Riant Theatre to Bring 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival to Harlem in August

The Riant Theatre celebrates the 28th Season of the Strawberry One-Act Festival this summer by bringing the eclectic theatrical awards competition to Harlem from August 5 - 23 at the Tato Laviera Theatre, 240 East 123rd St, between Second and Third Avenues.

"Diversity is the key with the Strawberry One-Act Festival," said Van Dirk Fisher, founder and artistic director of the Riant Theatre, a multicultural and inclusive institution, and the Strawberry One Act Festival. "We have 30 playwrights from all over the country covering a myriad of topics. This includes Muslim, LGBT, African American, Hispanic and Asian playwrights offering unique story themes."

This year, the festival is also presenting five full-length plays. Fisher has produced over 1,500 one act plays at theStrawberry One-Act Festival, which was established in 1995. Under Fisher's direction, seven anthologies of The Best Plays from the Strawberry One-Act Festival have been published. Several of the plays have gone on to be produced at college and regional theaters. The Strawberry One-Act Festival has been called "The American Idol for Playwrights" by the New York Daily News.

"Why did I decide to bring the Strawberry One-Act Festival to Harlem? Well anyone who's been to Harlem recently will tell you that all of Harlem is a Buzz! There are so many things to do in Harlem, a wide range of restaurants to satisfy several palates from around the world," said Fisher, who originally produced the Strawberry One-Act Festival in Lower Manhattan. "Art is thriving in Harlem. There are art fairs, jazz clubs, museums, walking tours, wonderful bed and breakfasts and hotels. Bringing one of the most renowned play festivals to Harlem just seemed like a natural progression."

The Strawberry One-Act Festival will kick-off with a launch party on Sunday, July 26 at the Poet's Den Theatre, 309 East 108th Street, between Second and Third Avenues. It features the Strawberry One-Act Festival Pioneer of the Arts Awards and a screening of the "Video Diaries Project," short films created by the competing playwrights. The Pioneer of the Arts Awards will be presented to award-winning theatre director, Liesl Tommy, who was born in South Africa and Peter Anthony Andrews, president and CEO of Global PrimeVision and former vice president of NBC Entertainment.

The winners of the Strawberry One-Act Festival Awards will be announced at a special ceremony on Monday, August 24 at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway at 95th Street. The Riant Theatre's Awards Ceremony & Performance for the Strawberry One-Act Festival will feature performances from the four best plays from the festival and present awards for Best Play, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Short Film.

For more information on the Strawberry One-Act Festival's 28th Season, please check out the website atwww.therianttheatre.com or call 646-623- 3488.