Judy Gold, Mary Beth Peil & More to Star in THE POST-ROE MONOLOGUES Benefit Performance

Amas Musical Theatre, in association with Kierstead Productions and Chalant Productions, will present a one-night only presentation of The Post-Roe Monologues, a play with music by Mimi Zieman, with music direction by Saul Nache and directed by Maria Torres on Monday, November 6 at 7pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center (129 West 67th Street – btw Broadway & Amsterdam). Proceeds from the evening will benefit The National Abortion Hotline and Choice Matters. Tickets are $100 (general) and $500 (prime) includes post-show reception and my be purchased online here. $50 Senior and student tickets are available by calling the box office at (212) 501-3330. For further information, visit www.amasmusical.org.

The Post-Roe Monologues explores the real-world consequences of the overturning of Roe v. Wade based on interviews and the experience of the author as an OB/GYN. The play is an intimate, character-driven evening that will compel conversation and compassion.

“This is one of the most important issues facing women today”, says Donna Trinkoff*. “Sharing real life stories enables us to better understand and empathize with the consequences this historic ruling has had on the men and women that it most impacts. We are happy to do our part raising funds to support the National Abortion Hotline and Choice Matters to help women in need.”

The cast will include Amir Arison (The Kite Runner), Lilla Crawford (Annie, Billy Elliott), Badia Farha (The Gospel According to Heather, Hell's Kitchen), Judy Gold (The Vagina Monologues, Love, Loss and What I Wore), and Mary Beth Peil (Anastasia, The King and I). Christine Viega is Stage Manager. Casting by Stephanie Klapper Casting.

Following the performance there will be a talk back with the playwright, cast and guest speakers Andrea Young, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia and Catherine Ledere-Plaskett, President and Chair, WCLA – Choice Matters.

Bios

Mimi Zieman (Book) is a physician and writer. She writes about medical topics to empower people with information and writes creatively to explore the meaning behind experiences we share. She was inspired to write The Post-Roe Monologues to elevate diverse experiences, and to advocate for women using a New Medium. The show's tagline is “we are all connected,” because the play's characters interact in surprising ways. She explains, “we cannot live in silos.” She is the author of Managing Contraception, and a forthcoming memoir, Tap Dancing on Everest, about being the doctor and only woman on an Everest climb in Tibet when she was a medical student. Her writing has been featured on NBC news THINK, Newsweek, The Forward, Ms. Magazine, and other publications. She is the former director of Family Planning at Emory University School of Medicine and Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood Southeast. Learn more at www.mimiziemanmd.com

Maria Torres (Director) has an extensive professional career that spans the theatrical and commercial markets as a choreographer, director, performer, and beyond. Torres began as a critically acclaimed performer, contributing choreography while performing in the film Dance With Me and the six-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical Swing! She was choreographer for The Donkey Show, Disney's Golden Mickey, Best of Both Worlds, and Man of La Mancha and was nominated for a 2018 Ovation Award for Best Choreography for Luis Valdez's Zoot Suit. Torres is a Lucille Lortel and Carbonell nominee for Four Guys Named Jose, the off-Broadway musical about the late Cuban singer Celia Cruz. Maria received accolades for her work as Associate Choreographer for the Broadway and touring productions of On Your Feet, the Oscar-nominated film Enchanted, the musical film Idle Wild, and the showcase for the Tony Award-winning In The Morning. Maria co-conceived, choreographed, and directed The Magic of Salsa Kingdom and the Off-Broadway hit Latin Heat. She recently directed and choreographed the new musicals Sol of El Barrio and Jacobs Pillow as director of the Afro Latin Immersion Theatre program and served as dance consultant for _Summer: The Donna Summer Musica_l on Broadway. Torres serves as a member of the board and as an artist associate at Rosetta LeNoire Amas Musical Theatre, as well as on the board of EnGarde Arts. A trustee of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation, an active member of the executive board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and the League of Professional Theatre Women. The Jerome Robbins Dance Oral History Project at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts chronicles her life.

Amas Musical Theatre (Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer) is a non-profit, multi-ethnic theatrical organization founded in 1968 by Ms. Rosetta LeNoire. Amas (“you love” in Latin) is devoted to the creation, development and professional production of new American musicals, the celebration of cultural equity and minority perspectives, the emergence of new artistic talent, and the training and encouragement of inner-city young people. Amas celebrates its impact in pioneering multi-ethnic casting in the American Theatre and reiterates its commitment to this reflection of our diverse society. In recent years, Amas has emerged as a leading not-for-profit laboratory for new musicals, the most recent being The Gospel According to Heather, Hip Hop Cinderella, Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, ¡Americano!, Broadway and the Bard, starring Len Cariou and Red Eye of Love, which was awarded the Joseph A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Choreography. Its production of The Other Josh Cohen received six 2013 Drama Desk nominations including Outstanding Musical, a 2013 Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Musical, and a 2013 Off-Broadway Alliance nomination for Best New Musical. Other shows that Amas has developed include A Taste of Chocolate, Triassic Parq, The Countess of Storyville, Distant Thunder, Marry Harry, Me and Miss Monroe, Aesop & Company, Signs of Life, Wanda's World, Shout! The Mod Musical, Lone Star Love, From My Hometown, Zanna, Don't!, 4 Guys Named Jose and Stormy Weather: Reimagining Lena Horne. Amas education programs include the Rosetta LeNoire Musical Theatre Academy, Lens on Live Theatre and in-school theatre arts residencies designed in partnership with elementary, middle, and high schools.

Kierstead Productions – Jim Kierstead (Associate Producer) is a Grammy-nominated, Emmy, Olivier, and six-time Tony Award-winning producer of the Broadway, touring, Toronto, and London productions of Kinky Boots, Pippin, Hadestown, The Inheritance, The Lehman Trilogy, and Company. In addition, he has been a co-producer of 25 Broadway productions and is currently represented on Broadway with Sweeney Todd and Hadestown. Off-Broadway projects include_The Gospel According to Heather,Titanique, Stranger Sings, Unexpected Joy, Yank! (Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel Nominees), Bright Colors and Bold Patterns, and Thrill Me (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominees). He has also produced extensively in London's West End and produced Miami's hit immersive show Amparo._ Jim is on the Board of Directors of The York Theatre Company and The Abingdon Theatre Company and is the founder of the digital theatre content creation company broadway Virtual. www.kiersteadproductions.com

Chalant Productions – Lisa Reich (Associate Producer) started as a performer and attended The Boston Conservatory of music and in the past two decades has pivoted to her career as a producer. She has been an associate producer for Honeymoon in Vegas (Paper Mill Playhouse), Newsical, Carrie in LA and Greenwood the Musical (NYMF with Andrea McArdle). She is currently developing two musicals for Broadway. Lisa has expanded her portfolio to include television and film, signing on as a co-producer of “The Accidental Wolf” starring Kelli O'Hara, which earned an Emmy Award nomination. She is also executive producer for two short films Defense Contract and The Audition, both which received many awards at film festivals.

Amir Arison (Performer) has performed all over the world on stage. In 2022, Amir starred as the lead role ‘Amir' in The Kite Runner on Broadway, for which he won 2023 Theatre World Award for Outstanding Performance in a Broadway Debut.

Lilla Crawford (Performer) made her Broadway debut as Debbie in Billy Elliott and then was cast from a nationwide search of over 5,000 young performers in the title role of the 35th anniversary revival of Annie directed by James Lapine. A series regular on Netflix's “The Who Was? Show,” she starred in the recent ABC pilot, “Relatively Normal” and voiced the lead role of Sunny in Nickelodeon's animated series, “Sunny Day.” Lilla made her feature film debut as Little Red in Disney's film adaptation of Into the Woods opposite Meryl Streep and Johnny Depp.

Badia Farhah (Performer) is happy to bring this important conversation of Post Ro Monolgues to life. Currently cast in Hell's Kitchen at The Public Theater. Broadway: School of Rock. Off Broadway:Broadway Bounty Hunter, Sistas, Things To Ruin, Rewrite. Tours: Little Shop of Horrors, Rent. Regional: Windfall, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Sister Act, The Wiz, Dreamgirls, and Ragtime amongst others. TV/Film: “FBI's Most Wanted,” A Gifted Man, “America's Got Talent,” and more. Some recordings: Still Waiting?, Joe Iconis “Album,” Broadway Bounty Hunter. Love to my family and everyone who makes this a fun journey. www.BadiaFarha.com @BadiaFarha

Judy Gold (Performer) Two-time 'Emmy Award' winner and a veteran of stand-up comedy, known for her edgy wit, sharp timing, and infamous crowd work. Consistently appealing to all generations and backgrounds, Judy can be found throughout most mediums of entertainment: TV; Film; Web-Series'; Stage; Storytelling; Radio/Podcasting; Writing and thanks to her music degree in piano from Rutgers University - Music: Combining many of her talents into two critically acclaimed Off-Broadway solo-shows: The Judy Show - My Life As A Sitcom and 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. Off-Broadway: Clinton the Musical; Love, Loss and What I Wore; Disaster! the Musical; The Vagina Monologues; and most recently, Clinton the Musical at New World Stages.

Mary Beth Piel (Performer) is an Obie Award-winning two-time Tony Award nominated actress who has made careers from Opera to Stage and Screen. A winner of Metropolitan National Auditions, she sang leading roles with Metropolitan National Company, NY City Opera, Young Concert Artists among many others. As an Ensemble member of Atlantic Theater Company, she has appeared in Harper Regan, Dying For It, Missing Persons, Frame 312, The Room, and Threepenny Opera. On Broadway: The King and I (opposite Yul Brynner), Nine, Sunday in the Park with George, Women on The Verge, Follies, Liaisons Dangereuses, The Visit, and Anastasia. On TV: "Dawson's Creek" (Grams), "The Good Wife" (Jackie Florick), "Halston" (Martha Graham), "L&O: SVU," "The Fringe." On Film: Song Of Sway Lake, Mirrors, Flags of Our Fathers, Odd Couple 2, Stepford Wives 2, and soon to be released: Jimmy And Caroline, The Home, and Phyllis Silenced.

Andrea Young (Speaker) is the Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia. She is a life-long advocate for civil and human rights. The ACLU of Georgia is a trusted, ethical, nonpartisan defender of our civil liberties: Opposing threats to civil liberties; combatting voter suppression; supporting criminal justice reform; protecting freedom of speech, immigrant rights, and women's rights, especially reproductive freedom.

Catherine Ledere-Plaskett (Speaker) is President and Chair, WCLA of Choice Matters is an internationally-recognized advocate for women's reproductive rights. Her lifelong civil rights activism has focused on gender, race and economic disparities. As its President and Chair for two decades, Catherine has spearheaded the growth and revitalization of WCLA – Choice Matters, the oldest ongoing pro-choice advocacy organization in the nation. Key to Catherine's work is advancing comprehensive reproductive health policies and legislation. Frequently, Catherine can be heard discussing abortion rights issues on radio and television, as well as found running educational workshops and seminars at colleges, high schools, and community centers. Catherine is a founding member and former co-chair of the New York State Alliance for Women's Health, a primary focus of which was the drafting of the Reproductive Health Act which passed into law in NYS on January 22, 2019.

National Abortion Hotline is the largest national, toll-free, multi-lingual Hotline for abortion provider information and financial assistance in the U.S. and Canada. NBH provides callers with accurate information, confidential consultation, and information on providers of quality abortion care. They also provide case management services and limited financial assistance to help afford the cost of care and travel-related expenses. The Hotline is free and offers services to everyone, regardless of individual situations.

Choice Matters – The mission of Choice Matters is to keep abortion legal to ensure that all women, regardless of age, race, class, status, geography, or ability to pay, have full, unimpeded access to reproductive health care.

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