Beautiful Soup to Present Festival of Plays by Steven Carl McCasland

Following critically acclaimed workshop presentations, the plays of Steven Carl McCasland will return to NYC in a month-long festival celebrating the young playwright. Together with The Clarion Theatre, they'll present six plays beginning on May 6th, 2015, with a company of actors performing in repertory. All of the plays focus on historical figures, including Laurette Taylor, Billie Holiday, Tennessee Williams, Gertrude Stein, Lillian Hellman and more.

Playing five different and leading the repertory company is Kristen Gehling, who originated the roles of Mary in Little Wars, Talulah Bankhead in Shades of Blue... and Margo Jones in What Was Lost. She is joined by fellow original cast members: Colin Fisher, Suzanne Froix, Kimberly Faye Greenberg, Renee Heitmann, Alana Inez, Orlando Iriarte, Somie Pak, Brian Piehl, Kim Rogers, Paul Thomas Ryan, Laurie Sammeth, Dorothy Weems, and Penny Lynn White. All of the actors will tackle two or more roles in the festival.

Hailli Riddle serves as Production Stage Manager with Lighting Design by Molly Tiede and Costume Design by Somie Pak.

In What Was Lost, beloved stage actress Laurette Taylor returns to the stage after a six-year hiatus. BroadwayWorld critic Kristen Morale called the play "one of the most riveting" she had ever seen. For the first time in over a decade, she takes to the stage sober. Chronicling her process from the first rehearsal of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie through her legendary first performance as Amanda Wingfield, What Was Lost is a piercing look at the lies we tell ourselves in order to survive. Pennylynn White returns as Laurette Taylor, with McCasland directing.

It's France, 1939 in Little Wars. Tensions are high. The booze is flowing. War is coming. The coolest women on earth are having the what-if dinner party you always imagined. Together they'll drink, scoff and face their demons. Someone has a secret. All of them have confessions. Inspired by one of the literary world's most famous scandals. McCasland's play has been called "fascinating", "outstanding", "heartbreaking" and "magical" by New York critics. Kimberly Faye Greenberg returns as Lillian Hellman with Dorothy Weems as Dorothy Parker and direction by Thia Stephan Hyde.

In Shades Of Blue: The Decline and Fall Of Lady Day, McCasland takes a searing look at the final years of Billie Holiday's life. The intermission-less memory play chronicles Lady Day's sordid history of sexual, alcohol and drug abuse. Gardenias rarely survive the winter. Join Lady Day as she prepares to take her final bow. Broadway World critic Kristen Morale called the play "chilling", "brutal" and "truly something brilliant". Suzanne Froix returns as Billie Holiday, with McCasland directing.

Neat & Tidy returns to the stage after its acclaimed premiere in 2012. When a child is brutally murdered, the seismic aftershocks ripple throughout a small town. At its center, a marriage cripples. Inspired by the 1994 Susan Smith case, Neat & Tidy takes an original look at desperation. The play stars Kristen Gehling as Tracy and the entire repertory company, with direction by Thia Stephan Hyde.

In the World Premiere of 28 Marchant Avenue, McCasland draws back the curtain on The Kennedy Family's Hyannisport compound. Examining five summers in the family's lives, the play focuses on the lobotomy of Rose Marie Kennedy. Thia Stephan Hyde stars as Rose Kennedy, with direction by the playwright.

On Saturday afternoons at 5pm, a workshop production of The Drive. In McCasland's short play, he takes you into the car and onto the road with Elizabeth Taylor, Marlon Brando and Michael Jackson in their rumored exodus from New York City on September 11th, 2001 in a rented car. Casting and creatives will be announced at a later date.

The Clarion Theatre is located at 309 East 26th Street in New York City. Tickets, priced $18 each, will be on sale beginning on January 1st. They can be purchased at http://beautifulsoup.showclix.com.

Additional casting and a full performance scheduled will be announced at a later date. More information will be available on www.beautifulsouptheatercollective.org.

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