F.A.C.T. (Friends Always Creating Theatre) will kick-off their 3rd season this year again with a Benefit production entitled "Untucked" and have they have teamed with Baruch Performing Arts Center in collaboration with Baruch College's LGBT Graduate Society and Graduate Arts Association for three performances, October 23-24-25 @ 7:30pm.
Billed as a festival of 5 short plays celebrating the LGBT Community, proceeds from the performances will be divided between the two organizations as well as a donation being made to God's Love We Deliver. Tickets are available by calling Baruch Performing Arts Center's Box Office at (646) 312-5073 or at the door. TDF members can purchase tickets online at www.tdf.org. The production will be staged in the Engleman Recital Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington (enter Baruch College on E. 25th Street between Lexington & 3rd Aves). General admission is $20.
The five plays, all by area playwrights will include; "Mine or Yours" by prolific playwrite Duncan Pflaster which is a fun yet provocative look at the Bi-sexual world of Phillip, a young man on the threshold of marriage and the brink of disaster. Phillip will be performed by Mark-Eugene Garcia with Alexis Braxton as Patricia, the straight-best-friend of an openly gay young man, Paul portrayed by Matthew Jellison and Polly, a bartender by Hannah Hatton. Director is
Lynn Manuell, FACT charter member and on the Board of Directors.
Also included will be "Palpitations" by Penny Jackson, a seasoned FACT playwright who recently had a reading at the Dramatist Guild. This play has a sitcom style comedy about a young lesbian couple who have recently split-up. For one reason or another, their schedules seem to be to blame as Dr. Sandra James played by
Amanda Johnson, unknowingly breaks-the-heart of
Nicole Ross, a young law student played by Jessica Vera. Adding to the heart-ache is Nicole's mother, Ellen who fakes a medical emergency to confront her daughters ‘heart-breaker' played with style by Fact charter member, *Lucy Sorlucco. Rounding out the cast as Nicole's father is FACT co-producer, *
David Gillam Fuller. *
Jack Dyville directs.
The centerpiece of the evening's entertainment is the comical yet moving and up-to-date. "Untucked," an untold fairy tale by FACT Producer/Artistic Director,
Jack Dyville. Mr. Dyville will be published with Dramatic Publishing in January 2012 with his plays "Still Small Voice which was presented at FACT'S Words and Wine monthly event. Billed as a gay-Cinderella story "Untucked" deals with equality and bullying in the gay world. Taking on the role of Drew (D'ella) is *
KC Comeaux (Off Broadway "One Arm") with
Tym Moss playing the part of his Fairy Godmother. The ‘more-righteous-than-thou' stepmother is portrayed by *
Maureen Taylor while her sons, Butch and Bruce are performed respectively by John Sartori and Jack E. DeLorenso. Directed by
Steven Hauck, no stranger to FACT as a director, he has appeared on Broadway and Off Broadway in "Irena's Vow" and is returning to Baruch where Irena's Vow had its premiere. Mr. Hauck was also in the off broadway production of "One Arm".
"At Sea" by Christine Emmert and Marjorie Conn explores the mystical world of Mermaids, Maidens and one ole-millionaire bigot and features FACT favorite *
Betty Hudson (Bdway "George M!, "Butterflies Are Free") as Ester and Ms. Conn as Ariel. The humans who encounter the mermaids stranded on shore are
Lynn Manuell as Alice and Mary Sprague as Simone. Mr. Mastema, the town bigot, who owns most of the Boardwalk, is Peter Zehren. The play is directed by Mike Metzel a regular member of the FACT Directors division.
Rounding out the evening will be a ten minute presentation from a longer work by Mark Eugene Garcia whose credits include a new musical Facing East will be presented at the Greenhouse Theatre Centre in Chicago to benefit The Trevor Project. "Missed Connections" by Mr. Garcia explores being in the right place at the wrong time or vice versa and how two strangers handle an awkward moment. The play features Thomas Leverton as Eric and Edvin Ortega as Carlos and is directed by
Jana Mattioli, who directed last season's "Bidentity Crisis" for the FACT LGBT Festival and ultimately Ms Mattiolo turned it into an independent Short film for Dreamcatcher Entertainment. "Bidentity Crisis" was written by FACT Charter member/Board of Directors, Zach Rothman Hicks.
Total running time: 75 Minutes
These benefit performances are supported by an
Actors' Equity Association, Benefit Theatre Authority code which allows their members to participate. *denotes an AEA member.
