Midtown International Theatre Festival Announces 43 Selections for 10th Anniversary Season

The Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) announces selections for the 2009 Season, running from July 13 - August 2, 2009. 43 plays and musicals have been chosen, as well as four readings. Selected plays for SHORT SUBJECTS, a new division for plays that run under 60 minutes, will be announced at a later date. Tickets go on sale on May 8 online at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

2009 SEASON

1812 The Musical, book, music and lyrics by Ira Shapiro, produced by Ira Shapiro
The adventures of French soldiers trapped in Russia.

Afterlight, by Monica Flory, produced by Threads Theater Company
Twilight is a mysterious time of day when wolves howl, accidents happen and life collides with death.

The American Black Box, by Scott Pardue, produced by Vincent Scott & Scott Pardue
A disturbing new play by Scott Pardue raises questions about habeas corpus, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the social forces that pave the way for terrorist policies.

Approaching America, by James Evans, produced by Theatre for a Big Country
A lifetime of day-in-and-out waiting at a rarely visited country store is spiced up by a game of strip poker.

Assholes and Aureoles, by Eric Pfeffinger, produced by InterAction Theater, Inc.
Two women, 13 taboos and several dozen laughs you'll feel guilty about tomorrow.

Bartholomew Fair, NJ, by Billy Mitchell, produced by The Theater Company / David Zimmerman
A twisting, comedic knot of deceit, disguise, New Jersey, and a puppet show!

Benny, by Suzanne Bachner, produced by John Montgomery Theatre Company
Benny is the kaleidoscopic portrait of an adopted woman's quest for identity, intimacy and connection as she is torn between her newly found birthmother and her dad.

The Broken Jug, by Heinrich Von Kleist, produced by Stephen Wisker
Judge and witnesses know more than they dare say in this riot of an antique roadshow.

Checking In, written and produced by Brian Hampton
Only one rule for the weekend: No boys. No babies. Six high school friends reunite for a wild weekend in Atlantic City ... and new truths spill out.

Christmas Guest, written and produced by James V. O'Connor
Christmas Guest peels back the skin of the characters as it dramatizes the subtleties of betrayal in the parent-child relationship. This play has elements of spontaneous breakdown like in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, the tension-filled family encounter in The Price, and the underlying rage of The Beauty Queen of Leenane.

Connect / Disconnect, music by Jan-Erik Shaaf, book and lyrics by Owen Robertson, produced by Teater Omen
One man. One woman. Four stories.

Crossroads, by Meri Wallace, produced by Howlig Moon Cab. Col
Five salon "Hairapists" turn their talents inward in an attempt to make over each other's lives.

Eve and Lilith - Adam's Temptation, by Johannes Galli, produced by Galli Theater NY
A confrontation between a wife and her husband's mistress.

EXPOSED! The Curious Case of Shiloh and Zahara, by Kate Gersten, produced by Stage 13, Inc.
What do you do when Mom's a Tomb Raider and Dad's in a Fight Club? The story of two little media darlings, all grown (and screwed) up.

Family Dinner, written and produced by Michele Willens
What is the final cost of not telling the truth?

Family Symmetry, written and produced by Adam Samtur
A couple struggles to survive the challenges of obsessive compulsive disorder in this story of the rocky nature of love and acceptance.

Gentleman's Wish, by Lawson Caldwell, co-produced by Lawson Caldwell and Anthony Francavilla
A play about the ever-changing world of politics, sexuality, love, boundaries and integrity.

How to Make an American Family, by Jeff Seabaugh, produced by Randal Lichtenwalner
Follow one gay man's journey toward creating a family of his own.

I Hate Love, by Kyle Baxter & Jon Crefeld, produced by The Collective Objective
A hotshot Navy pilot meets a liberal gay lawyer at a wedding and, despite their better judgment, they fall in love.

Insecurity!, book, music and lyrics by Mickey Zetts, produced by Oberon Theatre Ensemble
The recession-proof musical!

A Night in the Kremlin, by Bernard Besserglik and Bob Barton, produced by Bernard Besserglik
America's greatest clown takes on the ogre in the Kremlin.

Las Escenas de la Cruz (Scenes of the Cross), by ¡DO THEATER! and Daniel Carlton
produced by !Do Theater!
There exists a line where dreams meet reality -- it's called the border.

Lesson for Life, by Phillip W. Weiss, produced by Phil's Literary Works LLC
A young man learns about life...the hard way.

The Lincoln Continental, by Kathy Kafer, produced by Shadow Productions + Kramis Productions
A powerful story of the love between a father and daughter across three decades, driven by a Lincoln Continental.

Love Humiliation and Karaoke, by Enzo Lombard, produced by DQDI
Love means CONSTANTLY having to say you're sorry.

Made in Heaven, by Jay Bernzweig, produced by Mindful Media LLC
Conjoined twins -- one gay, one straight -- make love, life and art work.

Monroe Bound, by Lucile Scott, produced by Mighty Little Productions
A pop-culture infused play about shady secrets, communist beer, The Princess of Power, and finding your home.

NeverCracked, by Daniel MacIvor and Gwydion Suilebhan, produced by Intentional Theater Group + Carissa Baker
It's not about who wins. It's about who gets to tell the story...

Not My Daughter, by Ann Mary Mullane, produced by No Apology Theatre
An actress's big Broadway debut reveals more than she bargained for - and forces her parents to confront their own perceptions of their little girl, all grown up.

On The Way To O'Neill's: JFK In Ireland, by Ann G. Bauer & David Beckett, produced by David Beckett
What if President Kennedy alone survived the Dallas assassination attempt and Jackie didn't?

One Innocent Woman, written and produced by Matt Okin
Drugs, sex, and Judaism...

Out of the Sandbox, by Jack Sauer, produced by Richard Humphrey, CEO RedCloud Mobile, Inc. and William Sauer
How do we move past the sandbox of childhood dreams and nightmares and get on with our lives?

Pizza Man, by Darlene Craviotto, produced by ULU Theatre Collective
Begin with one woman on the verge of a late-twenties breakdown, whisk in a neurotic roommate, pepper with broken hearts, knead in one cocky pizza man; and watch the hilarity sizzle in Darlene Craviotto's dark comedy.

Pound: The Poet on Trial, by William Roetzheim, produced by American International Theatre, INC.
Poet Ezra Pound is put on trial for treason, with the audience as the jury.

Prison Theatre, by Gabor Harsanyi, produced by Újpest Theatre / Gabor Harsanyi
Power or talent; which matters in humanity's prison?

Psycho Therapy, by Frank Strausser, produced by Mindful Media LLC
Couples' therapy for three!

Requiem for a Marriage, by J.B. Edwards, produced by Many Hats Productions & Third Avenue Productions
Adam (who is having sex with a woman half his age) and Jean (who is lonely and despondent) have a desperately unhappy marriage; but the guilt over what happened to their daughter, Erica, binds them together.

Seal Songs, by Jennifer Fell Hayes, produced by Thisbe Productions
Two tales about two people at sea.

Self-Portrait, by Jeff Helgeson, produced by Collage Productions/Gary Ferrar
Struggling with the failed relationships of a lifetime, a university professor balances suicide against the assertion of self-identity.

Six Seconds in Charlack, by Brian Golden, produced by Patrick Mills
In terms of love: Could Michelangelo have painted the Sistine Chapel twice?

Southern Man, by Stuart Katz, Jeff Pierce, and Colleen Pierce, produced by Colleen Pierce
Follow the adventures of a WWII POW captured by Rommel's troops in Africa.

The Sword Politik, by Jon Crefeld, produced by Jon Ciccarelli, Hudson Shakespeare Co.
Power-hungry men lay siege to a 10th century baroness who cannot defend her land.

That's Showbiz!, music by Colin Chaston & Tony Clout, book and lyrics by Colin Chaston,
produced by Janski Productions Limited
If only all celebrity talk shows were like this!

A Time to Dance, written and produced by Libby Skala
Glimpses into the extraordinary 100 years of Austrian dancer and American dance therapy pioneer Elizabeth Polk expressed through dance and spoken word by her grand-niece.

Two-Handers, by Martin Fox, produced by Jeffrey Altschuler/Alternative Scenario LLC
2 men, 2 women, 4 conflicts, 6 scenes, no intermission.

Whiskey, Beer and Apple Pie, by Rob Egginton, Glen De Kler, and Eli Sands, produced by Panicked Productions
A trio of quirky New York breakup stories about love lost, gone wrong, and gone awkward.

Yo Mama(s)!, by Natalie Kim, produced by Bright Star Prods
A woman owns the truth of her nutty upbringing by three different mothers.

The MITF's 2009 Season runs from July 13 - August 2, 2009 at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the MainStage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and Where Eagles Dare Studio Blackbird, 347 W. 36th Street, 13th floor, NYC.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival, now in its tenth year, celebrates the diversity of theatre. The MITF welcomes theatrical storytelling across a broad spectrum of genres, forms, identities, cultures, and appetites. The MITF seeks to nurture these new ideas, perspectives, and stories on its stages, with an eye set on guiding these productions toward future success and longevity. The festival, traditionally held in summer, represents a fantastic, often paradoxical, adventurous and intriguing cross-section of the forefront of the theatre world. The MITF proudly hosts production companies from across the country and around the globe, uniting talent in one of the biggest theatre capitals in the world.

Mr. Chatterton created the MITF in 2000, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, as a way to present the finest off-off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. All theatres are located near the MITF offices at 347 W. 36th Street (home of Mr. Chatterton's Where Eagles Dare rehearsal studios and theatre).

For more information, visit www.midtownfestival.org.

 

To post a comment, you must register and login.