New Plays by Neil LaBute and More on Tap for La MaMa's 3rd AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR

New plays by Neil LaBute, Marta Buchaca and Marco Calvani - leading writers/directors representing contemporary voices in drama in the U.S., Spain and Italy, respectively - will be given their U.S. debuts in the 3rd edition of the ambitious, provocative series of one-act plays, AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR, running Off-Broadway at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre (66 E. 4 St. NYC) with previews starting tonight, January 19, 2017 prior to opening January 23. Ada: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR is a unique evening of theater: the three playwrights direct one another's work.

AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR, featuring three new international works - one written by Neil LaBute, and one directed by Neil LaBute, detailed below -- coincides with the LABUTE NEW THEATER FESTIVAL at 59E59 in NYC in January.

AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR is described as "Three plays. Three directors. Six actors. One evening." The production is presented by La MaMa ETC, Sala Beckett/Obrador Internacional de Dramaturgia, Grec 2013 Festival de Barcelona, Mixo, Italy in collaboration with Umanism LLC New York and 369 gradi Rome.

The top-flight cast appearing in AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR is comprised of Margaret Colin, Midori Francis, Victor Slezak, Dalia Davi, Richard Kind and Gia Crovatin.

Following the success of the previous AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR series - also presented by La MaMa, when AdA featured new plays by Mr. Calvani and Mr. LaBute (who directed one another's work) on the subjects of HOME and DESIRE - the 2017 AdA adds a third playwright, Ms. Buchaca, as the writers address, in a most timely manner, the theme of POWER.

La MaMa's artistic director Mia Yoo says about AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR," In any show, there is a unique relationship between playwright and director. With AdA, as the artist direct the other's play, unexpected ways of thinking about their own work opens up, and it gets to be a very exciting confluence of talents and ideas. The multi-national aspect of this project has a global reach. The plays are all translated and performed in different countries. This season the addition of a woman playwright from Spain brings a fresh perspective to the project."

Adds Neil LaBute, "Marco and I are really happy to be back working with La MaMa on the third chapter of this unique collaboration, especially as we have added a another writer from another country to the process: Marta Buchaca of Spain. Our theme this year is POWER and that certainly seems like a timely topic to be considering at the start of 2017; I think our three plays are surprising takes on the idea of 'power dynamics,' and together they make for a fun and thought-provoking evening of theater."

The trio of plays in AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR are detailed below:

"I don't know what I can save you from" by Neil LaBute, directed by Marco Calvani and performed by Richard Kind and Gia Crovatin. An estranged father and daughter meet to negotiate a new relationship between themselves. Old wounds surface and new ones appear as they grapple with the past, present and future of the bond they have. In the end, there will be a price to be paid for continuing on as parent and child.

Neil LaBute's numerous plays include 'the shape of things,' IN A DARK, DARK HOUSE, BASH: LATTER DAY PLAYS, REASONS TO BE PRETTY, REASONS TO BE HAPPY and THE MERCY SEAT with Liev Schreiber and Sigourney Weaver. His films include NURSE BETTY, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, LAKEVIEW TERRACE and DEATH AT A FUNERAL

Richard Kind has appeared on Broadway in DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, SLY FOX, THE PRODUCERS and THE TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE. He co-starred in the TV series SPIN CITY, and is featured in the films ARGO and A SERIOUS MAN.

Gia Crovatin's films include DIRTY WEEKEND, BFF and GOOD LUCK: IN FARSI. She was featured in the cast of the inaugural AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR at La MaMa.

"After the dark" by Marco Calvani (translated into English by Allison Eikerenkoetter), directed by Marta Buchaca and performed by Margaret Colin and Midori Francis. A designer is on a business trip with her young and negligent assistant. Late in their hotel after a night of drinking, the boss, eager to boost her company sales, and her underling, who has other plans for the evening, play a cruel game that reveals their own fragilities and true intentions in the wee hours before sunrise.

An actor turned playwright/director, Marco Calvani has written the plays STRONG HANDS, The city beneath, I AM DRACULA and STOCKHOLM. He is the founder and artistic director of Mixo, an international cultural for young writers and actors to develop new works for the stage.

Margaret Colin has been seen on Broadway in ARCADIA, Old Acquaintance, JACKIE and A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE EGG. Her films include PRETTY IN PINK and THREE MEN AND A BABY; and she co-starred on the hit TV series GOSSIP GIRL.

Midori Francis was in the Off-Broadway productions of THE WOLVES, CONNECTED (NYIT Award), and USUAL GIRLS.

"Summit" (translated into English by H.J. Gardner) by Marta Buchaca, directed by Neil LaBute and performed by Victor Slezak and Dalia Davi. After a decade in office, a male city mayor is defeated by the female candidate of the left-wing party. A conservative who can't bear the idea of a woman from the left-wing taking over his seat, the outgoing mayor is in no hurry to leave, even on the day when his successor arrives to assume power, eventually revealing an ace up his sleeve.

MARTA BUCHACA is the author of the plays EMERGENCIA, EN CONSERVA, PASTILINA,

LITUS and LOSERS. She combines her theatre work with scriptwriting for television. She trained as a playwright at the Centre d'Etudes Theatrales in Belgica and at the Obrador de la Sala Beckett.

Victor Slezak starred on Broadway in THE GRADUATES, JACKIE and ANY GIVEN DAY. His film roles include in BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY and The Devil'S OWN.

DALIA DAVI has been seen in GABI, ELLIOTT LOVES and ANA.

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Set design: Neil Patel; lighting design: Alex Jainchill; costume design: Jeff Mahsie; Stage manager: Miriam Hyfler. US Management and promotion by Unamism LLC NY.

AdA: AUTHOR DIRECTING AUTHOR performs January 19-February 5; Thursdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 4 pm, with an additional performance on Monday, January 23 at 7 pm. Tickets are $18 and $13 and can be purchased online at www.lamama.org or by phone at 212 352 3101.

La MaMa is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. The organization has a worldwide reputation for producing daring performance works that defy form and transcend barriers of ethnic and cultural identity. Founded in 1961 by award-winning theatre pioneer Ellen Stewart, La MaMa has presented more than 5,000 productions by 150,000 artists from more than 70 nations. A recipient of more than 30 Obie Awards and dozens of Drama Desk, Bessie, and Villager Awards, La MaMa has helped launch the careers of countless artists, many of whom have made important contributions to American and international arts milieus.

La MaMa's 55th season celebrates the creative and collective histories of La MaMa's local and global communities Since its beginning, La MaMa has forged creative partnerships with artists based in different parts of the U.S., Europe, Asia, Africa and South America. In recent years, these long-term relationships have taken on new life through distance collaborations over the Internet. The 55th season embraces new pathways forged in performance and technology to connect the myriad experiences, politics, conflicts, aesthetics, intimacies and dreams of people and communities participating in an increasingly globalized world.

AdA was previously produced by Grec 2016 Festival de Barcelona, Mixo Italy, and Sala Beckett/Obrador Internacional de Dramaturgia.

For more information, visit, www.lamama.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride

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