Midtown International Theatre Festival Runs 7/16-8/5

The Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival (MITF) has announced the lineup of full-length plays and musicals for its thirteenthseason, running from July 16 to August 5, 2012 at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, NYC, 1st floor; and the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor. Tickets are $15-18. Readings are free. Tickets are available at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111. The Festival also offers various group discounts and package passes, good for full-length and short plays.

The lineup represents submissions in all genres. Nonmusical plays run 60-90 minutes; musicals may go as long as two hours.

"Every year is a thrill, if you like roller-coasters," says MITF founder and executive producer John Chatterton. "This year most of my staff is different, from top to bottom, so I'm reacquainting myself with the nuts and bolts of the business. At the same time, I've found ways to make the Festival more patron-friendly, as well as to offer some fantastic deals to fight the recession!"

Mr. Chatterton created the MITF in 2000, a midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, as a way to present the finest Off-Off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. In 2003, the MITF moved its activities to their current location, the Theatre Building on W. 36th St., where it has been successfully ensconced since. The MITF's artistic emphasis is on the script itself, and therefore the Festival focuses on minimal production values.

This year's lineup (except for Short Subjects) is as follows - listing (in order) title, author, times, venue, and a brief description:

Braced, by Rebecca Steele
Thursday, July 19th at 7:30pm; Friday, July 20th at 7:30pm; Monday, July 23rd at 9pm; Thursday, July 26th at 7:30pm; Saturday, August 4th at 6:30pm; Sunday, August 5th at 7pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Life becomes twisted for a teenage girl entering the social hierarchy of high school with scoliosis.

Cocktales by Tjasa Ferme
Sunday, July 22nd at 6:30pm; Friday, July 27th at 5:45pm; Sunday, July 29th at 7:30pm; Thursday, August 2nd at 5:45pm; Saturday, August 4th at 9:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Farcical confessions of a nymphomaniac.

Falling Awake, by Matthew Ethan Davis
Saturday, July 21st at 8pm; Saturday, July 28th at 6:30pm; Sunday, July 29th at 3pm; Wednesday, August 1st at 4pm; Saturday, August 4th at 4:30pm; Sunday, August 5th at 5pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
The wacky encounters of two women with the reincarnations of the men they loved.

Final Analysis, by Otho Eskin
Tuesday, July 17th at 9:15pm; Thursday, July 19th at 6:45pm; Friday, July 20th at 6:45pm; Saturday, July 21st at 9pm; Sunday, July 22nd at 5pm; Tuesday, July 24th at 9:15pm; Thursday, July 26th at 9:15pm; Saturday, July 28th at 2pm; Monday, July 30th at 6:45pm; Tuesday, July 31st at 7:30pm; Wednesday, August 1st at 6:45pm; Saturday, August 4th at 2:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Vienna, 1910 - unintended consequences: In a gesture of compassion, Sigmund Freud almost destroys the world.

Head over Heels in Saudi Arabia, by Maisah Sobaihi
Monday, July 16th at 5:45pm; Wednesday, July 18th at 5:45pm; Thursday, July 19th at 5:45pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Enrich your understanding and prepare to laugh as you slide into Saudi Arabia and see what's really going on for most women.

Keep On Truckin' - It's War, by Walter Brandes
Monday, July 16th at 7:30pm; Saturday, July 21st at 6:15pm; Monday, July 23rd at 7:15pm; Saturday, July 28th at 4:45pm; Thursday, August 2nd at 7:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Beckett meets Stoppard in this fish-out-of-water trucker tale.

Left & Right, by Jay Pension
Saturday, July 21st at 4:45pm; Sunday, July 22nd at 3:45pm; Saturday, July 28th at 3:15pm; Sunday, July 29th at 1:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Conjoined twins on a search for love: a double-sided comedy.

Love. Guts. High School., by Jeanette Bonner
Tuesday, July 17th at 7:30pm; Wednesday, July 25th at 7:30pm; Friday, July 27th at 7:30pm; Thursday, August 2nd at 9:15pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
When you wear your heart on your sleeve and have his hands on your mind, things can get messy.

Love Lies - Treat Her Like a Lady, by Hinton Battle
Saturday, July 21st at 2pm; Saturday, July 28th at 4pm; Sunday, July 29th at 2:30pm; Friday, August 3rd at 6:45pm; Saturday, August 4th at 4:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Love Lies - Treat Her Like a Lady: a musical using pop/R&B/gospel hits to show what happens when three women discover they were all engaged to the same newly dead man.

Multiple Plotchanalities, by Dina Plotch
Wednesday, July 18th at 7:30pm; Thursday, July 19th at 9pm; Tuesday, July 24th at 7:30pm; Saturday, July 28th at 8:30pm; Tuesday, July 31st at 7:30pm; Friday, August 3rd at 7:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Multiple Plotchanalities is the modern-day runaway-bride story for the infantilized, indecisive 30-year-old in all of us.

The Prince and the Pauper/Le Prince et le pauvre,by Julien Salvia (music), Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal (original French lyrics and book), and Michael Conley (English adaptation). In French and English with English supertitles.
Friday, July 27th at 6:45 pm; Saturday, July 28th at 11:30am; Sunday, July 29th at 12pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A new English-French bilingual musical reimagining of the classic tale of fate and fortune.
Music directed by David Terriault.

Relax! Alice, by Ming Pieffer
Sunday, July 22nd at 3pm; Sunday, July 29th at 7:30pm; Sunday, August 5th at 5pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Torn between reality and Wonderland.... Will Alice Ever find escape?

Spoolie Girl, by Rosemary Loar and Robert Atwood
Tuesday, July 17th at 6:45pm; Wednesday, July 18th at 6:45pm; Tuesday, July 24th at 6:45pm; Thursday, July 26th at 6:45pm; Sunday, July 29th at 5pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A family-friendly fractured fairy tale.

A Taste of Chocolate, by Timothy Ware
Monday, July 16th at 6:45pm; Monday, July 23rd at 9:15pm; Monday, July 30th at 8:45pm; Sunday, August 5th at 7pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Satisfy the sweet tooth of your soul.

Thank You Notes: Headed to Heaven with Flat Jimmy Fallon, by Vicki Vodrey
Monday, July 30th at 6pm; Wednesday, August 1st at 6pm; Friday, August 3rd at 9:15pm; Saturday, August 4th at 8pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
You've never attended a funeral like this!

Tombstone: The Legend of Wyatt Earp, by Brandon Wood
Saturday, July 21st at 4:30pm; Wednesday, July 25th at 6:45pm; Saturday, July 28th at 9pm; Wednesday, August 1st at 8:45pm; Thursday, August 2nd at 6:45pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Dust off your boots, shine up your spurs, and ride! This rockin' musical follows Wyatt Earp on his quest for redemption.

Volcano, by Aram Krikorian
Monday, July 16th at 9:15pm; Sunday, July 22nd at 7pm; Wednesday, July 25th at 9:15pm; Tuesday, July 31st at 9:30pm; Saturday, August 4th at 9:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
On Volcano Beach, no one can predict the eruptions - they can only be prepared.

wh@ if?, byJeremy R. Richter
Wednesday, July 18th at 9:15pm; Saturday, July 21st at 7pm; Friday, July 27th at 9:15pm; Thursday, August 2nd at 9:15pm; Friday, August 3rd at 9:15pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A new musical mindf**k about a "what if?" scenario blown out of proportion.

Whatta Ya Nuts!, byVincent Gogliormella
Thursday, July 19th at 8:45pm; Friday, July 20th at 8:45pm; Monday, July 23rd at 6:45pm; Saturday, July 28th at 6:30pm; Saturday, August 4th at 7pm; Sunday, August 5th at 2:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Whatta ya get when you mix a couple of wiseguys, a lawyer, a nurse, a hillbilly, two actors, a receptionist from Staten Island, and a psychiatrist? ... "Whatta Ya Nuts?!"Directed by Charles Messina.

Readings

Getting Your Life!, by Shareef Hadid Jenkins
Friday, August 3rd at 2pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Crystal meth, two boys, and a tranny - it's all about getting your life!

No Complications, Please!, by Rosalie Greenfield Matzkin (words) and Alfred Blatter (music)
Tuesday, July 17th at 12p; Wednesday, July 18th at 2pm; Friday, July 20th at 2pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Three partners in a holistic wellness center near Bleecker Street engage in a series of inept and farcical plottings that nearly sabotage their already complicated romantic lives.

Petunia, by John Levy
Monday, July 30th at 2:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Haunted by a houseplant!

The 2012 Festival will take place at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor and the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor.

Further information about the MITF can be found on the Festival Web site, at www.MidtownFestival.org.