Horse Trade Theater Group to Present 5th Annual FIRE THIS TIME Festival, 1/20-2/3

The African American experience is not represented solely by one voice or one style. For the fifth year in a row Horse Trade Theater Group will present The Fire This Time Festival (TFTT), providing a platform for talented early-career playwrights of African and African-American descent to explore new voices, styles, and challenging new directions for 21st century performing arts in order to move beyond common misconceptions of what's possible in "black theater."

The festival's core production is a 10-minute play festival, presenting new work written by featured playwrights. Other festival programming will include a panel discussion and staged readings of new plays in development. Also, for the first time in TFTT history, Season Five will also feature a fully realized production of a full-length play, Lord's Resistance, by Season Two playwright Camille Darby.

The Fifth Annual Fire This Time Festival, presented by Horse Trade Theater Group, will run January 20 - February 3 at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Ave and Bowery). Tickets to the 10-Minute Play Festival and Lord's Resistance ($15) are available online at www.horseTRADE.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. Admission to panel discussions and readings is Pay-What-You-Will.

Season 5 will open on Monday, January 20 with: A Panel Discussion: Where are they now? Monday, January 20 @ 8pm Our panel will feature playwrights and directors of Season One, looking into their endeavors in the past five years since TFTT was founded. We will find out how TFTT has helped to launch their careers, and gain insight into how they've orchestrated their own success with the help of the new community that supported them.

Season Five will also feature readings of full-length plays written by Tracey Conyer Lee, Danielle Davenport, Eric Lockley, Cynthia Robinson, Nathan Yungerberg, Dennis A. Allen II, and J. Holtham (Jan 21-24 & Jan 29-31 @ 6pm), plus an open mic night hosted by Dominique Morrisseau (Detroit '67; Sunset Baby) on Jan 28 @ 6pm.
10-Minute Play Festival Sat 1/25 @ 8pm, Sun 1/26 @ 8pm, Mon 1/27 @ 8pm, Sat 2/1 @ 8pm, Sun 2/2 @ 8pm & Mon 2/3 @ 8pm

Disunion Written by Judy Tate Directed by Melissa Maxwell Dr. Turner leads the most respected non-profit agency around, and now he's going to run for Senate, but when his most loyal employee shows up to the party, his ambitions hit a snag.

The Weatherin' Written by Jonathan Payne Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz "History's a ghost. We just choose to forget. It'll remind ya, though. One time to another, my time to your time...Forty years ago it was...Night I cross that river...somebody died..."

Gravity Written by Josh Wilder Directed by Reginald L. Douglas Two men/made of clay/ discover their wings.
Dream Awake Written by ERIKA ROSE Directed by Michole Biancosino New mother, Sasha, estranged from her childhood church, confronts her dreams, nightmares and herself.

In Communion Written by Lori Elizabeth Parquet Director TBA A couple in love faces a new year's "revelation" and must redefine their relationship as a result.

Slow Gin Fits Written by Angelica Chéri Directed by Cezar Williams In a spirited game of gin rummy, Harold and Dinah discover they are both in need of a little more than a card game and small talk to pass the time and kill the pain. Wonder what a little liquid courage can do?