Christine Nagy and Peter Trabucco Open NOT CURING CANCER Tonight

La Strada Ensemble Theater proudly presents Not Curing Cancer by Chicago resident and founding member Gerry Ringwald running April 7-9 at Jersey Shore Arts Center (Old Neptune High School), Herbst Theater on the 3rd Floor, 66 South Main Street, Ocean Grove. The production stars Christine Nagy, 106.7 Lite-FM co-host of the Bronson and Christine Morning Show and Peter Trabucco nationally known book author and travel and vacation expert. Visit us at www.lastradaensemble.org for more information.

Jane Huxley enters the workforce after her husband has passed away. She is offered a job in a top Pharmaceutical PR firm to help find a cure for cancer in this searing hilarious original comedy by Chicago's most scathing and biting satirist Gerry Ringwald. Not Curing Cancer pokes fun at the commercialization of cancer and medical research, celebrity fundraising, athlete endorsements, product placement, infotainment shows, hype, sex, show business, and just about everything else you can think of.

According to playwright Gerry Ringwald, "The inspiration for "Not Curing Cancer" came from the 2012 controversy surrounding the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The "Race for the Cure" organization raises about $400 million a year, yet only about 20% of the funds go to actual research. But "awareness" and fund-raising accounts for about 50% of their annual budget. How can "awareness" marketing and public relations get more funds than actual science and research? In many cases, marketing gets a much bigger piece of the pie that actual medical research. So I decided to use testicular cancer (one of the most treatable of all cancers) to make a dark comedy on this issue. I'm certainly not making fun of cancer as a disease, of course. Being diagnosed with any form of cancer is simply devastating. What I'm attempting to do in "Not Curing Cancer" is satirize how greedy and corrupt the non-profit world has become, and to say loudly, 'Greed is not good."

Also in the cast is founding member Donna Knowlton, Joseph Calderone, Sharon Garry, Phil Korz and Candy Predham.

La Strada Ensemble Theater is 501(c) 3 theater company and resident theater company of Jersey Shore Arts Center. Since their inauguration in 2014, they have been a mover and shaker of the theatrical scene in Monmouth County producing full lengths, workshop productions, one act evenings, staged readings, a writer's group every last Sunday of the month and a Wednesday Night acting class. La Strada translates from Italian to 'The Road' or 'The Street." It is our passion to bring world and regional premieres to our street in Ocean Grove.

Not Curing Cancer by Gerry Ringwald

Performances: April 7th at 8pm, April 8th at 2 & 8pm and April 9th at 2pm (w/ Q&A with the playwright)

Jersey Shore Arts Center (Former Neptune High School)

Herbst Theater on the 3rd Floor

66 South Main Street, Ocean Grove

Tickets: $18/$15 for students and senior citizens with I.D.

Please visit us on www.lastradaensemble.org, call us at 732-455-2748 or email us at lastradaensembletheater@gmail.com for more information, to purchase tickets, and for information on La Strada's technique and scene study class for actors of all levels taught by founding members Dr. Donna Ault-Jacobson and A.J. Ciccotelli, M.F.A.

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