MITF: Raising the Curtain on a Brighter Future for the Arts in New York

Starting with their Autumn Arts, the Midtown International Theatre Festival will also serve as a place for artists emerging from colleges and special programs to enter into the professional world with abundant support from an experienced artistic and academic advisory. Now, established professionals and the next generation can join in.

While the skyline currently glitters with theatre festivals, there was a time when the Midtown International Theatre Festival was one of only two! John Chatterton has set the gold standard for presenting new and exciting independent theatrical works in New York.

MITF Autumn Arts
October 26 - November 20, 2016
The Jewel Box @ The Workshop 312 W 36th Street, NYC

This season's productions include:

ATALANTA by Case Watson; Ovid tells us that Atalanta was the most skillful hunter in all of ancient Greece, until social pressure and a devious plot forced her to accept a husband. By all accounts, her story ends there. But what if this ending were a lie? What if, instead of accepting her fate, she had panicked and fled? Performance Schedule: Tues 11/01, 7:00pm; Sat 11/05, 5:30pm; Sun 11/06, 4:30pm

BREASTLESS by Laurel Turk, directed by Jeannine Haas; starring Laurel Turk, Emily Bloch, Dorian Gregory, and Emily Fox. A powerfully honest exploration of body image and sexuality after breast cancer combining intimate monologues, humorous ensemble scenes, and satirical song and dance. Performance Schedule: Wed 11/16, 8:45pm; Fri 11/18, 7:00pm; Sun 11/20, 3:15pm

DE PROFUNDIS by Ran Xia. This is the story for the mermaid who longed for sound, an inventor who loved a costume designer, a mysterious seashell collector, and a pair of young lovers in front of an enchanted mirror, looking at things they're not ready to let go. Performance Schedule: Wed 11/16, 6:00pm; Fri 11/18, 8:30pm; Sat 11/19, 3:45pm; Sun 11/20, 1:30pm

FINDING FELLINI by Megan Metrikin. In order to escape the brutal reality of apartheid South Africa, a woman journey's to find Fellini and the creativity, freedom and vibrancy he represented. For an hour, the actress takes us on a journey of poignant, powerful and comic stories of growing up in a conflict ridden country. Intertwined with magical moving images, the journey takes us to Rome on a glorious adventure of self-discovery through the cinematic world of Federico Fellini. (Solo) Performance Schedule: Mon 11/14, 8:00pm; Thurs 11/17, 6:00pm; Sat 11/19, 5:30pm

GERMAINE & DIANE by Marlin Thomas. ust weeks before her suicide, Diane, a world-renowned photographer, held a photoshoot with Germaine, a radical feminist. In a steamy New York hotel room, Diane struggles to make Germaineyield to her. Germaine resists. Diane only captures Germaine's essence when she reveals her own inner-self.Performance Schedule: Tues 11/01, 6:00pm; Sat 11/05, 7:30pm; Sun 11/06, 4:30pm

JULIE written by Eddie Shields, (inspired by August Strindberg's Miss Julie). This Julie is about three hot blooded people in their late twenties left in a house for the weekend. The story is set up so two of the characters are servants to Miss Julie and Her Father. Her Father is away for the weekend and Julie uses this to her advantage. Necessity knows no rules. (Tragedy) *AEA Performance Schedule: Tues 11/15, 8:00pm; Sat 11/19, 7:00pm; Sun 11/20, 4:45pm

MESCALINE written by Natalie Lifson. (Musical) "Mescaline" follows the journey of a young sidekick named Ava (also known as Sister Strike) into adulthood and superhero-dom. Her mentor and famed superhero Red Eye insists that before she commits to being a superhero for the rest of her life, she gets a taste of a normal life. However, despite Ava's reluctant attempt to leave crime-fighting behind for four years, it's only a few days before a new villain named Mescaline arrives on campus and begins to kill students by making them hallucinate. For the first time, Ava must fight Mescaline as her own superhero rather than as Red Eye's sidekick. Performance Schedule: Fri 11/11, 6:30pm; Sat 11/12, 4:45pm; Sun 11/13, 5:30pm; Mon 11/14, 6:00pm; Sat 11/19, 8:15pm

PEACE AND QUIET by Alyssa Haddad. Peace & Quiet is about a man struggling with Alzheimer's and his family decided what to do with him. Performance Schedule: Mon 11/07, 6:00pm; Thurs 11/10, 8:00pm; Sat 11/12, 2:45pm

SAVE THE ROBOTS by Jacques Lamarre, Clark Render and Rob Susman, lyrics by Clark Render, music by Rob Susman and Hagatha, directed by David Rigano. The Earth is being menaced by a government controlled by an evil corporation that may, or may not, be under the influence of cannibal alien forces. Can a narcissistic professor, a sexy scientist and their robot clones save the planet from certain doom?? (Sci Fi Musical Comedy) Performance Schedule: Tues 11/15, 6:00pm; Thurs 11/17, 7:30pm; Sat 11/19, 1:45pm

SHIELDS OF BLUE written by Bridget Dennin. The ones closest to us are the hardest to shield. (Drama) Performance Schedule: Wed 11/09, 8:00pm; Thurs 11/10, 6:00pm; Sat 11/12, 12:45pm

THE ACTUAL DANCE by Sam Simon, directed by Kate Holland; starring Chuk Obasi. A graceful and inspiring love story that opens a rare window into the mind and heart of a husband caregiver as his wife confronts her breast cancer and they both discover what love really means. (Solo Show/Drama) Performance Schedule: Mon 11/07, 8:00pm; Tues 11/08, 6:00pm; Sat 11/12, 8:30pm; Sun 11/13, 4:00pm

THE ELBISNOPSERS written by Katrin Arefy, directed by Tana Sirois. It's about Barbarians and it's about you! A true story! Performance Schedule: Wed 11/16, 7:45pm; Fri 11/18, 6:00pm; Sun 11/20, 12:30pm

THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT by Keith Burridge, directed by Annie Taft; starring Bonnie Roe. Can a woman run the country? 100 years ago, long before Hillary, Woodrow Wilson's wife concealed his stroke and took over as the first woman President. (Drama/Solo Show) Performance Schedule: Wed 11/02, 7:00pm; Fri 11/04, 7:00pm; Sun 11/06, 1:00pm

THE GOOD LIFE by Joe Hoover, directed by Tom Paolino;* starring Chelsea Rodriquez, and Jessica Ruane.* Tommy's the most virtuous guy in Omaha, and Jane can't take it anymore. *AEA Performance Schedule: Tues 11/08, 7:30pm; Sat 11/12, 6:45pm; Sun 11/13, 2:15pm

WARMTH by Diana Rissetto, directed by Lionel Ruland; starring Diana DiCostanzo, Sean O'Connor, Matthew Dean Wood, Stacey Lightman, Taylor Hecklin. Quirky comedy about a young woman who volunteers at an offbeat Holocaust charity. (Comedy-Drama) Performance Schedule: Wed 10/26, 7:00pm; Thurs 10/27, 6:00pm; Fri 10/28, 7:30pm

WIMBERLEY by Julia Rae Maldonado, directed by Michael Blatt and Bianca Puorto; starring Peter Ferraiolo and Josh Trant. Set in a small Texas town, Wimberley explores the boundaries of friendship between two former football players after the glories of high school are over. (Drama) Performance Schedule: Mon 10/31, 7:00pm; Thurs 11/03, 7:30pm; Fri 11/04, 6:00pm; Sat 11/05, 8:30pm

WOMEN OF WILLIAMS COUNTY by Karly Thomas, directed by Lindsay Wormser. Seven of Tennessee Williams' most iconic women trapped in a room together, forced to get along in this hilarious examination of what it means to be the protagonist of your own story;even when you're only written to stay on the sidelines. (Comedy) Performance Schedule: Wed 10/26, 6:00pm; Thurs 10/27, 8:00pm; Fri 10/28, 6:30pm

MITF FALL VARIETY consists of programs featuring traditional cabaret performers, tributes to Broadway musicals, singer-songwriters, variety acts, and a little rock-and-roll.

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) Performance Dates: Sat 11/05, 2:45pm

David De Almo: David De Almo is Occasionally Employed by David De Almo, directed by Max Friedman; starring David De Almo. From a Lortel Award-Winning producer of Mike Birbiglia's "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" and "Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King," and the star of that "Monsters Inside Me" episode where that amoeba eats that girl's brain, comes the unlikely story of a data analyst who gave up comfort in suburbia to become a Theatrical Producer overnight. (Comedy/One Man Story Telling) *AEA Performance Dates: Wed 11/02, 8:30pm

CASSIDY FIONNA LACOLLA: A Night With Fiefie. 17 year old poet Cassidy Fionna LaColla shares her stories with NYC. Performance Dates: Fri 11/04, 9:30pm.

MITF: FALL/STAGED READINGS

CIAO BAMBINO music, lyrics and book by Elizabeth Turner, directed by Eizabeth Turner; starring Tia Andriani, Moriel Behar, Ashley Brooke, Brooks Christopher, Gianmarco Colucci, Morgan Daniels, Anna DeBlasio, Lisa Franklin, Andrea Galata, Taylor Johnson, Alan Kelly, Bob Long, Stephanie Mallick,Trevor Nalepka, Liz Pegg, Elizabeth Turner, Kasey Yeargain. An Italian-American musical filled with love, passion, and laughter that the entire family can enjoy. Performance Schedule: Fri 11/11, 3-5:00pm.

SOLICITUDES written and directed by Leo Rockas. Performance Schedule: Fri 11/18, 3-5:00pm.

The SHORT PLAY LAB: PROGRAM A (Sat., Oct 29, 7pm - Sun., Oct, 30, 4pm)

dollface by Robert LoManto, directed by Rich Sab; starring Julie Trapanese and Joe DiBartolo. ...I pray the Lord my soul to keep...

Living The Mundane Life by John Ladd, directed by Eileen Walsh; starring Sandra Toll and Don Steup. A glimpse of what happens when you take the hopes and dreams of a hopeful-and possibly even attainable-tomorrow, and turn it inside out.

A Vampire, a zombie and a werewolf walk into a bar by Joe Starzyk. Witchhazel by Leonard D.Goodisman, directed by Kristofer Kauff. She says the library is haunted; and then he knows it really is, very haunted. Happy Halloween,

Harry Houdini by Matt Sanders, directed by Liana Afuni; starring Eric Leeb and Jesica Levi. On Halloween, two amateur magicians, Wendell and Mimi, meet at Houdini's grave: will it be trick or treat?

A Bitter Pill by Howard Margulies, directed by and starring David Leeper and Howard Margulies. A Park Avenue physician encounters a new patient in this mordant comedy about the science of modern medicine and the art of sweet revenge. Sometimes, a visit to the doctor's office can be detrimental to one's health.

One Life at a Time by Olivia Reevell, directed by Olivia Reevell; starring Gabrielle Adkins, Colin York, Maryan Newbury, Tom O'Boyle, Arlo, and Jules Bernstein. What happens after death? Where do we go? Do we simply return to the earth that made us? Or maybe there is something bigger than that, something that keeps us driving forward in life.

Comfort Woman by Steve Gold.

On The Brink of Darkness by Paul Joseph Gulino, directed by Alejandra Venancio. What happens if you have second thoughts about joining a Satanic Cult?

Tricks by Danielle Fenton, directed by Francesca Rizzo; starring Deirdre Brennan, Taffy Jaffe,Tony Mowatt, and Al Sutton. A blind date. Halloween. What could go wrong?

Suspicion, Obsession, Paranoia, Marriage by Ivan Faute, directed by Christina Ashby. The world is chock full of threats - Zombies! Aliens! Your Spouse!

Pickup by Jessica Pollack, directed by JessicaPollack. An amusing look at the obstacles that New York women encounter daily, in the form of pickup attempts, as they simply try to navigate their lives -- and a look at what that does to our walls, our assumptions and judgments, and how we decide who are the nice guys.

PROGRAM B (Saturday, Oct 29, 9pm - Sunday, Oct 30, 2pm)

Edward's Closet by Jenn Dlugos and Charlie Hatton, directed by Johnny Culver. All Edward wants is a good night's sleep before his Little League practice.

Hook-Up by Burton Swartz, directed by Burton Swartz; starring Burton Swartz. Hook-Up is a play about a guy fixing his friend up for a date.

The Double Heart by Renee McNeil, directed by Renee McNeil; starring Robert Bryson and Chelsea Clark. A man receives another part of a heart, but is he capable of living with it?

Three Characters and The Speed of Light by Gloria Craig, directed by Dennis Gleason; starring Edwina Morales, Brett Radek, Cody Jordan, and Dan Cake. Three characters suspended in the spirit world are led to the light after they help a writer complete her 10-minute play.

Lament by Begonya Plaza, directed by Jonathan Libman; starring: Cooper Lawrence and Solonje Burns. This is the New York of not too long ago, when same-sex marriage was still illegal, thus encouraging homophobia, and another pretext for hypocrisy and greed. Many states, and countries still ban LGBT rights.

In a World Where.... Donald Trump is President by Lisa L. Kirchner, directed by Charles Sanchez. In A World... Where Donald Trump is President" takes place in an internment camp along TexMex border, where the so-called Volunteers have just learned the promise of citizenship has been denied.

She's not the Bride of Frankenstein Anymore by Elaine Alexander. A newly 'single and loving it' Bride of Frankenstein goes speed dating but soon discovers that the bar scene is a nightmare.

We Are the Eye by Natalie Lifson.

The Secret Song by Suzann Capra, directed by Suzann Capra; starring Dayne Doyle and Kathryn Neville Browne. The spirits are whispering but you can only hear them if you have a secret song.