'Thicker Than Water' 2008 Fest of New Plays Begins Feb.3

Youngblood will present Thicker Than Water 2008, the ninth collection of new plays by members of Youngblood. Performances begin on Sunday February 3rd, and continue through Saturday, March 1st at E.S.T. (549 West 52nd Street). This year's Youngblood series presents one-act plays and musicals all having their world premiere.

Dramatists Play Service recently collected one-acts from past Thicker Than Water shows and published them as an anthology, and Amy Fox's Thicker Than Water play Heights was turned into a feature film by Merchant-Ivory Productions. "Every time we put together a Thicker Than Water collection, we're astounded at the amount of incredible material our member writers can generate in a year's time," says Tolan.  "This year we've included two short musicals which is a first for the collection." "Each year Youngblood keeps growing, and we want to give voice to the full range of talent in the group," adds Gillis. "There's enough creative energy there to keep the place lit up every night" states a press release.

Thicker Than Water is the lead event in a month where Youngblood takes over E.S.T.'s entire space at 549 West 52nd Street.  The schedule also includes two episodes of the group's monthly Youngblood Sunday Brunch (February 3 and March 2 at 1pm), plus studio productions of two new full-length works-in-progress by Jihan Crowther and Michael Lew.

Dark nights of Thicker Than Water will see other innovative shows, including a cabaret evening of Youngblood members performing in their own original writings and songs, a late-night standup comedy program, and a playwriting "Mashup" in collaboration with the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, a collective of Asian-American playwrights which includes several current and former Youngblood writers.  For more information, visit E.S.T. online at www.youngbloodnyc.org or www.ensemblestudiotheatre.org. 
 
This year's mainstage program includes:
 
508 written by Amy Herzog, directed by Marlo Hunter
Featuring Julie Fitzpatrick and Miguel Govea
Young ex-lovers confront a strange area code on their joint cell phone bill.
 
La Fete written by Daria Polatin, directed by R.J. Tolan
Featuring Geneva Carr, Lucy DeVito and Grant Shaud
On Christmas in Paris, a mother and daughter tear into each other with the new stepdad caught in the crossfire.
 
For Candy written by Michael Sendrow, directed by Marlo Hunter
Featuring David Gelles-Hurwitz and Grant Shaud
A dead letter forces a reckoning between a widower and his son.
 
It'll Soon Be Here a musical written Delaney Britt Brewer, with music by Eric Kuehnemann, directed by Abigail Zealey Bess
Featuring Debbie Lee Jones, Jenny Greer and Lance Rubin
Love at the (Bill) Clinton inaugural: a one-hit wonder helps her daughter find romance.
 
Red Blue and Purple written by Justin Deabler, director Michael Goldfried
Featuring Kelli Lynn Harrison and Miguel Govea
A smalltown boy made good faces the friend he left behind.
 
Co-Op The Musical written by Courtney Lauria and Matt Schatz, with music & lyrics by Matt Schatz, directed by Jordan Young
Featuring Julie Fitzpatrick and Steve Boyer
Unexpectedly, in an Oregon produce market, love blooms.
 
Both written by Emily Chadick Weiss, directed by Alexa Polmer
Featuring Steve Boyer, David Gelles-Hurwitz, Jenny Greer, Lance Rubin and Maureen Sebastian
Sex, betrayal, heartbreak, sex: the furious pace of freshman year at a northwestern university.

Performances for Thicker Than Water '08 will be: Preview February 3rd at 7pm with Opening Night set for February 4th. Performances will continue Thursday through Saturday evenings through March 1st at 7PM; additional matinee performance March 1st at 2pm. Tickets for all performances will be $18, with Senior and Student tickets $10; tickets can be purchased by calling 212/352-3101 or at www.theatermania.com