Karen Mason, Mamie Paris & More Set for Benefit Reading of 26 PEBBLES at Lynn Redgrave Theater Tonight

Producers R. Erin Craig and La Vie Productions present a benefit staged reading of the Newtown docudrama 26 Pebbles, a stirring new play that explores a community in transition after a tragedy, by Eric Ulloa and directed by Igor Goldin. The cast features Broadway veterans Karen Mason, Richard Masur, Mike McGowan, Mamie Parris, and Jennifer Swiderski at the one-night only event hosted by the Culture Project at The Lynn Redgrave Theater (45 Bleecker Street) tonight, December 15th at 7:00PM in commemoration of the second anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Proceeds from the event will benefit a collection of charities chosen by the citizens of the City of Newtown, whose voices and testimonies are evocatively presented-verbatim-in 26 Pebbles.

Among the cast: Karen Mason has received Drama Desk Award nominations for her appearances on Broadway in Mamma Mia! And Carnival, and has also appeared in Hairspray, Sunset Boulevard and Jerome Robbins' Broadway; Richard Masur was recently seen opposite Tom Hanks in Lucky Guy; Mike McGowan has appeared on Broadway in The Producers, Grease, Ragtime, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert; Mamie Parris starred in The Drowsy Chaperone, Ragtime, 110 in the Shade and will be seen next on Broadway opposite Kristen Chenoweth in On the Twentieth Century; Rachel Coloff has starred in Broadway's Urinetown and Candide; and Jennifer Swiderski has appeared on Broadway in Mamma Mia! Additional casting to be announced shortly.

26 Pebbles is a new play that explores the power of community in the face of unimaginable tragedy. On December 14, 2012, 20-year-old Adam Lanza fatally shot 20 children and 6 adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. The tragedy captured the attention-and broke the hearts-of the entire nation. These 26 innocent deaths-referred to by one Newtown resident as 'pebbles thrown into a pond'- created ripples and vibrations that were felt across the country.

Playwright Eric Ulloa conducted interviews with residents of Newtown in the months after the tragedy including shop owners, parents of students, religious leaders, spiritualists, town workers and others who were touched by the tragedy. Those transcripts were then adapted into a play that provocatively asks: How does a community endure the ultimate test, and what comes after the cameras and noise leave?

"Months after the tragedy in Newtown, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were losing a precious moment in time, as far as learning from this horrific event," stated Ulloa. "The story became a divisive political issue and we stopped listening to the voices of this community that still had a whole lot to say." He goes on to state, "I went to Newtown 5 months after the tragedy, just to allow people to talk about what was on their minds and how they felt about all this. It soon became clear that they were giving me a guide book on how to navigate tragedy and how to try to bring about the best possible outcome from the worst possible situation. This community, and their understanding of what that words means, changed my life forever, and their stories have the power to change many, many more. I am honored and extremely humbled to be the one to give these beautiful interviews a forum to be heard within."

Tickets for 26 Pebbles are priced at $50 - $150 (Premium Ticket includes a VIP Reception), and are available online at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/9964774, or by calling (866) 811-4111. (Ticket fees will apply.)