LAByrinth Theater Company Announces Their 2010 Workshop Schedule

LAByrinth Theater Company (Co-Artistic Directors Stephen Adly Guirgis, Mimi O'Donnell, and Yul Vázquez) has announced its 2010 Spring schedule of new works in development. LAByrinth will present two fully staged workshop productions: Paradox Of The Urban Cliché, a play by Craig "muMs" Grant, directed by Sarah Sidman and Dutch Masters by Greg Keller with direction by Brian Roff in rotating repertory May 14-30, 2010 at The Cherry Lane Theater's 'Cherry Pit' (155 Bank Street).

"Paradox Of The Urban Cliché, a new play by acclaimed NYC street poet Craig "muMs" Grant, and directed by Sarah Sidman, is a lyrical love story about CEEZ and SMILES whose passion for each other is more than what the ‘hood and their upbringing has to offer. In order to get off the block, the only world they know, they are forced to examine the truth about themselves, but in doing so, they must dive deeper into what they are desperately trying to escape.

"Words have power! The speaker a responsibility! Craig "muMs" Grant is a hero with volume and poetic intellect!" says Sean ‘P.Diddy' Combs.

Dutch Masters, by Julliard student Greg Keller, directed by Brian Roff, takes place in 1992. A black kid and a white kid are on an uptown D train. What could they possibly have in common besides smoking weed, hip-hop on their walkmans, and a working knowledge of the history of racially-motivated attacks throughout the five boroughs?

"Greg Keller's plays are funny and sexy, dangerous and knowing and true. He has both an actor's instinctive knowledge of what is fun to watch on the stage, and a writer's wary eye on life as we live it now," said playwright Marsha Norman.

Produced by LAByrinth Theater Company and co-produced by Carlo Alban, Kelley Rae O'Donnell, and Andre Royo, both plays will be performed in repertory nightly from May 14-30, 2010. Creative team and casting will be announced shortly.

The performance schedule is Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and Sundays at 4:00 p.m. and 7:00p.m. except Sunday, May 16th when the schedule will be 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. at Cherry Lane's ‘Cherry Pit' Theater (155 Bank Street). Tickets are $15 and go on sale April 12. Additional information is available at www.LABtheater.org.

LABrynth Theater Company continues its nurturing of new work with The 29 Hour Development Workshop, which consists of three new plays by LAByrinth members. Each play will receive 29 hours of extensive rehearsal and table work, and then will be presented as a staged reading at the ‘Cherry Pit' Theater.

The schedule for The 29 Hour Development Workshop is:

Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 p.m.

Lights Up On The Fade Out
Written by Padraic Lillis
Directed by Stephen Adly Guirgis
*Featuring Trevor Long, Richard Petrocelli, Daphne Rubin-Vega and Sidney Williams

A love story inspired by fear, family, and career, where everyone is trying to hold onto the love of their life, real or imagined.

Monday, April 26th at 4:00pm

Love Sick
Written by Kristina Poe
Directed by Mimi O'Donnell
*Featuring Julian Acosta, Cara Akselrad, Maggie Burke, Elizabeth Canavan, Charles Goforth, Scott Hudson and Michael Stuhlbarg

A play about heartbreak, love, sex, public restrooms, group therapy, lusty mothers ... and how you should never, ever, piss off a woman with a gun.

June 2010 (date TBD)

FUQ (frequently unasked questions)
Written by Daphne Rubin-Vega
Directed by John Gould-Rubin
*Featuring Carlo Alban, Raúl Castillo, Laura Ramadei, Daphne Rubin-Vega and her band:
Tony Cruz, Robert Morris, Steven Morris, Joe Passaro and Dan Weiss

It's a play! And, a concert! The life and music of Daphne Rubin-Vega are completely intertwined. In FUQ, she explores the life of her mother who immigrated from Panama and the consequences of her choices.

(*Actors subject to continuing availability.)

Admission is free. For reservations: willie@labtheater.org . For additional information, please visit LAB's website at www.LABtheater.org.
 
Craig "muMs" Grant (Playwright, Paradox of The Urban Cliché), a LAByrinth Company Member since 2006, is a New York based writer/actor born and raised in the Bronx. He is best known for his role in the HBO prison drama "OZ" where, as the character 'Poet', muMs recited his own work on the prison drama for the entire 6 seasons. His performances have led to many roles in T.V. and film. As a performance poet, muMs has performed at over 150 colleges and universities on 3 continents. As a writer, his short film Morning Breath won honorable mention at the Sundance Film Festival, along with best creative writing at UrbanWorld Film Festival.

Greg Keller (Playwright, Dutch Masters). Greg's play The Young Left was produced at The Cherry Lane Theatre as part of the 2008 Mentor Project. In February, his play The Seduction Community was performed at The Juilliard School where he is a Lila Acheson Wallace Playwrighting Fellow, and two-time recipient of the Lecomte Du Nouy prize.

LAByrinth Theater Company was founded in 1992 by a group of actors who wanted to push their artistic limits, hone their craft, and create new plays that truly reflected their heritage and experience. Today, LAByrinth is comprised of more than 110 established and emerging theater artists from a wide array of cultural perspectives. The inclusive, multicultural ensemble encourages all members to write, act, direct, and design, and supports multidisciplinary growth and exploration in the creation of daring new work that celebrates the diversity of its New York City home.

Now in its eighteenth season, LAByrinth has developed more than 300 new plays and staged 51 productions, including The Little Flower of East Orange and UNCONDITIONAL (2008), A View from 151st Street and Jack Goes Boating (2007), A Small, Melodramatic Story and School of The Americas (2006), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (2005), Sailor's Song and Guinea Pig Solo (2004), Dutch Heart of Man and Dirty Story (2003), Our Lady of 121st Street (2002), Where's My Money? (2001), Jesus Hopped the ‘A' Train (2000), and In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings (1999). Raucous. Vital. Real. Since 1992.

www.LABtheater.org
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