Houses on the Moon Theater Company Hosts 5th Annual 'Amplify' Benefit Tonight

Houses on the Moon Theater Company, the New York-based not-for-profit theatre company that "through creative workshops, original performances, and post-show discussions help communities come together by making meaningful connections through the public sharing of their untold stories," will honor R. Erin Craig and David Rothenberg and present the 2017 Leyton Award to Save Our Streets: Bronx at its 5th Annual "Amplify" Benefit tonight, Monday, October 16th at Gotham Comedy Club (208 West 23rd Street - between 7th & 8th Avenues.

The festivities will begin at 6:30pm with an open bar with passed hors d'oeuvres & dessert, followed by The Leyton Award presentation, performance excerpts from Houses on the Moon productions, an Open Pledge and Auction, and live music provided by the Juancho Herrera Trio.

"We have been working diligently for the past sixteen years to amplify the unheard voice and facilitate conversations with the goal of social change," says Houses on the Moon Theater Company Co-Founder and Artistic Director Emily Joy Weiner. "Partnerships with community are essential to this process and we are honored to partner with individuals and institutions already doing the hard work of social justice and to use our work to provide a creative means to amplify theirs.

David Rothenberg, as a founder of The Fortune Society, has been helping the formerly incarcerated reintegrate into society for over fifty years. R. Erin Craig has become a tireless advocate and supporter of the power of theater to affirm the dignity of unheard voices, and Save Our Streets: Bronx is staunching the flow of blood on the streets of our city and creating safe spaces for our youth to thrive. It is our honor and privilege to recognize these three champions of the unheard voice."

Tickets, ranging from $150-$275, are available for purchase by visiting www.housesonthemoon.org or calling 1-866-811-4111. Sponsorships starting at $1,000 are available by contacting Chandler Vinton (chandler@housesonthemoon.org).

ABOUT R Erin Craig/La Vie Productions (HONOREE)

Over the past 20+ years, Erin, and her company, La Vie Productions LLC, have developed and mentored new artists and projects through their work as a Producer, General Manager, Executive Producer, Production Manager and Consultant. La Vie has worked in the mediums of Theatre, Film, Music and Events. Current producing projects include: Austen's Pride, Mr. Rickey Calls A Meeting, Academy, Nonsense and Beauty, '"Right Before I Go" (benefit Nov 2, 2017 @ Town Hall) and The First Gentleman. Select past La Vie projects include: The Assignment and gUN COUNTRY (Houses On the Moon Theatre Company), Easter Mysteries (live musical film), Himself and Nora, Stalking the Bogeyman, Liberty:The Musical, Velocity of Autumn, In The Heights, High Fidelity, Irena's Vow, How We Got Away With It (film). Member: The Broadway League, The Off-Broadway League, The League of Professional Theatre Women, Theatre Resources Unlimited (TRU) and NY Women in Film and Television. In her free time, Erin enjoys teaching wine tasting classes. www.LaVieProductions.com.

ABOUT David Rothenberg (HONOREE)

David Rothenberg is a producer, director, author, activist, and the founder of The Fortune Society. He was inspired to start Fortune after producing a play called Fortune and Men's Eyes which revealed the horrors of life in prison. Over the past 50 Years, Fortune has become one of the nation's leading re-entry service organizations, serving nearly 7,000 individuals annually, with a wide range of holistic services to meet their needs. It has secured a position as a leading advocate in the fight for criminal justice reform and alternatives to incarceration.

ABOUT SAVE OUR STREETS: BRONX (LEYTON AWARD WINNER)

Save Our Streets (S.O.S.) is a community-based effort to end gun violence. S.O.S. works closely with local organizations, neighborhood churches and pastors, community residents, and the individuals most likely to commit a shooting. S.O.S. builds upon a model pioneered in Chicago called CeaseFire that has been documented to reduce gun violence. The model treats violence like a disease and uses public health strategies to control the spread of violence. S.O.S. is operated by the Center for Court Innovation - a non-profit that seeks to help reduce crime, aid victims, and promote public trust in justice. The Center for Court Innovation created S.O.S. in Crown Heights, Brooklyn in 2009. Initial planning for S.O.S. Bronx is being underwritten by the New York City Council. www.SOSsouthbronx.org

ABOUT THE LEYTON AWARD

Named in honor of Mauricio Leyton, a Chilean born actor, activist and beloved member of the Houses on the Moon family who was dedicated to helping both individuals and communities grow and come together, the Leyton Award is granted annually to an individual or organization that champions the unheard voice through community service. Each year Houses on the Moon will present this award along with $1,000 cash to an individual or not-for-profit organization that champions the unheard voice. The monetary element is to be used for the individual or organization to continue doing the work they do within communities of need.

ABOUT HOUSES ON THE MOON

Houses on the Moon Theater Company (Emily Joy Weiner, Co-Founder & Artistic Director; Kevin Connor, Managing Director) was founded in 2001 with the mission to dispel ignorance and isolation through the theatrical amplification of unheard voices. Partnership with community groups and extensive interviews with real people about their lives are at the core of the company's developmental process. Through creative workshops, original performances, and post-show discussions, Houses on the Moon helps communities come together by making meaningful connections through the public sharing of their untold stories.

The company's inaugural production in 2001, Building Houses on the Moon, dealt with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered youth issues, and, in addition to its many ongoing student and Teacher Training performances, was seen at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York and the Columbus National Gay and Lesbian Theatre Festival where it won the Award for Best Ensemble Production. The play tours New York City Public High Schools each year in conjunction with "Respect for All Week," the NYC Department of Education's Anti-Bullying and Harassment Initiative.

This past Spring, Houses on the Moon presented two world premiere productions in repertory at the A.R.T./NY Theaters: The Assignment and gUN COUNTRY. Both pieces were developed through workshops with people whose lives have been touched by guns. DC Metro Theatre called The Assignment, "Socially relevant and thought-provoking, profoundly heartrending and funny."

This December, Houses on the Moon will present a revival of its documentary theater piece De Novo through Next Door at NYTW. De Novo tells the story of an undocumented immigrant teenager fleeing gang life. The play had its Off-Broadway premiere in 2010 at 59E59 Theaters Americas Off-Broadway Festival. In 2011, the company mounted an all-Spanish version of the play in El Salvador with a special focus on reaching impoverished young people most at risk for migration. Houses on the Moon is thrilled to be remounting this piece in partnership with New York Theatre Workshop!

Additional original company works include Tara's Crossing, one of the first plays ever to deal with political asylum for refugees fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. The play had its World Premiere in 2005 at the L.E.S. Tenement Theatre and is still presented widely in theaters and as a training tool on gender identity and legal issues. TRANSformation is a storytelling performance piece about gender identity and family, with the aim of educating the public and empowering these families in their struggle for inclusion. It was most recently presented in partnership with the NYC Council Speaker's Office.

The Houses on the Moon Board is: Jane Dubin, Mark Figel, Amy Gottleib, Aryah Somers-Landsberger, Jeffrey Rosenstock, Jeffrey Solomon, Melissa Springs, and Emily Joy Weiner. Visit www.housesonthemoon.org for more information.

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