Horse Head Theatre Co. Presents Abby Koenig's YOUR FAMILY SUCKS, Now thru 12/22

Horse Head Theatre Co., a Houston-based theater company, announces their upcoming production YOUR FAMILY SUCKS. The play, written by Houston playwright Abby Koenig, will have its world premiere tonight, December 6 and run through December 22 at the War'Hous Visual Arts Studio. The Studio is located at 4715 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002.

YOUR FAMILY SUCKS is a dark comedy about a family just like yours. Mom is crazy, dad is a drunk, big sis is socially awkward and little sister has an unhealthy obsession with the world's biggest Heb-Pop (Hebrew-Pop) star. When the youngest sister discovers that her crush is an avid fan of a game show called "Your Family Sucks," she just has to get her family on the show. And that's when everything falls apart.

Horse Head has never been known to put on a "traditional" play and this one is no different. In addition to the play's biting humor and its use of surrealism, the game show element of the show is also what attracted the company to it.

"We were excited to do this play for so many different reasons," says Kevin Holden, Horse Head's Creative Director. "Firstly, Horse Head loves working with local talent and the idea of this wild and zany game show being such a big part of the show sealed the deal."

The game show will not only be a part of the universe of the play, but the audience will also be given the opportunity to participate as if they too were a part of this world. Willing (or unwilling) participants will be able to compete in various events throughout the performance.

Playwright Abby Koenig is thrilled to have Horse Head producing this piece. "Their approach to theater is so unique, I can't wait to see what they will do with the play."

YOUR FAMILY SUCKS opens tonight, December 6 and runs through December 22. Performances are December 6-8, 10, 13-15, 20-22 at 8 pm (Pre-Game Show Event, 7:30 pm).Tickets are priced at $20.

Abby Koenig received her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dramatic Writing from the Dramatic Writing Conservatory at the State University of New York at Purchase. Upon graduation she performed her own work in numerous showcases such as the Astoria Performing Arts One Act Competition, the Baby in the Corner Arts Expo and "What the F*#@ Do I Do With a BFA?" evening of new short works, among others. She also performed original stand-up comedy in and around New York City in venues such as Caroline's on Broadway, the NY Improv, the NY Comedy Club and others, as well as hosting a monthly comedy show called "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore."

She relocated to Houston, TX in 2007 with her husband and began working at HoustonPBS/KUHT writing, among many things, promotional copy, as well as acting as an on-air talent.

Several theater companies including Mildred's Umbrella, Big Head Productions, Six of One Productions and BooTown's 2008 Fringe Festival have produced her work in Houston. She is a published author of creative non-fiction, in addition to being a regular contributing writer to the Houston Press and Arts + Culture Magazine. She can be seen monthly on the Fox26 evening news' "Local Blogger" segments.

In 2011 she received her Masters Degree in Communication from the University of Houston. She is a professor at Houston Community College and the University of Houston Downtown.

Horse Head Theatre Co.'s mission is to re-energize Houston audiences and artists with theatrically designed experiences using local talent and non-traditional methods. The Horse Head Theatre Company feels that going to the theatre should stimulate an audience with as much passion, aliveness, and emotion as you would find at a major sporting event.

Horse Head is a company dedicated to a new approach in creating the art of theatre, and in doing so, forming a type of theatre that currently does not exist. In conceiving this attitude, the company is not interested in evaluating or comparing their theatrical practices to those of any theatre past or present. Horse Head's unique approach to generating this form of theatre is to look at the production as an organic whole, and to continually evolve a new way of looking at theatre by learning, not how things are being done, but how they might be done.

Horse Head Theatre Co. was created in 2009 to produce theatre that attracts new audiences, incorporates a ceremonial element into the production that brings the audience together, and to produce plays that have never been performed in Houston previously.

For more information visit horseheadtheatre.org.

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