FLIGHT Opens Off-B'way At DR 2 Theatre, Previews 3/2

Alchemy Theatre Company of Manhattan in association with Playwrights' Playground NYC will present Off Broadway* the world premiere of FLIGHT by Michel Wallerstein at the DR 2 Theatre, 103 East 15th Street – off Union Square.

Previews begin March 2nd and the Opening is Wednesday, March 7th. The new play is directed by Padraic Lillis. Casting and the design team will soon be announced.

About the show: "FLIGHT dramatizes a man's search for truth, love and his identity against the backdrop of his mother's deterioration and haunting memories of her past with both confronting what she's never shared or made peace with. Funny, tender, and distressing, FLIGHT touches in surprising and challenging ways."

90 mins. No intermission

Born in Switzerland, Michel Wallerstein came to New York to study film at NYU and instantly fell in love with the city and never left. Along with business partner, Linda Wendell, he wrote and developed series and movies for European television. He then switched his attention to the theatre. His first play, Five Women Waiting, was produced at Manhattan Theatre Source. His short play, Off Hand (MTS, NYstageworks) was published in Gary Garrison's Perfect 10. Other plays include Lapdance, Shades of love (Turnip Festival).

Padraic Lillis: (Director) has worked on Broadway, National Tours, Off-Broadway, Tony Award winning Regional Theaters. This past season he directed Underneath The Lintel at Geva Theater, where his play Lake Effect was part of the Festival of New Works. Off-Broadway directing credits include: Sweet Storm, Umbrella, Michael Puzzo's The Dirty Talk for Spare Change Productions (Nominated for NY IT Outstanding Director), Matt Hoverman's In Transit, (NY International Fringe Festival, Awarded Best Play), A Line In The Sand Adina Taubman's docudrama based on the school shootings at Columbine (Awarded 'Best Production' Midtown International Theater Festival).

He also directed the National Tour of She Loves Me. He is currently adapting the best selling novel "Strangers On The Bridge" for Palermo Productions. His play Lights Up In The Fade Out premiered this past summer in Los Angeles. His other plays, Two Thirds Home was produced by the Broken Watch Theater and is published by Dramatist Play Services, Inc.; and Ronnie's Mask was produced in Chicago at the Steppenwolf Performance Garage. He was awarded the Dayton Hudson Distinguished Artist Fellowship. Padraic is an adjunct professor of Dramatic Writing at NYU, A Usual Suspect with New York Theater Workshop, a company member of the LAByrinth Theater Company, and an alumnus of The Drama League Director's Project.

The ALCHEMY THEATRE COMPANY OF MANHATTAN, INC. (Robert Saxner, Producing Artistic Director) a nonprofit, Off-Broadway organization, exists to foster the development of transformative stories by new and emerging voices around the world that need to be heard. Alchemy recently presented, in association with LAByrinth Theater Company, the acclaimed premiere production of Sweet Storm" by Scott Hudson. Alchemy has also presented the acclaimed New York premiere of the 30th anniversary production of Christopher Durang's "The Vietnamization of New Jersey (A American Tragedy)." New and emerging voices produced by Alchemy include Zayd Dohrn ("Haymarket," "Permanent Whole Life"), David Wright Crawford ("Harvest"), and Larry Pontius("Umbrella"); many new stories/voices have also been developed through Alchemy's reading series. For its inaugural production, David Mamet granted them first official rights to the New York revival of his play, "Speed-the-Plow." Larry Kramer consulted with Alchemy on its next production of "The Normal Heart." Since it's inception, Alchemy has performed works by these playwrights and has produced six New York City premieres, and now this new work. www.alchemytheatre.org

Playwrights' Playground of NYC: co-founded by Gary Garrison, is dedicated to producing new work by writers 40 years old and up, to make a stand against the "ageism" affecting the theatre and the entertainment business in general. Their motto: Over 40 and Under the influence of Wisdom!
Performances Off Broadway* are Tuesday – Saturday at 8:00 pm, Sunday at 2:00 pm & 7:00 pm. Tickets are $65.00 and available through TeleCharge by calling 212/239-6200 or online at TeleCharge.com.