Newly Adapted HEDDA By Kelly Lamanna Plays TNC Dream Up Fest

In "Hedda" a new adaptation by Kelly Lamanna, one performer and one stage manager, armed with puppets, dolls, gizmos, and gadgets will attempt to perform the lamentable tale of Hedda Gabler as first written by Henrik Ibsen. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the world premiere of the piece August 31 to September 13.

First performed in 1891, "Hedda Gabler" is about a woman who, having recently married an unimaginably bland man, is bored and resentful. When an old lover is re-introduced in to her life, she spirals down a destructive path to leach from others what she cannot obtain herself: courage and passion. Despite her misguided attempts to seize some power, she is out-manipulated.

Kelly Lamanna (director and adapter) is a theater maker based in New York City. For the past year, she has been the assistant director on the workshops and final performance of "Pay No Attention to the Girl" at Target Margin Theater. In 2017, she presented work at Dixon Place and the Midtown International Theatre Festival. She has been an assistant director with Julia Jarcho (The Terrifying), The New Group, Berkshire Theatre Group and Endstation Theatre Company. She is the co-creator and curator of a long distance online project called "Your Uncle Richard" that connects multi-disciplinary artists from across the world.

Sarah Jo Provost* (performer) is a graduate of Florida State University's BFA Acting program and has performed at theaters across the country, including the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and Sierra Repertory Theatre. Previous credits include Ariel in "The Tempest," Bianca in "The Taming of the Shrew," Nina in "The Seagull," and Philomele in "The Love of the Nightingale." She created roles in several new works at The Blank and The Hudson Theatres in Hollywood and can be seen in the feature film "Racing Colt." She is a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. www.sarahjoprovost.com

Grace Orr (Stage Manager) is primarily a performance artist and actor who has performed in plays such as Shakesbeer's "Measure for Measure." More recently she has been working on plays in new capacities, such as production assistant for "Pay No Attention to the Girl" and stage manager for "Femme Pathos" (The Brick).

The ninth annual Dream Up Festival (www.dreamupfestival.org) is being presented by Theater for the New City from August 26 to September 16. An ultimate new work festival, it is dedicated to the joy of discovering new authors and edgy, innovative performances. Audiences savor the excitement, awe, passion, challenge and intrigue of new plays from around the country and around the world.

The festival does not seek out traditional scripts that are presented in a traditional way. It selects works that push new ideas to the forefront, challenge audience expectations and make us question our understanding of how art illuminates the world around us.

In addition to traditional plays, a unique and varied selection of productions will again be offered, drawing upon a variety of performance genres including musicals, puppetry and movement theater. The Festival's founders, Crystal Field and Michael Scott-Price, feel this is especially needed in our present time of declining donations to the arts, grants not being awarded due to market conditions, and arts funding cuts on almost every level across the country and abroad.