SLEEP F$@CKING: REVISION By Margot Mejia Comes to TNC Dream Up Festival

"Sleep F$@cking: Revision" by Margot Mejia is an exploration of the physical experience of writing and revising a work that delves into a troubled writer's mind. Wine-addled and in a mire of insomnia, a character named John begins to lose sight of what is real and what is the novel. The world of the play and the novel overlap and become one, as John physically enters his book and the stage is overtaken by both realities, making both him and the audience question their interpretation of events. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 4.

Along the way, the play shows the travails of modern dating, the impermanence of failing relationships, and how the fear of rejection pushes people farther apart. Some, like John, find solace in fantastical wish fulfillment. It demonstrates how relationships with one's parents have a cascading effect on relationships in one's adult life.

The piece is acted by Margot Mejia, Aaron Dalla Villa and Bianca Rutigliano.

Playwright Margot Mejia is an actor, writer, director, comedienne, and producer from Queens of Colombian, Native American, French, and Portuguese descent.. She attended New York University and graduated with a B.A in Creative Writing. She is a graduate of The Stella Adler Studio Adult Summer Conservatory. She wrote, directed, and produced an original musical, "Happy Birthday David," that debuted at The Pit Striker Stage to a sold out audience. She has written the original short films "Game Play" and "Flame University" for Stonestreet Studios and headed their first screenwriting competition with Withoutabox. Her original TV Pilot, "DropOuts," co-written with writing partner Alex Luke, can be found on The Blacklist. Her original sketch comedy videos have been featured on the front page of Funny or Die under the name Prima Brosephina.

Director Alexander Gustafson is a SUNY Purchase graduate who has studied under Dan LeFranc, Kip Fagan, Lyle Kessler and Kathleen Tolan. His work has been produced at Playwrights Horizons.

Aaron Dalla Villa, who plays John, is currently filming the sci-fi action comedy "Alpha Rift," where he stars as Nolan Parthmore. He played the maniacal cult leader Maxwell Peterson III in the film "Pledge," which will premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal at the end of July 2018. He has appeared in feature films and commercials and has done voiceover work for video games. Other projects include staged readings, an animated series pilot, short films, and theater.

The ninth annual Dream Up Festival (www.dreamupfestival.org) is being presented by Theater for the New City from August 26 to September 16. An ultimate new work festival, it is dedicated to the joy of discovering new authors and edgy, innovative performances. Audiences savor the excitement, awe, passion, challenge and intrigue of new plays from around the country and around the world.

The festival does not seek out traditional scripts that are presented in a traditional way. It selects works that push new ideas to the forefront, challenge audience expectations and make us question our understanding of how art illuminates the world around us.

In addition to traditional plays, a unique and varied selection of productions will again be offered, drawing upon a variety of performance genres including musicals, puppetry and movement theater. The Festival's founders, Crystal Field and Michael Scott-Price, feel this is especially needed in our present time of declining donations to the arts, grants not being awarded due to market conditions, and arts funding cuts on almost every level across the country and abroad.