SUMMER SHORTS 2012 Announces Casting

Throughline Artists (J.J. Kandel, Executive Producer; John McCormack, Producing Artistic Director) will present SUMMER SHORTS 2012, their sixth annual festival of new American short plays from established and emerging writers, at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street).  Performances will begin Thursday July 26th, and continue through Saturday September 1st. 

This season's cast includes Peter Bartlett (A Free Man Of Color, The New Century), Connor Buckley (Tennessee Williams's In Masks Outrageous and Austere), Sarah Corey, Stephanie D'Abruzzo (Tony nomination for Avenue Q, "Sesame Street"), Erin Darke (New Group's An Early History Of Fire),  India Ennenga (HBO's "Treme"), Arthur French (a 50 year career that includes Mule Bone and You Can't Take It With You on Broadway), Nick Gehlfuss (CSC's A Midsummer Night's Dream), Nancy Giles ("CBS Sunday Morning"), Kevin Greene (A Tale Of Two Cities), Jessica Hershberg (Baby It's You), Edward Hibbert (Curtains, Jeffrey)  J.J. Kandel (The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty - both directed by Kathryn Bigelow), Megan Ketch (makes her feature film debut in the upcoming comedy The Wedding), and Victor Slezak (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Notorious Bettie Page).

Featured will be six premieres from some of New York’s finest established and emerging artists, including Sam Davis & Sean Hartley (Love and Real Estate, directed by Devanand Janki), Nancy Giles (The Accidental Pundette), Wendy Kesselman (Spit, directed by Jade King Carroll), Neil LaBute (The Furies, directed by Stephen Hamilton), James McLure (Drive-In Dreams, directed by Billy Hopkins), and Paul Rudnick (Cabin Pressure, directed by Walter Bobbie). 

George Xenos will provide scenic design, with costume design by Michael Bevins and lighting design by Greg MacPherson.

Summer Shorts returns for another summer of new American one-acts featuring original plays by the country's top playwrights. Representing some of today's best writing, directing and acting talents, Summer Shorts celebrates theater, summer and the short form. The festival's two separate series offer a diverse range of voices, styles, and subject matter. Summer Shorts 2012 offers six premiere one-act plays, in two separate evenings. The two series will run in rotating repertory. The New York Times called Summer Shorts “a very smart and satisfying evening of theater.”

Throughline Artists (J.J. Kandel, Executive Producer; John McCormack, Producing Artistic Director) is committed to preserving the traditions of the theater for the next generation by providing opportunities for established professionals to work with and pass on knowledge to emerging artists. 

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is the Drama Desk Award-winning theater complex located on 59th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in Manhattan. Owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation, 59E59 Theaters brings new, innovative and invigorating work to East Side audiences. 59E59 Theaters presents Off-Broadway productions by not-for-profit companies from across the United States and around the world, including an annual festival of new British theater called Brits Off Broadway and a preview of shows going to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe called East to Edinburgh. 

Performances will be Tuesday through Thursday evenings at 7:15, Friday & Saturday evenings at 8:15pm, and Sunday evenings at 7:15pm, with matinees Saturdays at 2:15 and Sundays at 3:15.  Tickets are $25 each (59E59 Members $17.50). Tickets can be purchased from the Box Office (Monday 12Noon - 6pm, Tuesday - Sunday 12Noon - final curtain), by phone through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. Service fees apply to phone and web purchases.   

For more information, please visit www.summershortsfestival.com or www.throughlineartists.org