New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) Presents ENDGAME This August

New Perspectives Theatre Company (NPTC) will present ENDGAME, their 14th Annual Women's Work Short Play Festival, running live Monday, August 8 through Saturday, August 13, 2022. The Festival performs in two programs on an alternating schedule of 4:00pm and 8:00pm, with a combined program on August 13th at 2pm and 5pm. All performances are at NPTC Studio, 458 West 37th Street (at 10th Avenue.)

The festival is comprised of six plays in two programs. Program A includes: Cassie Goes to Congress by Sonya Hayden, directed by Dani Ortiz; The End Game by Joanna Pickering, directed by Illana Stein; and Boys Go to Mars by Allison Merkel, directed by Jenny Greeman. Program B includes: Just Before Sunrise by Gena Bardwell, directed by Kubbi; The Reunion by Molly Horan, directed by Sydney Prince, and Post Scarcity Possibilities by Leela Velautham, directed by Melody Brooks.

Named after Meganne George, who served as Resident Production Designer at NPTC for 19 years and was instrumental in creating its structure and design elements, the festival presents original 30-minute plays developed in NPTC's Women's Work LAB which takes writers from the first impulse for their plays to a rehearsed and staged performance for live audiences, all within six months. There is no other program of its kind in New York City. The theme of ENDGAME was inspired (as all themes have been) by the social and political discourse percolating in the U.S. at the start of a new LAB. The 2022 theme had much to draw on, from the continued presence of COVID, the aftermath of January 6th, and increasingly dire climate conditions. As always, each writer found her own take on this theme, and the resulting plays are as unique and diverse as the talented writers who created them.

Program A begins with Cassie Goes to Congress, which considers the "endgame" for endangered animals when, in the wake of tragedy, an emperor penguin journeys from Antarctica to Washington DC to demand an answer to climate change. The End Game explores one woman's struggle to piece together her memories of a sexual assault and decide what to do about it, while playing a game of chess against her abuser, and Boys Go To Mars offers a darkly comic and existential dilemma as two childhood friends spend their last Halloween on Earth discussing horror movies, candy, the future of humanity, and their own destinies.

Program B opens with Just Before Sunrise, in which an African American executive must reckon with her roots and the risk to her hard-earned career if she does the right thing amidst simmering racial tensions in her company. In The Reunion, one man's 10-year obsession with his high school sweetheart takes a dark turn when he finally reconnects with her at their high school reunion. Post Scarcity Possibilities explores the absurdity of the everyday struggle to stay afloat in the midst of economic chaos and begs the question: is another way possible?

Directors are Melody Brooks, Jenny Greeman, Kubbi, Dani Ortiz, Sydney Prince and Illana Stein. Rychard Curtiss is Production Designer.

NPTC is an award-winning, multi-racial company performing at its home in the Theatre District, communities throughout NYC and as of 2015, internationally. Now starting its 31st Season, notable productions have included Richard III, starring Austin Pendleton; The Taming of the Shrew (OOBR Award for Excellence), Exhibit #9 by Tracy Scott Wilson (Audelco Award); Jihad, The Play by Ann Chamberlain (OOBR Award for Excellence); Admissions by Tony Velella (10 Best Plays Citation, Backstage); the premiere of The Shaneequa Chronicles by OBIE-Winner Stephanie Berry (with Blackberry Productions); Anatomy of a Love Affair by Deirdre Hollman (Optioned by Essence Entertainment); MOTHER OF GOD! by Michele Miller (Princess Grace Foundation Finalist) and innovative productions of the classics. The Company's mission is to develop and produce new plays and playwrights, especially women and people of color; to present classic plays in a style that addresses contemporary issues; and to extend the benefits of theatre to young people and communities in need. Our aim is not to exclude but to cast a wider net.

SCHEDULE

Program A:

August 8, 10,12 @ 4:00pm

August 9, 11 @ 8:00pm

Saturday, August 13 @ 5:00pm

Program B:

August 8, 10,12 @ 8:00pm

August 9, 11 @ 4:00pm

Saturday, August 13 @ 2:00pm

Tickets: $20 /$15 students and seniors w/ID; TDF accepted for select perfs; FESTIVAL PASS $30 (both programs)

Advance Sale at https://tinyurl.com/u6evyk3r

Location: All performances at New Perspectives Studio, 458 West 37th Street @10th Avenue