New drama "IN THE AIR" Begins Previews Oct 6 at Off-Broadway Theatre 315

STAGEPLAYS will present the World Premiere of Paul Enger's drama IN THE AIR at the new 99-seat Off-Broadway THEATRE 315 at 315 West 47th Street. Previews begin October 6th with the opening on Sunday, October 9th at 6 PM; the limited engagement will continue through November 26th. The performance schedule for IN THE AIR is Tuesday-Saturday at 8 PM, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2 PM.

IN THE AIR is a story about two sisters and a pioneering aviator who experience first love while confronting the ravages to their community by the Great Flu Epidemic of 1918; individuals whose lives are forever changed by an epidemic which claimed 700,000 American lives and more than 21 million people worldwide before it ran its course without discovery of a cure. The drama explores the epidemic's devastating effects on the young and is a metaphor for the incurable diseases of our own time.

Stageplays Theatre Company (Stageplays®) is a not-for-profit company formed in 1992 to develop and produce new plays for the American theatre which address the issues of our times. Stageplays has presented full productions of four new plays and one new musical and introduced 46 new plays and 3 new musicals to the theatrical marketplace.

Produced and directed by Tom Ferriter, the cast of IN THE AIR is lead by Greta Storace (Salome, The Brothers Karamazov) as 'Ellen' and Nisi Sturgis (Intimate Apparel at Roundabout, Old Globe) as her sister 'Clara' with PRESTON DANE (Atlantic Theater, Fringe Festival) as 'Ben' and Celia Howard (A Skull in Connemara, Last Summer at Blue Fish Cove) as 'Mrs. Ames'. Set design is by Zhanna Gurvich with Sound design by Obie and Drama Desk winner Guy Sherman/Aural Fixation and lighting design by Jeffrey Koger. Cindy O'Connor has composed the music. Elizabeth Paige and Jamie Rose Thoma are Stage Managers.

Playwright PAUL ENGER began his career as a newspaper reporter, and worked for UPI and CBS TV News, winning 4 Writers Guild of America awards for broadcast writing. He has written 8 plays including The Good News (Stage West), The Devil His Due (St. Peter's Theatre), and Harmon And Ruth (Phoenix & NYC).

Producer/Director TOM FERRITER directed the World Premiere of Nanny (Nottara Theatre–Bucharest), and the European premiere of From A Dark Land (National Theatre of Romania). In the US, Tom produced and directed the premieres of First Wife (Emelin Theatre), Enchanted Afternoon, Twisters (Nat Horne), Perpetrator (Singers Forum), and Reunion at Red Fork (Marilyn Monroe Little Theatre).

The performance schedule for IN THE AIR at Theatre 315 is Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM, with Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2 PM. There will be no performances on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24 with an added 2 pm matinee on November 25th. Tickets for all performances are $45 with discounts available for Senior Citizens, Students and groups. For reservations call SMARTTIX at (212) 868-4444 or www.smarttix.com.

For additional information call Stageplays Theatre Company (212) 354-7565 or visit www.stageplaystheatre.com.