honored with more than one hundred national and regional awards, including thirteen prestigious Telly Awards, the latest for his 2014 short form video Frankie. J.C.'s Frankie script received a 2014 Houston Worldfest Gold REMI Award, and Videographer and MarCom Awards. His movie scripts for Alone, Baker's Dozen, All That We Know, You Couldn't Pay Me Enough, Darkness Falls, and Postcards From the Road have all received national recognition. Visit www.jcsvec.com for additional information on J.C. and his work.

A portion of the proceeds from Aftermath will benefit The National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. Founded in 1996, the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation is non-profit, non-governmental organization based in Ojai, California. Their mission is to strengthen disaster response in America by recruiting rescued dogs and partnering them with firefighters and other first responders to find people buried alive in the wreckage of disasters. The organization offers the professionally trained canines and an ongoing training program at no cost to fire departments. Each dog in the program receives lifetime care: once rescued, these dogs never need to be rescued again. Currently there are 72 SDF-trained Search Teams located in California, Florida, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah. www.searchdogfoundation.org.

Aftermath will be performed on Wednesday, June 17th at 6:30pm, Saturday, June 20th at 5pm, Wednesday, June 24th at 8:30pm and Saturday, June 27th at 2:15pm. All performances will take place in the Downstairs Theater at The Paradise Factory, located at 64 East 4th Street (between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery).

All tickets are $18.00. For reservations go to https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/946339 or call 866-811-4111. For the entire Planet Connections Festivity calendar, go to https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27385. Please note: the theatre is wheelchair accessible. The closest subway stops are the L train at 3rd Avenue or the 6 Train at Astor Place. The closest bus lines are the M103 at 4th Street or the M15 at 6th Street.

Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premiere socially-conscious theatre, music and film festival. The entire festival is aligned to help artist shine a light on the issues facing our society and support the organizations working to make a difference. The 2015 Theatre Festivity will run from June 15-July 12 at The Paradise Factory (located at 64 East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue), and will also play host to special events at various locations in New York City's East Village. For more information on Planet Connections, visit: www.planetconnections.org.