STRAIGHT FACED LIES Opens 6/2 in Planet Connections Theatre Festivity

Loretta Michael Productions presents the world premiere of "Straight Faced Lies," a comedic drama written by Mark Jason Williams and directed by Melissa Skirboll, June 2-22 at the Robert Moss Theater (440 Lafayette Street). The show is part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, New York's premiere eco-friendly and socially-conscious arts festival, and both Mark Jason Williams and Melissa Skirboll are Planet Connections Award winners: he received the "Outstanding Playwriting" award in 2011 for "The Other Day," while she was named last year's "Outstanding Director" for The Closet.

Straight Faced Lies is a gripping, fiercely funny drama that unfolds on the scariest holiday of the year-Thanksgiving-when there's nothing to fear but family itself. Join in the festivities as a manipulative mother (Linda Blackstock) fights for control; her son (Dan Hilt) tries to conceal a secret; her daughter (Hannah Logan Wolfe) wrestles with an unexpected pregnancy, and surprises start pouring out like stuffing. The talented ensemble also includes Thom Christensen, Ann Farthing, and A.J. Heekin.

Straight Faced Lies plays six performances on the following schedule: Sunday, June 2 @ 9pm, Monday, June 3 @ 6:30pm, Tuesday, June 4 @ 4pm, Friday June 7 @ 7pm, Sunday, July 9 at 7:30pm and Saturday June 22 @ 4:30pm.

All tickets are $18. Advance tickets are available at planetconnections.org or by calling 1-866-811-4111.

Mark Jason Williams (Playwright) received the 2011 Planet Connections Award for Outstanding Playwriting of a New Script for his play, The Other Day, which was also performed at the 2011 Chicago Fringe Festival, and can be seen the upcoming Fresh Fruit Festival. His play, Recovery, was an award-winner at the 2010 Planet Connections Theater Festivity; an audience favorite in the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival; an official selection of the 15th Annual New York International Fringe Festival, and will soon be seen in the 2013 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington D.C. Additional credits include: Crazy at Heart (Network One-Act Festival/Barrow Group Theater), Smiles to Saturn (Planet Connections/Bleecker Street Theater; Loews Stagefest/Landmark Loews Jersey City) and Midnight Musings (Planet Connections/Bleecker Street Theater) Mark has a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. For more information, visit www.markjasonwilliams.com.

Melissa Skirboll (Director) is an actor, writer, director and producer who is participating in Planet Connections Theatre Festivity for a third time. In 2012, she was named Best Director (Short Form) for her work on The Closet by Amy Gray Piper, which was nominated for a total of five awards. In 2011 her play Hell is where the Heart Is was nominated for 4 awards and took home two prizes. Most recently, she directed a staged reading of her play Blood is Thicker at the Abingdon Theater, where she has been active directing readings in their Benefit Challenge series over the past year. She directed her own play Pizza for Life as part of Ego Actus NYC Icon Play in November of 2011. She also directed and produced Girlfriend Experience at the Next Stage Theater in Hollywood, CA.

Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances and events, the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere. At the heart of the Festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, music and film, while supporting organizations which give back to the community at large. For more information on the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, visit www.PlanetConnections.org.