NY Madness Announces 'Who Holds The Leash?' Madness With Guest Company Ego Actus

The theme for the May edition of New York Madness is "Who Holds the Leash?" Madness. The plays will explore the idea of who has power in our culture and what they are willing to do it keep it. The show will take place on Sunday, May 27 at 8pm at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). The lineup will include Gina Femia (Annie and the Fat Man, We Are a Masterpiece), Michael Hagins (Hit and Match, Michael is Black), Julienne Hairston (Fire This Time Festival, Born on Freedom's Road), Bruce A! Kraemer (what do you mean, Identity Paper), Judith Leora (Showpony, Elijah), Edmond Malin (1MPF, FringeNYC), Bara Swain (Critical Care, numerous plays in Best Ten Minute Plays)) and Richard Vertere (Lady Macbeth and Her Lover, One Shot, One Kill).

Ego Actus will co-produce the May edition of New York Madness and chose this month's theme. Ego Actus is Latin for "My Way." Joan Kane and Bruce A! Kraemer created an independent theatre in company in 2009 dedicated to doing art for art's sake. Each artist brings his or her own way of creating to our shows and they unify them into a collective "my way." Joan directs and Bruce designs, they both produce. Everything they have presented to date has been in Manhattan or Europe, plus one show in Philadelphia. Our off-Broadway shows have included Play Nice! at 59E59 Theaters and I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row. They presented both Safe and what do you mean in Planet Connections, the East to Edinburgh Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They have done 21 festival shows in ten different festivals including the Prague Fringe, the United Solo Festival and the FringeArts. Their shows have been nominated for 61 awards, of which they have won 21. We have also done 16 stand alone shows including Equity productions at Theatre Row, Theater for a New City, Urban Stages, and the WorkShop Theater.

New York Madness is a raw and unpredictable show of short plays by an ensemble of playwrights presented fully staged with scripts in hand. They write a short play and cast it, rehearse it, and bring it in on its feet. The collected works create a kaleidoscope of cultural moments reflecting this moment in time, framed by a theme that is chosen just one week in advance of the show. The primary goal of Madness is the exploration of modern American Playwriting through the use of theatrical storytelling.

New York Madness takes place every last Sunday of the month at The Kraine Theater (85 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery). Tickets ($10) may be purchased in advance at www.horseTRADE.info. Visit the New York Madness Facebook page for discount codes!

FRIGID New York @ Horse Trade is a theater development group with a focus on new work that produces a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater every season. FRIGID's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. FRIGID New York grew out of the annual FRIGID Festival, the first and only festival of its kind in New York City to offer artists 100% of their box office proceeds, and Horse Trade Theater Group, a self-sustaining theater development and management group. www.horseTRADE.info