FACESPACE Opens At 2009 Midtown Int'l Theatre Festival 7/18 At MainStage Theater

FaceSpace, written by Talia Gonzales & Bisanne Massoud, will be part of the 2009 Midtown International Theatre Festival. The show, produced by Lucky Penny Productions, in Association with The 7th Sign Theatre Productions, will open on Saturday, July 18th & run for six performances at the MainStage Theatre, 312 West 36th Street. This Premiere Production will be directed by Daniel Winerman. Lighting Design is by Jana Mattioli.

What if there was a social networking site that came with a little friend that sits inside your brain? It's Tom, the founder of FaceSpace! As Simon & Anne's new romance develops, where does Tom fit in & will his meddling alter their relationship forever? FaceSpace is a play about social networking, modern love & too many choices. Featured in this AEA Showcase Production are Ilana Becker, Mike Carlson*, Sharon Freedman*, Jon Levenson*, lindsay Ryan* & Tom Walsh*.

Ilana Becker studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute. Her recent film & TV credits include a starring role in VH1's "Meet the Upper Crust," AMC's "Date Night," NBC's pilot "NY70," Nickelodeon's "Scaredy Camp," "The Jimmy Fallon Show" & the film Perfect Stranger.

NY Theatre performances include Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Henry Kissinger: A Romantic Comedy (NYC Fringe Festival), Who Will Carry the Word, The Kids Are Awake, Uncle Vanya & A View From the Bridge.

Michael Carlsen appeared on Broadway in the 2007 Tony Award winning The Coast of Utopia & Off Broadway in All's Well That Ends Well (NY Classical Theatre) & Blues for Mr. Charlie, by James Baldwin. Michael is a company member of the Sponsored By Nobody Theatre Company & recently finished a summer run of the world premiere of their new play Behind the Bullseye, at the New York Ontological Theatre. He was also in the original cast of SBN's The Position. His TV & film roles include "Law and Order," "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," "Rescue Me" & Mentor, starring Matt Davis & Rutger Hauer.

Sharon Freedman has performed at The Ensemble Studio Theater, The Kirk at Theater Row, The Shakespeare Theater of NJ, Center Stage, The Kraine Theater & The Hangar Theatre. Favorite roles have included Lady Macbeth, Sarah (Kidstuff), Stacy (The Bigger Man) & Karen (...a matter of choice). She has workshopped new plays at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, New Dramatists, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, The Seven Devils Playwrights Conference, Primary Stages, Young Playwrights & The 24Seven Lab, of which she is the Co-Creator & Company Manager. Film credits include It's Your Birfday (with Keith David), Ladies Room (Slamdance selection) & The Ski Trip (LOGO).

Jon Levenson portrayed Dutchy & Ape in The Hairy Ape, Cop & Rough (u/s) in Gaslight (Irish Repertory Theatre), Demetrius in A Midsummer Night's Dream (Theatre by the Blind) & Raskolnikov (u/s) in Crime and Punishment (Writers' Theatre). Regional credits include Orlando in As You Like It, The Baker in Into the Woods, Talthybios in Trojan Women & Erysicthon/Cinyrus in Metamorphoses (Clarence Brown Theatre); Treplev in The Seagull (Porchlight Theatre), Leopold in Never the Sinner (Diversionary Theatre) & Bobby in American Buffalo (Blue Room Theatre).

lindsay Ryan theatre credits include All Shook Up at Carousel Theatre (Miss Sandra), Baby (Lizzie), How I Learned to Drive (Lil' Bit) & The Shoe (Cinderella); TV/Film include "The Guiding Light" & Full Grown Men. Thomas F. Walsh began his career on the New York Stage appearing in Ibsen's Rosmersholm, Borderline, The Cherry Orchard & Under Big Top. He was featured in A Beautiful Mind, directed by Ron Howard & has completed roles in the independent films, Legend of the Earth and Sky & Jigoros Way, directed by Gino Cabanas. He also appeared in other independent films including, Barbers Crossing, Mindbender & Tell Tale Art. Has guest starred on TV's "The Practice," "The District" & "America's Most Wanted," & had a recurring role as the Fire Marshall on "Days of Our Lives."

When Talia Gonzalez is not attending to her many Facebook & MySpace friends, she is lending her voice to commercials & video games. Talia studied acting at the Atlantic Theater School & is a resident teaching artist at various public schools in Brooklyn.

FaceSpace marks not only the completion of her first play, but also celebrates the first New Year's resolution she has ever kept! Bisanne Massoud begrudgingly joined Facebook & is now, naturally, completely addicted. She has worked as a babysitter, cake icer, retail employee, cat sitter, waitress, receptionist, legal assistant, cashier, ice cream scooper, editor & personal assistant. She can now ice a birthday cake, fold a sweater, open a bottle of wine, answer a Request for Discovery & potty train your child, all while reciting a Shakespeare sonnet-on three hours of sleep. She now spends her time writing reviews for NiteLifeExchange.com, doing freelance editing & working on a novel. Bisanne met Talia at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, of which she is also a graduate. Like Talia, Bisanne also marks the completion of FaceSpace as her first ever accomplished New Year's resolution.

Daniel Winerman (Director) is the Literary Associate for the Berkshire Playwrights Lab, a company dedicated to the development & presentation of new plays by emerging & established authors. He has directed & developed new plays at New Dramatists, Primary Stages, Flea Theater, Young Playwrights, Inc., The New York Int'l Fringe Festival, The Samuel French Short Play Festival, Brooklyn Playwrights Collective, Boston Playwrights Theatre, NYU's Dept. of Musical Theatre Writing, NYU's Dept. of Dramatic Writing (Rajiv Joseph's Huck and Holden), Berkshire Playwrights Lab (Anna Ziegler's Variations on a Theme) & the Summer Shorts Festival at 59E59 Theater (John Augustine's Father's Day). He recently directed Paul Rudnick's I Hate Hamlet (GeVa Theatre Center Directing Fellowship). Dan is a recipient of the Drama League Assistant Director Fellowship & is a member of the Directors Lab West.

Lucky Penny Productions, Inc. was the Associate Producer for the highly acclaimed Off-Broadway play Edge, starring Angelica Torn as Sylvia Plath.

DATES & TIMES: Sat. 7/18 @ 5pm, Sun. 7/19 @ 4pm,
Mon. 7/20 @ 6:30pm, Sat. 7/25 @ 9pm,
Wed. 7/29 @ 5m & Sat. 8/1 @ 1pm
THEATRE: MainStage Theatre ~ 312 West 36th Street ~ 4th floor
TICKETS: $18 ~ $15 Seniors/Students
RESERVATIONS: (866) 811-4111
www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/660915

For more information visit www.facespacetheplay.com.

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