RISE OF THE USHER Begins Tonight at Davenport Theatre

Rise of the Usher has elements of All About Eve as well as parallels to Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. The ambitious protagonist rises to the top of the usher anthill to achieve chief usher status. When she later transitions from her focus from career to romantic life, she learns about boldness from the heart versus ambition and realizes that different rules apply.

Rise of the Usher was developed at Cheryl King's Stage Left Studio and is under the direction of international director, Mary Catherine Donnelly.

Jessica Elkin is originally from Cleveland, Ohio. She is a graduate of the New Actors Workshop where she studied with the late George Morrison, Paul Sills, and Mike Nichols. In addition to acting and writing she has also done standup comedy and improvisation. She recently performed in Incredible Stories with Teatromania Theater Company presented by Italy Time.

Mary Catherine Donnelly (Director), is a theatre director, performer and writer based in NYC. MC underwent rigorous Lecoq-based physical theatre training at Helikos: Scuola Internazionale di Creazione Teatrale in Florence, Italy where she trained with an ensemble of international performers in mime, mask work, clown and acrobatics. Recent directing credits include Brenda Cullerton's Jay-Z & Me (Edinburgh Fringe, Amsterdam Fringe, 59E59), Lauren Letellier's The Fiery Sword of Justice (Women at Work Festival, NYC), Ma'at Zachary's Botched, Bare and Brave (Emerging Artists Theatre) and is the dramaturg & movement coach for Ingrid Griffith's long running hit solo Demerara Gold (premiered Midtown International Theatre Festival, now touring internationally). She just returned from Tbilisi, Georgia as part of a collaboration with the International Culture Lab and The Margo Korableva Performance Theatre with whom she has been co-devising a show called DIVA DIVAN. Upcoming directing projects include Jasmine Pittenger's, My Ass (In The World): A True Story Of Love, War, Taliban... And Dirty Lambada-Dancing (The 2015 New York International Fringe Festival) and Mia Smith's I am Hope (United Solo).

Year 2015 marks Sweet Sixteen Years for the Midtown International Theatre Festival! Prolific producer John Chatterton's brainchild, The Midtown International Theatre Festival, presenting powerful works from around the world, is steadily marching toward 20 years as one of the best reasons to come to New York in the summer. This year, the diverse Midtown International will present quality live theatre and musicals as well as a series of cutting-edge short plays, cabaret, vaudeville & burlesque style entertainment - unique productions spotlighting subject matter that is the stuff for Off- [and on] Broadway.

Performance Dates: Tonight, July 14th at 8:00pm, Saturday, July 18th at 3:00pm, Thursday, July 23rd at 6:30pm, Sunday, July 26th at 4:00pm

Performance Venue: Davenport Theatre, Black Box Theatre, 2nd Floor at 354 W. 45th Street