TV Star Ilene Kristen Leads Dixon Place Reading of AND I SAW HER

Daytime television star Ilene Kristen will be featured in the staged reading of award-winning playwright Penny Jackson's AND I SAW HER tonight, March 10 at 7:30pm at Dixon Place. Directed by Presidential Scholar of the Arts, Shira-Lee Shalit, AND I SAW HER is being presented in Dixon Place's signature works-in-progress series. The reading is an Equity showcase.

Based on a true story, AND I SAW HER reveals that sex trafficking doesn't only occur in distant places but also in your own backyard. Ana, a young Filipina, arrives one morning at the suburban home of Claire Wilson, who has recently suffered a nervous breakdown. Ana claims that Claire's husband, a doctor, has brought her so she can nurse Claire back to health. But who is this Ana? Where & how did Claire's husband discover her? Sylvia, Claire's mother-in-law, also has deep suspicions. The only person Claire trusts is John Lennon, who visits her when she is scared.

Penny Jackson, whose writing has received The Pushcart Prize and a MacDowell Fellowship, spoke of Ilene Kristen's integral role as a collaborator: "Ilene Kristen is a gifted actress and an intuitive dramaturge. Since the play's first reading, she has been instrumental with shaping the play's structure and theme. As Sylvia Wilson, the matriarch of a family filled with secrets, Ilene is not only the narrator but also the catalyst of the events that unfold during this drama."

Penny Jackson's plays have been produced off Broadway at The Lion Theater at Theater Row & in Dublin, Toronto & Scotland. Awards include a MacDowell Fellowship, The Pushcart Prize & The Elizabeth Janeway prize from Barnard College. Penny's screenplays include an adaptation of her novel, Becoming the Butlers, published by Bantam Books, which was optioned by Warner Brothers. Her play, I Know What The Boys Want, will be taught at The University of Georgia & is published by Next Stages Press. She is a member of The League of Professional Theatre Women & The Dramatists Guild.

Shira-Lee Shalit is an award-winning director, chosen by Steven Spielberg as one of 18 Finalists out of 12,000 directors for his Fox/DreamWorks TV show, 'On The Lot.' Associate Artistic Director of the Barefoot Theatre Company, she has directed at the The LAByrinth Theater Company, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Actors Studio, TBG Theatre, NYMadness, Nylon Fusion Theatre Company, The Lark, Vertigo Theater Company, Jewish Plays Project, Stonestreet Studios & Writers Guild Screenplay Series. A Presidential Scholar of the Arts, Shira-Lee is a member of the Actors Studio PDU & new Directors Unit. Shira-Lee is on faculty at NYU & Columbia University.

Ilene Kristen has appeared on Broadway in Henry Sweet Henry, Grease & Mayor. A member of Ensemble Studio Theatre since 1984, she has appeared in 5 of their One-Act Marathons. TV sightings include Family, The Black Donnelly's, Deception, Unforgettable, Law and Order, SVU, Show Me a Hero & The Sopranos, Another World and Loving. Probably best known for her portrayal of Delia Ryan on Ryan's Hope and her ten year stint as Roxy Balsom on One Life to Live for which she received two Emmy nominations, she is currently reprising the role of Delia on General Hospital.

Dixon Place, an artistic incubator since 1986, is a Bessie and Obie Award-winning non-profit institution committed to supporting the creative process by presenting original works of theater, dance, music, puppetry, circus arts, literature & visual art at all stages of development.

After spawning a salon in her Paris apartment in '85, Artistic Director Ellie Covan pioneered the institution in her NYC living room for 23 years. Now celebrating its 30th anniversary year, Dixon Place has organically developed and expanded into a leading professional, state-of-the-art facility for artistic expression.

Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street (btwn Rivington & Delancey) in Manhattan's Lower East Side. The Dixon Place Lounge will be open before, during and after the show. Proceeds directly support Dixon Place's artists and mission.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 at the door, and $12 for students & seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit dixonplace.org/performances/and-i-saw-her.

Photo Credit: Jody Christopherson