Drilling Co Presents 17th Collection Of Short Works About FREEDOM 4/24-5/10

The award winning Drilling Company proudly presents its 17th collection of short work from emerging writers around a common theme: FREEDOM . The show runs Friday April 24- Sunday May 10th. Performances are at 8pm Thursday - Saturday and 3 pm on Sundays with a special performance on Wednesday May 6th. The company performs at 78th Street Theatre Lab 236 West 78th Street Theatre Lab between Broadway and Amsterdam, 1 block fro the 1 train at 79th street. Show times are Thursday - Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm and ticket prices are $15 general admission, $12 for students and seniors. Reservations call 212-877-00997, e-mail drillingcompany@aol.com or visit www.drillingcompany.org.

Now in its tenth year, the company is well known for it collections around common themes and its summer Shakespeare in the Parking Lot series, in its 17th year. Drilling Company short play projects have spawned such notable works as Thom Paine Based on Nothing By Will Eno (Pulitzer prize nomination), Clean Alternatives by Brian Dykstra (Edingburgh Fringe First Award), P.Seth Bauer's The Karma Cookie and Over the Line and most recently, Atomic Farmgirl by C. Denby Swanson.

The theme this year is "FREEDOM". "We chose it because of all of the attention our "FREE" -market economy has gotten lately and because we're still fighting wars fro te same cause., " said artistic director Hamilton Clancy, "Franklin Roosevelt outlined four freedom America was responsible for defending - that was the kick-off point for playwrights."

With grants from the New York State Arts s Council and Lower Manhattan Community Council, The Drilling Company commissions writers to write around the chosen theme.

Past themes in their eight year war series include, HERO, HONOR, SECURITY, REVENGE, JUSTICE and SERVICE.

Featured in FREEDOM are Brian Dykstra, Andrea Moon, C. Denby Swanson and Trish Harnetiaux, all frequent contributors to TDC projects. FREEDOM introduces Richard Mover and Sean Lewis and brings back Eric Henry Sanders and Kate McCamy.

Directors feature veteran company director Clancy, Robert A Wilson, Tom Demenkoff, Jude Domski, David Marantz, Richard Mover, and Rebecca Hengstenberg.

In the Tradition of past Drilling Commpany projects, cast features a diverse ensemble of veterans, notably Tom Demenkoff (Law and Order) Hamilton Clancy (The Unusuals, Burn After Reading ) Dennis Gagomiros ( The Sopranos) Sean Patrick Reilly (Law and Order)

Michael Gnat ( NYIT Best Supporting Actor nominee) , Don Carter, Sonia Rzepski and new comers Daisy Stone, Selene Beretta , William Apps, Darren Lipari, Jordan Feltner, Sajeev Pillai , and Shaun Bennet Wilson.

In keeping with the FREEDOM theme for the season, TDC is looking forward to presenting Midsummer Night's Dream and Measure for Measure for Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, outdoors at the Municipal parking lot at Ludlow and Broome this summer.