David Zellnik's 'Serendib' Part of E.S.T. First Light Fest

ENSEMBLE STUDIO THEATRE and THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION proudly announce the 9th annual FIRST LIGHT Festival, which will run from March 28th through April 27th at E.S.T. (549 West 52nd Street) will be highlighted by the New York premiere of David Zellnik's new play SERENDIB, directed by Carlos Armesto.

The play will feature Joseph Adams (Broadway: The Real Inspector Hound, A View From the Bridge, The Survivor, John Gabriel Borkman); Linda Powell (On Golden Pond - Broadway, "As The World Turns"), James Rana (Love's Labour's Lost - Royal Shakespeare Company and The Shakespeare Theatre [DC], Macbeth, Mother Courage - Classical Theatre of Harlem); PJ Sosko (Much Ado About Nothing - Folger Theatre, Fixed, Angels in America - Hangar Theatre); along with Geeta Citygirl, Nitya Vidyasagar, and Richard B. Watson; Serendib will have Scenic Design by Ryan Kravetz, Costume Design by Jennifer Caprio (25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee); Lighting Design by Evan Purcell, Sound design by Graham Johnson; and Original Music by Katie Down.

"In order to save their study, a group of scientists invite a team of filmmakers to document their work, but will the results do more harm than good? A fascinating combination of puppetry and traditional drama, SERENDIB examines the fine line between nature vs. nurture, and just how different we are (or aren't) from primates," state press notes.

First Light Festival 2007 is a presentation of new work commissioned by the EST/Sloan Project, an initiative designed to stimulate artists to create credible and compelling work exploring the worlds of science and technology and to challenge the existing stereotypes of scientists and engineers in the popular imagination.

Now in its ninth season, The Ensemble Studio Theatre/Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Science & Technology Project (Carlos Armesto and Graeme Gillis, Program Directors) has premiered over 100 plays, dance and performance pieces, selected from proposals and submissions from around the country.  The EST/Sloan Project is designed to stimulate artists to create new theatrical works exploring the worlds of science and technology and to challenge the existing stereotypes of scientists and engineers in popular culture. Each season the EST/Sloan Project commissions and develops new works, and presents the results, at various stages from first readings to fully mounted productions, in the FIRST LIGHT Festival.

Tickets for SERENDIB are $20 during previews (March 28 through April 2nd); regular tickets (April 4th- 22nd) will be $30 with Senior and Student tickets $15 for all performances. Schedule varies; call for details. To purchase tickets, and for more information, please call Theatermania.com or at 212-352-3101 or visit E.S.T. on the Internet, at www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org