SEX IN MOMMYVILLE Industry Readings Set for 2/20-21

Anna Fishbeyn's Sex in Mommyville directed by David Elliott, will get a staged industry reading on Thursday, February 20 and Friday, February 21 at the Peter J. Sharp Theatre (416 W 42nd St).

The topic of women and sex is flooding our culture, from TV shows such as Girls and the Sex in the City franchise to 50 Shades of Gray to uncensored reality shows and mommy-is-all-sexed-up fashion trends, all pointing to a changing landscape of the American Mother.

Anna Fishbeyn's new play, Sex in Mommyville, explores mothers' sexuality with raucous humor and unflinching honesty, brilliantly weaving Greek mythology into one woman's struggle to find her voice within an invasive culture and a traditional familial structure. Artemis is a feisty, intellectual, sexually-liberated stay-at-home mom who adores her children, dreams of publishing her novel, loves her over-eager Russian parents, and only wants to be understood by her blackberry-hijacked Wall-Street-lawyer husband, Zeus. But as she juggles the act of writing with the job of mothering, she realizes that unless she's willing to go to battle, she will remain invisible. Against the backdrop of quarrelsome Muses and failed sex attempts, Sex in Mommyville is a fearless portrayal of modern motherhood and devastating commentary on the state of feminism today.

"Every time we perform Sex in Mommyville, we get an overwhelming response. It's a subject that, in a very fun and ballsy way, hits home with men and women. I am excited to perform this show again in NY as we look forward to a full Off-Broadway run" explains playwright/performer Anna Fishbeyn.

In addition to Ms. Fishbeyn, the cast includes Boardwalk Empire's Anthony LaCuira and Shannon Garland. More TBA.

Sex in Mommyville has played at the Flea Theater, La MaMa Experimental Theater, Manhattan Repertory Theater, Museum of Motherhood, Snapple Theater, Ars Nova, Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Pearl Theater, and many other New York venues. Critics have praised the show, "Sex in Mommyville is shattering all the myths around women, motherhood, and modern relationships." Huffington Post; "[Sex in Mommyville] is a lusty, unbridled...updating of Henrik Ibsen's 'A Doll's House!" Jewish Week; "See `Sex in Mommyville'!" Bloomberg News Tweet, Recommended!; "Sex in Mommyville is extremely funny....I must say parents or not parents you will laugh your head off!" Stewart Lewis, WCBS Radio

ANNA FISHBEYN (Playwright/actress) was an accomplished child actor and singer in the former Soviet Union, where she was accepted to the prestigious Moscow Theater before she and her family immigrated to America. She began performing at various venues in NYC while completing her MFA in fiction at New School University and began her career on stage with a solo show called, Conversations With My Breasts, at Cornelia Street Café. Ms. Fishbeyn wrote and starred in her second one-woman solo-show, Sex in Mommyville, at the Flea Theater in August 2010. Stewart Lewis of WCBS News described Fishbeyn as "a comic genius....perky spitfire" and Clifford Lee Johnson III of Backstage Magazine stated, "Fishbeyn has charm to burn, as well as charisma, intelligence and a wholesome sexiness," and described the heroine, Artemis, as a "smart, self-aware character...funny and recognizable." The show was an Editor Pick by Flavorpill and recommended by WNYC Culture as the show not to miss. Ms. Fishbeyn transformed Sex in Mommyville into an ensemble piece for its premiere at Manhattan Repertory Theatre in the summer of 2011 where it sold out and was extended into September. Ted Merwin of Jewish Week called the show, "A lusty, unbridled...updating of Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House," and Jeremy Gerard of Bloomberg News tweeted "See 'Sex in Mommyville.' Just two chances left!" In 2012, Sex in Mommyville was presented by 85 Broads, a global woman's network, at Snapple Theater, directed by Tea Alagic, and was described by Old School/New School Mom as "hilarious, raw and brutally honest." In 2013, Sex in Mommyville was presented by the University of Chicago Arts Alumni Association at Peter Jay Sharp Theater, and was profiled in the Huffington Post. Most recently, Sex in Mommyville was performed at Pearl Theater under the direction of Marlo Hunter.

Ms. Fishbeyn holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago, M.F.A. in fiction writing from New School University, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from Columbia University. She will be making her feature film debut in an independent film, Without Hate.

DAVID ELLIOTT (Director) Co-Director, Perry Street Theatricals. As a Director: Edison's Elephant (Metropolitan Playhouse), The Submission (Olney), Blood and Fire ("The Pitch" Merry Go Round); Arrivals and Departures(Rattlestick, Exposure Festival); Eye Of The Beholder ( Zipper); Doctor Faustus (Culture Project); Shimmer (Irish Rep); Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Phoenix Rep); Something About Baseball (Theatre Off Park);Imperfect Love, Lenin's Omelet; Furious (New York Performance Works); Dilettantes & Debutants (Miranda) and many One Act Festivals at the Players Theatre. Perry Street made their Broadway producing debut with Tony Award Winning Best Play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (also: Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics, and New York Theatre Critics' Circle Award). Others productions include: Lend Me A Tenor The Musical (Gielgud, West End), In The Continuum (OBIE, Outer Critics), an oak tree (Barrow Street, OBIE), The Exonerated (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics), Athol Fugard's Exits and Entrances(Edinburgh), Shylock, and Treason (Perry Street Theatre), White People (Atlantic Stage 2).