RAFETUS Will Receive An NYC Invited Presentation Today

Producer Victoria Weinberg announced today that Ali Skye Bennet's new play RAFETUS will receive an invited presentation, directed by Jill DeArmon, this Friday, September 28, 2018 at 11:00am and 2:30pm at The New Ripley-Grier (305 W. 38th St.) in New York City. Based on a true story, RAFETUS was developed in part at the HBMG Foundation's National Winter Playwright's Retreat, is a 2018­19 Woodward/Newman Drama Award Finalist, and a 2017 Finalist and 2018 Semifinalist for the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center.

In a near-forgotten corner of the Suzhou Zoo in China, the last male and female Yangtze giant softshell turtles unknowingly find themselves in the spotlight when suddenly thrust into confinement by a team of Scientists, who are prepared to rewrite the laws of science to get the Turtles to breed and the species to perpetuate. But when the lovestruck Turtles finally grasp the full implications of their circumstances, the line between responsibility and self-preservation starts to blur... In the animal kingdom, held in captivity in a race against the biological clock, at what point does nature's instinct finally overpower free will? In RAFETUS, "freedom of choice" takes on a whole new meaning -- or perhaps is rendered meaningless.

The presentation cast will include Torée Alexandre (Marvel's "Luke Cage"), Eunice Bae (Aubergine), Fang Du ("Mr. Robot"), Charles Goforth (The Atmosphere of Memory), Katie Lee Hill (KPOP), Jordan Kenneth Kamp ("Tell Me a Story"), Naomi Lorrain ("Orange Is the New Black"), Michelangelo Milano ("Power"), and James Seol (KPOP, Vietgone)

For presentation reservations, please email Rafetus.RSVP@gmail.com

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Ali Skye Bennet has been writing, performing, and creating theatre since childhood. As a playwright, she has been awarded residency to the HBMG Foundation's 2018 National Winter Playwrights Retreat, and her first full-length play, RAFETUS, was a 2017 Finalist and 2018 Semi-Finalist for the National Playwrights Conference at The O'Neill, and a Finalist for the 2018-19 Woodward/Newman Drama Award. As the current Associate Producer of Vineyard Theatre, Ali has helped bring to life new work by some of the most celebrated artists in history, including Paula Vogel, John Kander, Susan Stroman, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Michael Mayer, and countless others. As an actor and dancer, Ali has appeared on stages all over NYC and in dozens of commercials, short films, and guest star roles on TV, and was a member of Labyrinth's 2012 Intensive Ensemble under the guidance of playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis. Ali is also an award-winning photographer with international publication, documenting her world-travel adventures through photos and journals. She is currently developing a new documentary TV series with CompassNeedle. http://www.aliskyebennet.com