FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD Gets Resurrected By Vampire Cowboys At HERE Arts 7/14

Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company, now in its 8th season, will remount their award-winning production of the sci-fi adventure, "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD," created by co-artistic directors Qui Nguyen and Robert Ross Parker, written by Mr. Nguyen, directed by Mr. Parker, with fight choreography by Nguyen, when it begins performances on July 14th at HERE Arts Center, 145 Sixth Avenue (between Spring & Broome, enter on Dominick). "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD" will officially open on Tuesday, July 14th at 8:30 p.m. Performances will run through July 18th.

Star Wars meets Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in the action-packed space odyssey for the stage. Set in a futuristic universe where the human race is on the brink of extinction, "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD" is the story of E-V, the last human female in all the known galaxies, and her quest to find the last human male before alien forces destroy him. Accompanying her is a rag-tag team composed of an ex-military General, an alien spaceship pilot, and an overly sarcastic robot sidekick. During its original run in March 2008, "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD" was lauded by critics - called "Theatre for Sci-Fi Nerds" by Jason Zinoman in the New York Times and "A delicious intergalactic theatrical space ride" by Andy Propst at TheaterMania. The show was nominated for 8 NY Innovative Theater Awards including Outstanding Production, Full-length Play, and Direction. It won 3: for Outstanding Ensemble, Choreography, and Costumes.

Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company was founded in 2000 with the first collaboration between playwright/fight director Qui Nguyen and director Robert Ross Parker. Their highly physical shows actively use modern pop-culture as a vehicle to explore more weighty subjects. Last Season's Soul Samurai was praised as "Explosively funny" by HeLen Shaw of Time Out New York and "Side splittingly funny and slyly intelligent" by Andy Propst of The Village Voice. The company's other work has included: Men of Steel (2007), Living Dead in Denmark (2006), A Beginner's Guide to Deicide (2005), Vampire Cowboy Trilogy (2004), and StaiNed Glass Ugly (2003). In 2006, The company was awarded the Caffe Cino Fellowship from The New York Innovative Theatre Awards for continued production of outstanding theatre and Mr. Nguyen was featured as one of "ten playwrights to watch" by Time Out New York.

Qui Nguyen (Playwright/Fight Director) is an award-winning writer and fight director. His scripts include the critically acclaimed Vampire Cowboys productions of Soul Samurai; Fight Girl Battle World; Men of Steel (cited as 2007's Best Adaptation of Comics into Other Media by ComicCritique.com); Living Dead in Denmark; StaiNed Glass Ugly; A Beginner's Guide to Deicide; and Vampire Cowboy Trilogy. Other plays include Bike Wreck (Youngblood; Metropolitan Playhouse) and the Off-Broadway production of Trial By Water directed by John Gould Rubin (Ma-Yi Theater/Queens Theatre in the Park). His plays have been published by Broadway Play Publishing, Playscripts.com, and can be found in the anthologies, Savage Stage and Plays & Playwrights 2005. As a choreographer, Qui is an Advanced Actor/Combatant with the Society of American Fight Directors and has worked as an instructor & fight director for such places as LAByrinth Theater, Ma-Yi Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Public, HERE Arts Center, Columbia University, Partial Comfort Productions, The Brick, and many others. He is a member of New Dramatists.

Robert Ross Parker (Director) is a director, writer, and actor. For Vampire Cowboys, he has directed the critically acclaimed productions of Soul Samurai; Fight Girl Battle World, Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark, Vampire Cowboy Trilogy, A Beginner's Guide to Deicide, and StaiNed Glass Ugly. Recent directing credits include Hamlet (solo) starring Raoul Bhaneja (Hope and Hell), A Political Party!, the national tour of Children's Letters to God (Lamb's Theatre/Broadway Overseas Management), the Off-Broadway premiere of My Fake ID's (Lamb's Theatre), Lady Convoy (FringeNYC), and Justin Reinsilber's F*cking Love (Wej Productions). Robert was recognized as one of NYTheatre.com's People of the Year in 2004 as was Mr. Nguyen.

The nine-member cast for "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD" will include: Melissa Paladino (E-V), Elena Chang, Jon Hoche, Jason Liebman, Kelley Rae O'Donnell, Bonnie Sherman, Andrea Marie Smith, Paco Tolson, and Temar Underwood. Ms. Paladino has been seen in two of The company recent productions, as Liberty Lady in Men of Steel and as Lady Macbeth in Living Dead in Denmark. Other credits include the role of Lucy in the LAByrinth Theater Company production of John Patrick Shanley's Sailor's Song and many roles in their Barn Series' productions. Mr. Liebman has previously worked with Vampire Cowboys in Men of Steel and Denmark. Ms. O'Donnell originated the role of Mom in Mac Wellman's Second Hand Smoke and has performed in many LAByrinth productions including 1:23 and How to Catch a Monkey. Ms. Sherman returns after appearing in last season's Soul Samurai. This production marks Ms. Smith's fourth appearance with VCTC. Her other credits include Nosedive Production's Infectious Opportunity, T. Schreiber Studios' Twelfth Night, and Michael Gardner's The Kung Fu Importance of Being Earnest at The Brick Theater. Mr. Tolson has previously worked with VCTC in Soul Samurai and Men of Steel. He has also been seen in New York in Deborah Zoe Laufers's End Days at E.S.T, Lin-Manuel Miranda's Golf Ball at Ars Nova, and Children of Vonderly for Ma-Yi Theater. Mr. Underwood has previously appeared in VCTC's Men of Steel, Living Dead in Denmark, and Vampire Cowboy Trilogy. As a singer, his latest single "Inside Out," has been in the top 25 on the Billboard Hot R&B Chart for over 40 weeks - ending 2007, and beginning 2008 at #1. The single was the #3 best-selling R&B single of 2007.

The scenic and lighting design will be by Nick Francone, the costume design by Jessica Wegener, the puppet design by David Valentine, and the sound design by Patrick Shearer.

This production is being presented through HERE's Summer Sublet Series, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical and administrative support. Since 1993, the OBIE-winning HERE Arts Center has been a premier arts organization in NYC and a leader in the field of new, hybrid performance work. Under leadership of Founding Artistic Director Kristin Marting and Producing Director Kim Whitener, HERE has served over 12,000 emerging to mid-career artists developing work that does not fit a conventional programming agenda. Work presented at HERE has garnered 14 OBIE awards, an OBIE grant for artistic achievement, three Drama Desk nominations, two Berrilla Kerr Awards, three NY Innovative Theatre Awards, an Edwin Booth Award and a Pulitzer Prize nomination. HERE proudly supports artists at all stages in their careers through full productions, artist residency programs, festivals and subsidized performance and rehearsal space. Work at HERE is curated based on the strength and uniqueness of the artist's vision. HERE's Artist Residency Program (HARP) provides development, commissions and full production for up to 20 artists over one-to-three years. In 2005, with the support of the FJC, a foundation of donor advised funds, Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the City of New York, HERE Arts Center purchased its long-time home as part of a five-year "Secure HERE's Future" campaign. With full-scale renovations to the space concluding in June 2008, thanks to generous support from the City of New York, HERE is poised to continue and expand its role as a downtown haven for the finest emerging art. Offering a comfortable, eclectic setting for artists and audiences alike, HERE features a new café and two state-of-the-art performance spaces.

The complete performance schedule for "FIGHT GIRL BATTLE WORLD" (July 14th thru 18th) will be: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8:30 p.m with one additional late night performance on Friday, July 17th at 11:00 pm. Tickets will be $15.00. The box office number for reservations is 212-352-3101 or www.here.org.

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