M. Can Yasar's A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL Comes to Theatre Row

M. Can Yasar's original solo play "A Hundred Dollar Bill" debuts next Tuesday, November 16th at Theatre Row (410 W 42nd St) at 7.30 pm.

What is "A Hundred Dollar Bill" about?

It's a self-examination of love, self, and belonging from my time growing up in Ankara, Turkey, serving in the army, my early years in New York City, and beyond.

What brought you to New York? Tell us about your journey.

I came to New York in 2014 for the first time. I was a business student at Bilkent University then. I worked as a summer work and travel student at Coney Island at Deno's Wonder Wheel. That year, I saw my first Broadway musical, Les Misérables, and that was it. I went back home and told my parents that I had to move to New York and become an actor. Lucky enough back home at Bilkent, the theatre department was holding an open call audition for a concert of Broadway musicals that was going to be conducted by Broadway veteran Phil Reno, directed by Jason Hale, and music directed by Basak Zengin. That year, I was cast as Tony from West Side Story and Marius from Les Mis. In one of the rehearsals, Phil told me that I had to follow my heart. In 2016, I enrolled as a musical theatre student at Marymount Manhattan College.

What made you want to write this play?

I was on a search for truth. My whole life has been searching. Searching for acceptance, belonging, and love. Love has been the one thing that is constant. My love for freedom is where I found theatre, and so I started to write from that place. I questioned everything- religion, tradition, and sexuality. Theatre is the place for me to exist exactly as I am. I learned how theatre is a living art form, with the space and breath within a person. The liveliness of it was so loud that it saved my life.

M. Can Yasar is from Ankara, Turkey. He is a New York-based actor, writer, teaching artist, and producer. He performed his one-person show, "Smoke Point" at the Brick Theater as a part of the New Works Festival in September 2021. The second step of his journey, "A Hundred Dollar Bill" now moves to Theatre Row with United Solo Festival. The show will be directed by Coleman Ray Clark, a director, and producer, whose work focuses on authenticity and intimacy. During the pandemic, Coleman produced The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues with thousands of artists worldwide.

United Solo is a theatre company based in New York City, dedicated to the genre of one-person performance. Our goal is to present solo pieces, both local and international; discover original scripts; bring creators together; exchange perspectives; and inspire creativity related to solo performance.

Performed for one night only as part of the United Solo Show Festival on Tuesday, November 16th at 7:30 pm at Theatre Row. The performance will last forty-five minutes.

For Tickets: https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/united-solo-theatre-festival-2021/

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