Cin Martinez In Association With HartBeat Ensemble To Present Reading Of MOONLIGHTERS

Playwright Cin Martinez in association with HartBeat Ensemble (Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Artistic Director and Rhoda Cerritelli, Managing Director) announced today two readings of her new play, Moonlighters.

This futuristic workplace drama will be read on Saturday, June 25 at 7:30pm and Sunday, June 26 at 4pm at HartBeat Ensemble's Carriage House Theater (360 Farmington Avenue) in Hartford, CT.

The reading of Moonlighters will be directed by Taneisha Duggan with a cast including Katya Collazo; Eddie Cruz; Francesca Fontánez; Taixa Lenid; and Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr.

About Moonlighters:

Something's not quite right in the overworked offices of Social Services. The boss is hearing things, the referral officer is advocating for a murderer, long-time colleagues are at each other's throats, and Nueva, the new recruit, may be at the center of the agency's biggest failure. Nueva's mission to improve a system that has lost its human touch unearths information that threatens a new, but deep, relationship and forces her to confront the cost of forgiveness. Moonlighters is a futuristic, workplace story centering a female friendship, full of cariño.

Tickets for Moonlighters are $20; $15 for Students and Seniors; with no one being turned away for lack of funds. Tickets can be reserved by visiting HartBeatEnsemble.org or purchased at the door, subject to availability. The readings are live, in-person theater events. Masks and proof of vaccination will be required to attend. For more information on our COVID safety policies visit HartBeat's website.

HartBeat Ensemble Artistic Director Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr. states, "After the sold-out success of Cin's previous HartBeat Ensemble production, Pegao, we are excited to invite audiences into the developmental process of her newest work. This play melds her collaborative theatrical experience as an ensemble member with her career in social services."

These performances of Moonlighters are supported by Free Center's Independent Artists Fund, a program made possible by Artists of Color Unite!, advisors to the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Moonlighters also received a developmental reading as part of TheaterWorks Hartford's WORKshop series.

About the Artists:

Cin Martinez (Playwright) an ensemble member of the HartBeat Ensemble (HBE) for 15+ years, acted in six of its nine original main stage plays. In 2012, Cin trained with Shakespeare & Company, a month-long actor intensive in Berkshire, Massachusetts, and received an honorary mention from Founder Tina Packer for bringing an authentic voice to the Shakespearean canon. Cin's love for playwriting began when she co-wrote Flipside, winning Best Ensemble Award at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2012. Cin's passion for writing grew, resulting in several (documentary theatre) short plays, including the world premiere of Riding the Turnpike; produced by HBE in 2013. Cin's proudest work is Pegao developed during the Women in Theatre Festival (WTF) in spring 2017 has been chosen and commissioned by HartBeat Ensemble to premiere as a Main Stage production in May 2019. Cin became a recipient of the Connecticut Latino De Oro awards in the Arts, earning a citation of official recognition by the City of Hartford's Court of Common Council, and Destino Futuro award by Prospanica Connecticut.

Taneisha Duggan is an artist working at the crossroads of performance and creative leadership. Her directing work lends itself to provocative interpretations of new works and classics. As a producer, she is propelled by the belief that the culture we present is the society we become. Select directing credits include Jesus Hopped the "A" Train (University of Hartford), Blue Door (Juilliard), Actually (TheaterWorks Hartford), Hooded: or Being Black for Dummies (Juilliard), and workshop readings for the INK'D Festival at Playwright's Realm and newWORKS TheaterWorks Hartford. Select Producing credits include New York Times Critic Picks for Walden by Amy Berryman and Russian Troll Farm by Sarah Gancher; Proximity by Harrison David Rivers (commission).

About HartBeat Ensemble:

Founded in 2001, HartBeat Ensemble's mission is to create provocative theater that connects our community beyond traditional barriers of race, gender, class and geography.a??HartBeat Ensemble is the only institutiona??in Hartford that consistently uses theater to speak powerfully across different generations, races, populations and interest groups. As an ensemble of artist-activists, we create as well as present innovative productions based on critical civic issues. HartBeat continues to inspire the next generation of leaders to create change for a better world through its Youth Play Institute. To learn more, please visit HartBeatEnsemble.org.

Support is provided by the Department of Economic and Community Development, CT Office of the Arts, CT Humanities, Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts Resilience Fund and Travelers.

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