Rapp & Walters Lead NOBODY SUSPECTS A BUTTERFLY, Opens 5/8

Royal Family Productions, Inc. will present a developmental workshop of Nobody Suspects a Butterfly written and directed by Chris Henry, with additional writing by Katie Avebe, with choreography by Dante Puleio. This workshop presentation will begin on Sunday, May 8 and run through May 15, 2011 at TBG Theatre (312 W 36th Street, 3rd Floor). Tickets to Nobody Suspects a Butterfly are FREE but reservations are required. Reservations can be made by rsvp@royalfamilyproductions.org. Seats are limited.

On Saturday, May 14 at 8PM, Royal Family Productions will host a Special Benefit Celebration, ticket price is $250, and can be purchased by visiting www.smarttix.com.

Based on a true story, Nobody Suspects A Butterfly utilizes dance, flashbacks, projections and interviews, in a interdisciplinary work that dissects the media's obsession with a small town coping with the suicides of five young athletes.

In Winthrop, Maine, (pop. 6,724) within a span of 26 months five former high school athletes committed suicide. The media sought to find reason by focusing on one aspect of these boys lives - high school football. When CNN and Sports Illustrated investigated the story, it became national news. Nobody Suspects A Butterfly written and directed by Chris Henry is a play based on these true events, told through football, dance, archival footage and interviews. Writers Chris Henry and Katie Avebe both grew up and Winthrop, Maine. They began interviewing people for this piece in March 2008.

In addition to Anthony Rapp (RENT) and Steven Walters ("Friday Night Lights") the cast also includes Luis Amory, Patricia Buckley, Danielle Chmbers, Sean Cullen, Reyna De Courcy, Lindsey Gruber, William Ham, Paul Jones, James Kautz, Charlie Kevin, Matt Lundy, Eric T. Miller, Dan Morrison, Lara J. Mummert, Heather Phillips, Daniel Shafer, Zak Slemmer, Eric Stone, Amanda Sykes, and Nic Tyler . Creative team including Alex Koch (Video Designer), Claire Karoff (Set Designer), David Bengali (Lighting Designer), Jeff Watts (Costume Designer), Jeanne Wu (Sound Designer), David Buchs (Composer), Ron Piretti (Fight Director).

RFP's developmental workshop of
Nobody Suspects a Butterfly
Written and directed by Chris Henry, with additional writing by Katie Avebe.

TBG Theatre is located 312 W 36th Street, 3rd Floor

May 8-15, 2011
Sunday, May 8 at 8P ; Tuesday, May 10 at 8PM
Wednesday, May 11 at 7PM; Thursday, May 12 at 12PM
Friday, May 13 at 2PM & 8PM; Sunday, May 15 at 7PM

Tickets are FREE, reservations required.
Reservations can be made by rsvp@royalfamilyproductions.org

Special Benefit Celebration
With honorary chairs Abigail E Disney and Ross Greenburg
Saturday, May 14 at 8PM
$250 per ticket
Tickets available by visiting www.Smarttix.com

For more information please visit http://royalfamilyproductions.org/ or email info@royalfamilyproductions.org

Creative Team Bio's

Chris Henry (Writer/Director) is an award-winning professional theatre director in New York City. Over the past 20 years she has developed theatre all over the country. Henry recently directed Gary Duggan's Trans-Euro Express at the Irish Arts Center with the Fundamental Theater Project. With Royal Family Productions, she has collaborated with Jazz Legend Wycliffe Gordon on a new musical, Louie, Red and the Jazzman, at Lincoln Center's Clark Theatre. Recently, she was awarded the NETC Regional Award for Excellence in Theatre along with Richard Dresser. Last January, Royal Family's production of Safe Home by Sean Cullen and directed by Henry was extended three times thanks to a sensational review in the New York Times. Favorite NYC Directing credits include Art of Warat Madison Square Garden, Glory and the Juniper Queen at Symphony Space, Sharpen Your Blade ("Time Out" Critic's Pick) at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Fishbowl (New York Magazine Critic's pick) at the Michael Weller Theater, The Tuesday Shane Show at American Place Theatre, Suicide Society (Winner Best Director) at The American Globe Theatre, The Lovetalker at The New 42nd Street Theatre, Burn This at American Theatre of Actors, and over 50 others. Henry has also directed original work by John Cariani and William Mastrosimone in Royal Family Productions, Inc.'s most recent 10-minute Play Festival.

Royal Family Productions, Inc. is a non-profit theatre company whose mission is to make theatre accessible to everyone, producing work that is multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and multi-disciplined. The company is comprised of both a Main stage Theatre program and an Educational Theatre program.

Some of Royal Family's NYC producing credits include, Without You (TBG Theatre), Safe Home (Women's Interart Annex), Nobody Suspects A Butterfly (Workshop, Theater For The New City), and Painted Ladies (Symphony Space).

Katie Avebe, Mary Bernardi, Chris Henry and Andy Theodorou officially founded Royal Family Productions, Inc. in August 2007.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos