Sixdollarsinmypocket productions will present CONEY ISLAND AVENUE, the world premiere by playwright Charles L. Mee, featuring a company of 20 actors under the direction of Anjali Vashi. The exciting, one-of-a-kind work will be performed at New York Theater Workshop's 4th Street Theater from August 5-16, 2009. Tickets are on sale now at smarttix.com.
Playwright Charles Mee says, "I am so pleased that CONEY ISLAND AVENUE is being produced that it's all I talk about with my friends. Knowing Anjali Vashi, I'm very excited to see what I know will be a completely fabulous production, brought to life by a very diverse and interesting group of artists."
CONEY ISLAND AVENUE is an explosion of spoken word performance, film, live and recorded music and dance. It is a piece that takes an acute look into the varied lives and ever day struggles of the dynamic and diverse population of Brooklyn, New York in 2009. As in many of Chuck Mee's pieces, this production represents the rich multitude of nationalities, ethnicities, languages, social and economic identities that exist along this treasured avenue. As only Chuck Mee can do, with its jagged edges and deeply honest imagery, CONEY ISLAND AVENUE daringly reflects what has become the microcosm of our shifting world. So much of the Earth, living on the same block! It is a juxtaposition of film and live performance, where the vicious fight to live the American Dream takes flight into grace and dance. With an international cast of performers, ranging from hip-hop and Indian Bhangra dancers to opera singers to classically trained musicians to spoken word artists, this production is a feast for the senses.
The multi-ethnic and multi-talented ensemble will feature Jenny Bennett, Claudeen Benoit, Angela Bonacci, Ruben Celeberti, Jennifer Leigh Cohen, Tim Dax, Sam Ghosh, William S. Huntley III, Sandhya Jain, Max Jenkins, Haerry Kim, Aryeh Lappin, Franco Pristritto, Rachel Popson, Casey Robinson, Jerilyn Sackler, Bobby Savage, Lauren Sharpe, Chandra Thomas, Nitya Vidyasagar, and Annie Yim.
The design team for CONEY ISLAND AVENUE includes Sarah Huddleston (Sound Design), Shane Terenzi (Technical Direction), Hwi Won Lee (Costume Design), Dans Sheehan (Lighting Design), Chris Zalewski (Filmogropher/Film Production) and Bobby Savage (Choreography). Vanessa Poggioli is General/Production Manager for the production, with Nicole Marconi serving as Stage Manager.
Charles Mee was the Playwright-in-Residence at New York's Signature Theatre Company in 2007-08, where his plays Iphiginea 2.0, Queens Boulevard: The Musical and Paradise Park were presented. Other plays include Big Love, True Love, First Love, bobrauschenbergamerica, Hotel Cassiopeia, Orestes 2.0, Trojan Women 2.0, Summertime and Wintertime, among others -all of which are available on the internet at www.charlesmee.org. His plays have been performed at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music, American Repertory Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The Public Theatre, Lincoln Center, the Humana Festival, Steppenwolf, and many other places in the United States as well as in Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Vienna, Istanbul. Among other awards, he is the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in drama from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS
CONEY ISLAND AVENUE will perform at New York Theater Workshop's 4th Street Theater (83 East 4th Street, First Floor) from August 5-16, 2009.
Tuesday-Saturday at 8PM
Saturday at 2PM
Sunday at 5PM
Special talkbacks with the playwright Charles L. Mee and artist Laurel Nakadate will take place directly following the August 11 and 13 performances.
Tickets for all performances are $18 and are available at smarttix.com. For more information please call 212-868-4444.
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