MITF 2016 to Kick Off with Two Dozen Plays in Two Days

The Midtown International Theatre Festival 2016 will open with two dozen plays in two days in the MITF Short Play Lab, culminating with the opening of Midtown Variety Jewel Box, 312 W. 36th Street.

PROGRAM A (Saturday, July 16, 7pm - Sunday, July, 17, 4pm)

Brick Juncture by Nick DeSimone, directed by Amy Wright; starring Judy Maier and Eric Joseph. Love birds, Haley and Nelson, are in Heaven when they move into their Chelsea apartment, but when they disagree on an exposed brick wall, their incompatibilities are exposed, making their first day in the new place a living Hell.

Fear of a Mundane Life by John Ladd, directed by Eileen Walsh; starring Sandra Toll and Ned Long. If we look deep enough into Fear of A Mundane Life, we just might see how an abyss can be disguised as a valley, and how a wasteland can be seen as a garden. @fearofamundane

Natural Rarities Up For Bid by Phil Paradis, directed by AlBert Baker; starring Chelsea Clark, Sean Stolzenthaler, and David C. Neal. In 2184 A.D. the ice caps have melted. Florida and New York are underwater. To feed millions of starving displaced persons, a benefit auction in Europe raises funds to develop food...from petroleum!

Talk Back by Howard Margulies, directed by Michael Beckett; starring Mary Dillon and Dov Tiefenbach. A world-famous playwright experiences the most painful interview of his career. And it kind of gets worse from there.

Venus Hottentot by Ayshia Elizabeth Stephenson, directed by Ayshia E. Stephenson; starring Talya Sogoba, Callum LaFrance, and Leah Mertes. In this tragicomedy, possession of the body comes to the 21st Century.

Australia's Oldest Man by Kieran Carroll, directed by Clara Pagone; starring Timothy McCown-Reynolds and Clara Pagone. A black comedy about a hilariously grotesque 148 year-old man obsessed with Swedish pornography and annoying the Australian government.

Click by R.G. Rader, directed by R.G. Rader; starring Stephanie Romero and Emanuel Cosme. A young war widow finds that love is remembered most in what she thought to be the trivial.

Dirty Smelly Hairy by Cedric Allen Hills, directed by Shelly Ebner; starring Elissa Klie, Jakob Minevich, and Micheal Moss. Jeez you really smell bad. Does anybody know you're here?

Clearing the Mind by Eva Patton, directed by Drew Vidal; starring Lauren Fivek, Cynthia Nesbit, and Amelia Windom. Twenty-something Lynn is caught between the two people closest to her. Can she stand up for who she really is and not lose one of them?

Oh, Happy Dee! by Victor Vauban Junior, directed by Mary Tierney; starring Shannon O'Riordan and Jason Asher. Love is a force of nature. We can't control it. What can go wrong when love goes blind? What's there to see when there's no light?

Worthless by Paris Crayton III, directed by Paris Crayton III; starring Daniel Boisrond, Marcus Williams, Crystin Gilmore, Amandine Thomas, and Jennifer Gegan. A young teen struggles to find his importance after the life of another young black teen is taken by the hands of the police.

American Bodies, Part l written and directed by Rammy Park; starring Felice Choi and Natalie Kim. It's just another day on the assembly line at the American Bodies Warehouse, the world's premier producer and exhibitor of poly-plastifilinated human remains, when a surprise delivery changes everything.

PROGRAM B (Saturday, July 16, 9pm - Sunday, July 17, 2pm)

The Locals by Emily Dinova, directed by Gregory Cioffi; starring Gopal Divan and Emily Dinova. "When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough."- Fran Lebowitz.

No One Saved Me written and directed by Leigh Fitzaimes; starring Constantin Tripes and Leigh Fitzjames. In this 'horrordy,' a controlling wife takes violent revenge on unsuspecting George, who comes home to a series of instructional post it notes.

Swipe "Hell No" by Fatima Cadet-Diaby, directed by Kimille Howard; starring Fatima Cadet-Diaby and Teetee Adetunji. When Tinder goes bad!

Alzheimer's Diary by Steve Gold, directed by Gyunhyeong Kim; starring Unhee Kim, Jiin Han, and Kailey Hong. Fog...always fog.

Battery Saver written and directed by Lilia Shrayfer, co-directed by Miranda Payne; starring Jessie Shinberg and Ben Korman. Two Live Millennials. Two Dead Phones. One Chance.

Hiding Bodies written and directed by Bear Kosik; starring Cheryl Brumley. Hiding bodies means you're having a kick@ss week!

Stage Mom by Steven Hayet, directed by Luci Samp; starring Alexi Baker, Heidi Hackney, and Luci Samp. While waiting for their children to finish dance class, two moms sit and chat, sharing opinions, gossip, and everything but their daughters' spotlight.

The Postman's Letter written and directed by Cynthia Gray; starring Jennifer Enskat, Jenny Murray, and Drew Traxler. A woman is left waiting for news of her son.

The Opponents written and directed by Renee McNeil; starring Renee McNeil and Robert Bryson. Presidential candidates debate over whose the better candidate.

Lucky written and directed by Nancy Méndez-Booth; starring Nancy Méndez-Booth. One Puerto Rican woman's history-making tale of economic prosperity, bird shit, and Charlie Rose.

Confessions of a Bartender by Eleanor Boddie, directed by Andrew T Carter; starring Eleanor Boddie. Midnight, Friday night in a Williamsburg bar, all stories are true, only the names have been changed.

VICKIE PHILLIPS: A Carousel of Colors With Brel, Weill, and Aznavour by Bob Ost and Vickie Phillips, directed by Bob Ost. With New York Bistro Award winners Vickie Phillips and music director Gerry Dieffenbach who explore the human fragilities of life and sweep their audience on a rapturous carousel ride as they keep alive all the magic of these composers. Encore! (Cabaret)
Performing: Sun 7/17, 7:00pm
Jewel Box, 312 W. 36th Street.