Slant Theatre Project Presents COUNTERPOINT At Church Street School 5/29-6/13

Slant Theatre Project presents COUNTERPOINT "The Good Thief" and "Beneficiaries", directed by Wes Grantom and Adam Knight, written by Mat Smart and Conor McPherson at Church Street School in Tribeca, May 29th through June 13th

Igniting the evening will be a revival of Conor McPherson's one-man play "The Good Thief", last seen in New York City in 2001. Lead actor Brian Slaten (Army Wives, Fringe) brings to life the role of a second-rate Irish thug who finds more than he bargains for when a job goes awry.

McPherson's play will be paired with a new play by playwright Mat Smart (The Hopper Collection, 13th of Paris) entitled "Beneficiaries" featuring Therese Barbato (Prometheus Bound at CSC) as a wealthy young woman whose altruistic impulses backfire when she encounters a single mother and her two children. Adam Knight directs.

The concept for Counterpoint came when Mat Smart was inspired to write "Beneficiaries" after reading "The Good Thief". Smart's new play is as much homage to McPherson's play from 1994 as it is the antithesis of it. In music, the term counterpoint refers to two unique voices independent in contour and rhythm yet interdependent in harmony. COUNTERPOINT is an evening in which two plays by accomplished writers are set side by side as complements and refractions of each other.

Grady Barker will design sets and Derek Wright will design lights.

Performances will take place at The Church Street School for Music and Art in Tribeca, 74 Warren St, May 29 - June 13, 2009. Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. All performances 8pm.

Slant Theatre Project's previoUs Productions include The Obstruction Plays, The Horton Foote Project, and Couchworks, a New York Times critic's pick called "a lively collection of playlets that has the feel of a party thrown by the cool kids of downtown theater" (Jason Zinoman).

Cast/Stage Hands
Brian Slaten* and Therese Barbato
[*AEA Member, Equity-approved showcase]

Sets: Grady Barker
Lights: Derek Wright

May 29 - June 13
All Shows 8pm
Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays

Church Street School for Music and Art
74 Warren Street in Tribeca
New York, NY 10007

Tickets: $15
available online at www.smarttix.com or 212-868-4444.

Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes (w/intermission)

Slate Theater Project
www.slanttheatreproject.org

Wes Grantom (Director): Wes is thrilled to be at BTF. His directing credits include: Thujone by Mat Smart (Drama League DirectorFest), The Nerd (Millbrook Playhouse); Glengarry GLen Ross, Golden Boy (Stella Adler Conservatory); In the Shelter of the Fold (Cherry Lane Theatre); 365 Days/365 Plays (Public Theater/Slant Theatre Project); The Good Thief, The Horton Foote Project, The Debate Over Courtney O'Connell of Columbus, Nebraska and Pericles (Slant Theatre Project). Wes has also worked at Roundabout Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Alley Theatre, TheatreworksUSA, Asolo Rep, George Street Playhouse, The New Harmony Project, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. He is a member of Lincoln Center Directors Lab, a co-founder of Slant Theatre Project, and a graduate of the University of Evansville.

Adam Knight ( Director) recently directed the premieres of Leviticus by Bekah Brunstetter (Slant), Stupid F***ing Bitch by Lucy Alibar (Ensemble Studio Theatre/St. Mark's Church), Keeping Watch by Thomas Ward (Piccolo Spoleto), Old Kid Cod by Lawrence Dial (Peter Kay), and Gluttony by Jennie Berman Eng. For Slant Theatre Project: Beef by Lawrence Dial, Priest in a Pool by Michele Lowe, 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori Parks, The Debate Plays, Shoes, and Chopin's Preludes by Mat Smart, and Exposium (which he also wrote).

Mat Smart( Playwright) is the author of nine full-length plays. In 2005, the world premiere of his play The Hopper Collection was produced by the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. In 2006 it ran at Huntington Theatre inBoston. At 26, he became the youngest playwright ever produced on
Huntington's mainstage. A graduate of the University of Evansville in Evansville, Indiana, he holds an MFA in Playwriting from the University of California-San Diego and now lives in Brooklyn, New York. In 2008 City Theatre in Pittsburgh produced the world premiere of his play The 13th of Paris.