Olivier Award winner Andy Karl will star in a benefit reading of CHASING THE RIVER by Jean Giebel. Karen Carpenter (Delia & Nora Ephron's Love Loss and What I Wore) will direct the presentation at The Pershing Square Signature Center's Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre on Monday January 29th(7pm).
Raul Castillo,
Melissa Gilbert,
Deborah Rayne and
Adina Verson join Karl in this play is set in a small town in Pennsylvania, in which a young woman returns home to the scene of the horrible events that changed the course of her life forever. As she searches for a way to make peace with her past, new revelations and unexpected reunions clash with her memories of her childhood. Forced to face the painful truth, she begins to realize that even though life dealt her a losing hand, there might still be a chance to turn things around. It all depends on how she plays her cards.
"We are thrilled at the opportunity to use Jean's powerful play, CHASING THE RIVER, to support and shine a light on the critical work of
The Joyful Heart FOUNDATION," explains director
Karen Carpenter. " Their transformative work promotes a holistic approach to healing for survivors. They have been reforming legislation to ensure greater access to justice and healing for survivors, and changing the way society thinks about, talks about, and responds to this violence. In this pivotal time of the #MeToo movement and the #TimesUp initiative, we look forward to using the power of art, to contribute to the tipping point that enables us to transform our society for the better."
The Joyful Heart FOUNDATION works to transform society's response to sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse, support survivors' healing, and end this violence forever. Joyful Heart is paving the way for innovative approaches to treating trauma, igniting shifts in the way the public responds to this violence, and advancing policies and legislation to ensure justice for survivors. www.joyfulheartfoundation.org
Karen Carpenter is a director, dramaturge, producer and teacher, best known for directing premieres of new works for the stage. Off-Broadway: Love, Loss And What I Wore (Drama Desk Award: Best Unique Theatrical Experience, 3-year run); Handle With Care (New York Times Critic's Pick); Witnessed by the World (59E59); BULLDOZER: The Ballad of Robert Moses starring
Constantine Maroulis; Regional: Wizard of Oz (Surflight);Vagina Monologues (Bucks County); Steel Magnolias (
Paper Mill Playhouse);Admit One (world premiere, New Jersey Rep); Classical:
Jonathan Dove'sMansfield Park (American premiere, Indy Opera); Frankenstein with artists Michael Arthur and
Andre Miripolsky, Rite of Spring with
Roger Rees, (Indianapolis Symphony); Festivals: The 24 Hour Plays starring
Michael Keaton (Festival de Sole); Spoolie Girl (Midtown International Theatre Festival); Former Artistic Director of the
William Inge Center for the Arts, and it's festival honoring a singular playwright for distinguished achievement in American theater each year. Former Associate Artistic Director of the Tony-winning Old Globe Theater, where she directed
Abi Morgan's Splendor(American premiere, Critic's Choice,),
Nilo Cruz's Two Sisters and a Piano(Critic's Choice, L.A.Times),
Jeffrey Hatcher's Smash (Patte? Award), and
Harold Pinter's Betrayal (Craig Noel Award, The Reader's "Best Bet"). Her OGT production of As You Like It was chosen Best of the Year by San Diego Magazine. Managing Director of The Figment Factory, an event-based company delivering spectacles for Playhouse Square, Cleveland, The Million Women Heart Project,
Donna Karan's Urban Zen, the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative, and the United Nations/World Health Organization. Former chair, MFA Stage Management at Yale School of Drama. Alum of Boston University.www.kcdirector.com
Jean Giebel is a Professor of Drama, faculty Director, and former Chair of the Department of Drama and Dance at Hofstra University. She has appeared Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in Regional theaters. Favorite roles include Bianca THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Honey WHO'S AFRAID OF
Virginia Woolf? and
Charlotte Corday MARAT/SADE. She has also appeared as a principle in numerous TV commercials and worked as a spokesperson for Mattel, Inc. and Computership, Inc. She has directed multiple Off and Off-Off Broadway productions including works at The Mint Theater,
Riverside Shakespeare Company, The Hudson Guild and the 45th Street Theater, and has developed several new scripts for the Annual Samuel French Original Short Play Festival as well as the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival. She has written or adapted several works for the theater. CHASING THE RIVER is her first original full-length play. Jean is married to voice-over artist Tim Giebel, and they live with her very best production, Amelia Louise.jeandobiegiebel.com (SAG/AFTRA/SDC/DG/LMDA)
The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of
Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by
Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a
Studio Theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar, open to the public fromnoon-midnight Tuesdays - Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, please visit
www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.
The Benefit Reading will take place on January 29th at
Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Streetbetween Dyer and 10th Avenues).
Tickets are now on sale, priced $20 to $200, and can be purchased online at
TicketCentral.com; by phone at 212/279-4200; or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12 noon to 8pm daily).
CHASING THE RIVER is produced by RAINY DAY PRODUCTIONS in association with
Aaron Grant THEATRICAL.
Aaron Grant is the Executive Producer.
For more information visit www.rainydayproductionsnyc.com/RIVER
Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos
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