Kitchen Theatre Company and Cinemapolis Launch New Collaboration PRESS PLAY

Press Play is a new joint program between the Kitchen Theatre Company and Cinemapolis that puts a currently running play in conversation with a film that explores similar themes. This 3-part series will include screenings of select films paired with the Kitchen's productions of Ironbound (January 21-February 4; screening: Tuesday, January 30), Bright Half Life (March 4-18; screening Tuesday, March 13), and Matt & Ben (May 27-June 10; screening Tuesday, June 5). Following each screening, audiences are invited to stay for a conversation led by Kitchen Theatre artists.

The first double bill of the series is Martyna Majok's play Ironbound and Lars von Trier's Danish film Dancer in the Dark, starring Björk. Both the play and the film discuss the immigrant experience with honesty, grit, and heart-and feature casts led by female protagonists you'll never forget. M. Bevin O'Gara, the director of Ironbound and Producing Artistic Director of the Kitchen Theatre, will be leading the post-screening conversation. Screening of Dancer in the Dark will begin at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, January 30th.

Film title pairings for Bright Half Life and Matt and Ben TBA.
Tickets are available for January 30th's screening of Dancer in the Dark at cinemapolis.org.

ABOUT DANCER IN THE DARK Selma is a Czechoslovakian immigrant, a single mother working in a factory in rural America. Her salvation is her passion for music, specifically, the all-singing, all-dancing numbers found in classic Hollywood musicals. Selma harbors a sad secret: she is losing her eyesight and her son Gene stands to suffer the same fate if she can't put away enough money to secure him an operation. When a desperate neighbor falsely accuses Selma of stealing his savings, the drama of her life escalates to a tragic finale. Written and directed by acclaimed Danish auteur Lars von Trier, the film garnered scores of awards and nominations after its release in 2000, including a Golden Globe nomination for the breakout performance from Icelandic musician, Björk.

ABOUT IRONBOUND BY Martyna Majok Hard-working Polish immigrant Darja is done dating cheaters and dreamers. It's time to look out for herself and the only thing that matters more-her son. Over the course of three relationships, two decades and three presidential administrations, Darja must decide how hard she's willing to fight for what she loves most. From rising star Martyna Majok comes a portrait of a woman for whom love is a luxury - and a liability - when fighting to survive in America. A new play brimming with humor, wit, and heart.

Bold, intimate, engaging... Kitchen Theatre Company (KTC), now in its 27th season, is downtown Ithaca's critically acclaimed and nationally recognized year-round professional theater company, specializing in regional and world premiere plays. KTC's intimate 99-seat theater is in a beautifully renovated, LEED-certified building in the West End neighborhood of downtown Ithaca, New York. KTC is the first not-for-profit recipient of the David R. Strong Memorial "Small Business of the Year" Award from the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and receives public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, and the Tompkins County Tourism Program. The Kitchen Theatre Company also receives general operating support from the Shubert Foundation.

Cinemapolis is a non-profit media arts organization, encouraging central New York residents to explore the power of film to entertain, educate, and to celebrate the human experience. Attracting more than 70,000 patrons annually, Cinemapolis is Central New York's premiere art house cinema, presenting a year-round program of first-run independent, international, and locally produced films alongside special programming to engage and enrich the community. Their five screens in the heart of downtown Ithaca provide a regional attraction and frequently feature films that can't be seen elsewhere within a 100-mile radius of Tompkins County. Programming at Cinemapolis is made possible in part by support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency, the Tompkins County Tourism Program, and the generosity of hundreds of members "Cinemapolitans." For more information, visit Cinemapolis.org or contact Executive Director, Brett Bossard - brett@cinemapolis.org.

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