Leviathan Lab Announces Casting For Barbour Playwrights Award Reading Series

Leviathan Lab, in partnership with The Episcopal Actors' Guild, is proud to present the thirteenth year of the Barbour Playwrights Award Reading Series, three evenings of readings of new plays by emerging playwrights. This year's plays examine the intersection of racism and sexism across romance and desire, and the toll these crosses exact on the hearts, minds, and bodies of people of color. This year's featured playwrights are Cherry Lou Sy (Nominee, Cherry Lane Mentor Project), Garrett David Kim (Finalist, Blue Ink Playwriting Award), and Ray Yamanouchi (Semi-Finalist, IMPACT-O'Neill National Playwrights Conference).

The casts of the readings include:

Panic Room: An Unkindness of Ravens
By Cherry Lou Sy

Laura Mercedes, Alice Gorelick (Off-Broadway: LOCKED UP BITCHES, Resident Actor at The Flea), Clare Mahoney (Regional: MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET, METAMORPHOSES), Jenelle Chu (Broadway: BERNHARDT/HAMLET, JUNK), Sauda Jackson (NY: I DIGRESS, NOW IS THE TIME), Adam P. Huff (Off-Broadway: DOUBLE FALSEHOOD), and Eston Fung (NY: A DREAM PLAY, AFTER THE FALL).

Are You There Truman? It's Me, Just Another Guy Who Grew Up Secretly Worshipping Your Chiseled Porn Star Body Online, and Now I Think I Love You
By Garrett David Kim

Lydia Gaston (Broadway: THE KING AND I, Jerome Robbins' BROADWAY), Vince Gatton (Off-Broadway: SPILL, THE TEMPERAMENTALS), Kennedy Kanagawa (NY: SATURDAY NIGHT - IN CONCERT, THE GOOD SWIMMER), Welland H. Scripps (Off-Broadway: DOUBLE FALSEHOOD), Sim Yan Ying (NY: I LOVE WHITE MEN).

PURE//LOVE [WHITE//GIRLS]
By Ray Yamanouchi

Carolina Do (Broadway: GRAND HORIZONS, u/s), Nicolette Ellis (Film: Note to Self, The Composer), Nia Farrell (Regional: DREAMS IN BLACK MAJOR, WHAT A WORLD! WHAT A WORLD!), David Hyuhn (Off-Broadway: HENRY VI, THE TRIAL OF THE CATONSVILLE 9), Jasmin Walker (Broadway: AVENUE Q).

The readings are directed by (for Panic Room) Eugene Ma (Resident Director at The Flea Theatre, Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia University), (for Are You There Truman?) Sheila Bandyopadhyay (Head of Movement/Core Faculty, American Academy of Dramatic Arts), and (for PURE//LOVE) Dominique Rider (National Black Theatre Resident Director). Gaven Trinidad (Community Engagement Associate, New York Theatre Workshop) serves as dramaturg for Are You There Truman? and PURE//LOVE. Stage management will be provided by Jonathan Castanien (Off-Broadway: SOFT POWER) and Emilia Smart-Denson (Intern, Theatre Communications Group). Ariel Estrada (Producing Artistic Director, Leviathan Lab) serves as producer.

The performances will take place:

Monday, March 9 at 7:00 p.m. - Panic Room: An Unkindness of Ravens by Cherry Lou Sy
Monday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. - Are You There Truman?... by Garrett David Kim
Monday, March 23 at 7:00 p.m. - PURE//LOVE [WHITE//GIRLS] by Ray Yamanouchi

Tickets available at www.artful.ly/episcopal-actors-guild
Sliding scale ticket pricing from Pay-What-You-Can to $30.
All readings followed by a wine and cheese reception.

All readings at:
The Episcopal Actors Guild
1 East 29th Street
MAP

ABOUT LEVIATHAN LAB

Founded in 2009, Leviathan Lab is an award-winning not-for-profit creative studio whose mission is the advancement of Asian and Asian American (A/AA) performing artists and their work. Through the speaking of A/AA artists' words, and the presentation of A/AA bodies, presence, and gestures on stage and film, Leviathan works to open spaces that promote social justice, bridge communities, and assert the power of art to change the world. Leviathan functions as a lab where early-career and established A/AA artists can be courageous, experiment, and thrive as they create works that captivate the audiences Leviathan serves. www.leviathanlab.org

ABOUT THE EPISCOPAL ACTORS GUILD

Founded in 1923, the mission of The Episcopal Actors' Guild (EAG) is to provide emergency aid and support to professional performers of all faiths who are undergoing financial crisis. We are also dedicated to helping emerging artists advance their careers through scholarships, awards, and performance opportunities. EAG is not only a nonsectarian charitable organization, we are also a membership organization and we welcome the participation of all those who are interested in celebrating the talent and dedication needed to sustain a career in the performing arts. We hold several events each month with all proceeds being used to support performers in need. Our headquarters and historic theatre are located on the second floor of New York's landmarked Church of the Transfiguration, also known as "The Little Church Around the Corner." a??www.actorsguild.org

ABOUT EAG'S BARBOUR AWARD

In 2007, EAG established this special award to honor the legacy of actor, playwright and EAG member Thomas Barbour (Arthur, Great White Hope) whose support for emerging artists was an inspiration to many. To date, the Barbour Playwrights Award has presented staged readings of 36 new plays and given $6,500 to local playwrights The Barbour Award was established and endowed by Janet Barbour Carhart, Alison Barbour Fox, and from a portion of the gift left to EAG by Mr. Thomas Barbour's estate. All proceeds from the staged readings of the Barbour finalists' plays go directly to supporting future Barbour Awards.