First Annual Playwrighting Fest Held 4/1, 2 Benefits YMCA

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA will host its First Annual Playwrighting Festival on April 1 and 2 at 8pm. Playwrights from throughout the tri-state region submitted their work for consideration. Nine 10-15 minute plays were selected and will be presented on stage, with proceeds from ticket sales benefiting the West Side YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign. The plays, of various genres ranging from drama to comedy, will be acted and directed by the playwrights themselves, professional actors/actresses and/or by TV/Broadway stars including Lorraine Goodman (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Cats, Les Miserables, and the movie The Departed) and Denise Pence (Guiding Light, A Chorus Line), Melinda Tanner (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) . At the end of the evening, the winner for Best Playwright will be selected.

Tickets are $20 for the public and $15 for YMCA members and may be purchased in advance at Theatermania.com (search Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater) or at the Box Office the night of the show. The Box Office will open one hour before each show. The Festival is not appropriate for children. All proceeds from the event benefit the West Side YMCA Strong Kids Campaign - a fund dedicated to helping interested youth and families gain access to the West Side YMCA's many life-enriching programs and services. The West Side YMCA is located at 5 West 63rd Street (between Broadway and Central Park West). Accessible Trains: A, C, B, D, 1 to Columbus Circle. Theatergoers should use the 64th Street Entrance.

Plays to be Presented: (Not in this order)

Carl Gets Clipped, by Tammy Amani. Directed by Chris Bell
Not Your Parents' Dick and Jane, by Jessica Murray. Directed by Caroline V. McGraw
Breaking In, by Nick Robideau. Directed by Sherry Teitelbaum
Invasion of the Parasites: An Inadvertant Allegory, by Karl Custer. Directed by Samantha Manas
Passing Time, by Heather J. Violanti. Directed by Lorraine Goodman
Porch by Moonlight, by Laurence Carr. Directed by Lorraine Goodman
In Vino Veritas, written and directed by Kate Gleason
Double Entendre, written and directed by Nick Palladino
Effigy, written and directed by Mim Granahan.
About the Strong Kids Campaign

The West Side YMCA's Strong Kids Campaign is a fund that enables the West Side and Grosvenor Neighborhood House YMCAs to provide recreational, learning and life-enhancing experiences to West Side youth and families in need.

About the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater

The state-of-the-art Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater stands as a pillar for the arts in the Upper West Side Community, offering West Side youth, adults and families affordable access to all aspects of theater coursework as well as providing a new space for staging a diverse selection of professional shows, readings, lectures, improv acts, and much more. Having recently undergone $2-million in renovations, the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater boasts new raked seating with handicap accessibility; professional grade flooring and rigging; state-of-the-art lighting, audio-visual equipment (including movie screen) and acoustics, a centrally located sound-proof control booth and more. For more information, contact Kimberly Loren Mulvaney, Artistic and Managing Director, at 212-875-4292.
About the West Side YMCA

The West Side YMCA is a member of the YMCA of Greater New York, a community service organization that promotes positive values through programs that build mind, body and spirit. Every year, the West Side YMCA serves more than 20,000 New Yorkers, including 12,000 kids from throughout the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Supported in part through contributions to the Strong Kids Campaign, the West Side YMCA provides membership assistance and scholarships to programs like summer camp, child care and teen activities, ensuring that no family or youth is turned away due to financial difficulties.

For more information on West Side YMCA programs and services, visit www.ymcanyc.org/westside or call (212) 875-4101.