Alice Ripley to Star in Gender Identity Drama THE PINK UNICORN This Spring

Out of the Box Theatrics presents the Off-Broadway Premiere of THE PINK UNICORN by Elise Forier Edie. Directed by Amy Jones, this site-specific one-woman drama will star Tony Award-winner Alice Ripley (Next To Normal, Side Show, Sunset Boulevard). Previews begin May 9 at the Episcopal Actors' Guild with opening slated for May 15.

Trisha Lee is a Christian widow living in a conservative Texas town. Her life is suddenly upended when her 14-year-old daughter Jolene announces she is "gender queer" and starting a chapter of the Gay and Straight Alliance at the local high school. In THE PINK UNICORN, Trisha recounts her story about facing a crisis she never saw coming, at a time when transgender people and gender issues weren't even on her radar.

THE PINK UNICORN was originally produced in Washington by DogTown Theatre in 2013 and has been performed throughout the US and Canada including a run at United Solo Theatre Festival in New York, where Elise Forier Edie won Best Storyteller.

THE PINK UNICORN runs May 9 - 25, The Episcopal Actors' Guild is located at 1 East 29th Street between Madison and 5th Aves - accessible from the R, W and #6 trains at 28th Street.

PREMIUM tickets are now available for "The Pink Unicorn" starring Alice Ripley as part of a 3 show season package. For $190 you get a premium ticket ($159). In addition, you also get a ticket to the rest the 2019 mainstage season featuring the world premiere of a new play ($45) and a revival of a Broadway musical ($49).

Remaining single tickets, if available, will go on sale in the Spring. For this special offer visit- https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1004866

Alice Ripley won critical acclaim and the 2009 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Diana Goodman in the Pulitzer Prize winning Next to Normal. Alice also received Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations for her work in Next to Normal Off-Broadway (Second Stage) and a Helen Hayes Award for the production at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. Ms. Ripley received Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her work as conjoined twin Violet Hilton in the cult hit Side Show. On Broadway, Alice also created the roles of Janet in The Rocky Horror Show, Molly Ivors in the Tony Award winning musical play James Joyce's The Dead, Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard, the Specialist's Assistant in The Who's Tommy, and Bathsheba in King David, as well as having a long stay at the Imperial Theatre as Fantine in Les Miserables. She recently starred as Mrs. Bateman in the original Broadway cast of American Psycho. TV: Girlboss, 30 Rock, Blue Bloods, Hee Haw, and Royal Pains. Ripley won three Best Acting awards for the indie musical favorite SUGAR!, which recently gained distribution. Other film: Sing Along, Isn't It Delicious, The Adulterer, Bear With Us, Temptation and Muckland. Ripley is an accomplished musician and has written and produced her own music. Recordings include: Daily Practice Vol 1, Everything's Fine, Outtasite, and RIPLEY EP, as well as numerous Broadway cast and compilation albums. Ripley just completed filming her first TEDx talk called Magic Takes Time.

Elise Forier Edie is an award-winning author and playwright based in Los Angeles. Her scripts have been produced all over North America, from New York to Los Angeles, and in far flung places like Jonesboro, Arkansas and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Her newest children's play, John Henry, about the African-American folk hero, premiered at The Growing Stage in Netcong, New Jersey in 2018. You can find out more about her work at eliseforieredie.com.

Amy Jones most recently directed/choreographed The Color Purple at Riverside Center for the Arts, Mamma Mia at Flat Rock Playhouse, and directed/musical directed Always...Patsy Cline at Virginia Stage. Amy has provided choreography for Broadway Backwards 8 and 9 at the Hirschfeld Theatre and Palace Theatre (Broadway), served as the musical director for Texas In Paris at the York Theatre in NYC (Audelco Award nomination for Best Musical Direction), and directed/musical directed Ring of Fire at Infinity Theatre, Virginia Stage and Barter Theatre. Amy has also acted as dramaturg for the new musicals Alice, Warsaw, and Junk: A Rock Opera. She is a member of AEA and SDC.

Out of the Box Theatrics, led by Founder and Producing Artistic Director Elizabeth Flemming, Associate Artistic Director Ethan Paulini and Managing Director Frank Hartley, is a New York-based, nonprofit Actors' Equity producing Off-Broadway organization, dedicated to producing new and classic works while challenging audiences to experience work outside of their expectations. Committed to hiring a diverse company of actors, regardless of gender, race, creed, ethnicity, or disability, Out of The Box Theatrics allows audiences to experience work from a fresh perspective in site-specific locations. Now in its third full season, past productions include "Master Harold"...and the boys, The Owl and the Pussycat, Songs for a New World, Into the Woods, Nocturne, Shoes and Baggage and You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. In addition to mainstage programming, OOTB offers new works initiatives The Edit and Building the Box as well as monthly, site-specific open mic nights. For more information, visit www.ootbtheatrics.com