59E59 Theaters Presents DE NOVO Through 5/15

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) kicks off the 2010 AMERICAS OFF BROADWAY festival with the New York premiere of DE NOVO, written and directed by Jeffrey Solomon, with images by acclaimed photojournalist Donna DeCesare, and produced by Houses on the Moon Theater Company. DE NOVO begins previews on Wednesday, April 28 for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 15. Press Opening is Tuesday, May 4 at 7:30 PM. The regular performance schedule is Tuesday - Wednesday at 7:30 PM; Thursday - Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM & 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. The regular ticket price is $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. For more information visit www.59E59.org.

Sixteen year-old Edgar Chocoy pleaded with a U.S. court not to deport him to Guatemala. "If I go back, they'll kill me." This true story, crafted from immigration court transcripts, interviews and letters tells the story of the case that challenged the conscience of a nation.

In 2002, at the age of 14, Edgar fled Guatemala to escape the largest gang in Central America. He traveled over 3,000 miles, across the borders of three countries, in search of his mother, who come to the US to find work. Detained by the Department of Homeland Security, he pleaded with a
Colorado judge to grant him asylum and not deport him to Guatemala, where he was certain the gang he escaped would kill him.

DE NOVO chronicles the gripping true story of Edgar
and other undocumented youth. Each year, thousands of these children make the dangerous journey across the border and through the U.S. justice system. DE NOVO is one of the most urgent plays to be presented at 59E59 Theaters and AMERICAS OFF BROADWAY.

DE NOVO's harrowing story is accented by startling images by award-winning photojournalist Donna DeCesare, who is widely recognized for her groundbreaking coverage of the spread of Los Angeles gangs in Central America.

The cast of DE NOVO features Jose Aranda, Carlo D'Amore, Socorro Santiago (Tony Kushner's L'Ilusion at New York Theatre Workshop) and Emily Joy Weiner.

The design team includes Alex Escalante (sets), Michael Kimmel and Lisa Weinshrott (lighting) and Andrew ingkavet (composer/sound designer). Additional play development by Emily Joy Weiner and Jose Aranda with translation by Alex Escalante, Jose Aranda, Carlo D'Amore and Paola Poucel.

Jeffrey Solomon's (playwright/director) previous works include Tara's Crossing (world premiere at Tenement Theatre, NY), Building Houses on the Moon (Lucille Lortel, NY), MotherSON (HERE, TBG Theatre, Queens Theatre in the Park, Penguin Rep and London's New End Theatre in Hempstead) and Santa Claus is Coming Out (Kirk Theatre, Theatre Row). He wrote the teleplay for "CityKids" (Jim Henson Productions), which received an Emmy nomination for Best Children's Special and won an Ollie Award for Excellence in Children's Programming, and was the Staff Writer for the series of the same name. He was also a writer on "Tribeca" (Fox/Tri-Star), "Davis Rules" (Carsey Werner/ABC) and "Gullah-Gullah Island" (Nickelodeon)

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