OCCUPIED TERRITORIES Brings Vietnam to NYC Tonight at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters presents the NYC premiere of OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, written by Nancy Bannon and Mollye Maxner, and directed by Mollye Maxner. Produced by Theater Alliance of Washington, DC & Available Potential Enterprises, MA, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES began performances on October 20 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 5. Press opening is tonight, October 25, at 7:15 PM.

When Jude digs through her estranged father's basement on the eve of his funeral, she unleashes a secret past that challenges everything she always believed about her family and her father. A powerful theatrical event filled with unbridled athleticism, the play moves between a suburban basement and the jungles of Vietnam. In the intimate space of 59E59, OCCUPIED TERRITORIES drops audiences straight into the theater of war.

OCCUPIED TERRITORIES won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Choreography, and was nominated for Outstanding New Play and Direction. There will be a post-show discussion immediately following each performance.

The cast features Diego Aguirre, Nancy Bannon, Donte Bonner, Ciela Elliott, Nile Harris, Thony Mena, Kelley Rae O'Donnell, Cody Robinson, Scott Thomas, and Nathan Jan Yaffe.

The design team includes Brian MacDevitt (production design); Andrew R. Cohen (set design); Rob Siler (lighting design); Mathew M. Nielsen (sound design and original music); and Kelsey Hunt (costume design). OCCUPIED TERRITORIES is choreographed by Kelly Maxner. The Production Stage Manager is Kaelyn Kreicbergs.

The performance schedule is Wednesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM, Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). $20 discounted tickets are available to Veterans, Retired, and Active Military. To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

Nancy Bannon (co-writer) is a performer, writer, and director. Original theater work includes Cornfield, Puncture, and The Pod Project (all immersive events, NYC). As movement director: Romeo and Juliet on Broadway and Murder Ballad and Pas De Deux at Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. She is currently enrolled in an MFA in Film (directing) program in NYC with Christine Vachon from Killer Films. Her original feature screenplays have been recognized by the Sundance Screenwriters Lab (second round qualifier 2013, 2015), Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope Studios (quarterfinalist), and the Slamdance Film Festival (grand prize finalist), among others, and have been optioned by production companies. As an actor, she was recently seen as the lead in Occupied Territories in DC and will continue with that production in its upcoming incarnations. Ms. Bannon is the recipient of three Princess Grace Awards, a New York Dance and Performance (Bessie) Award, and is a graduate of The Juilliard School. She has served on the faculties of SUNY Purchase and Rutgers University and teaches Actors Process at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory in DC.

Mollye Maxner (director and co-writer) is a director, choreographer and writer. Her work has been produced in the US, Turkey, Taiwan, Germany, and the Republic of Georgia. She has directed or assistant directed for Franklin Stage Company, Forum Theater, Theater for Young Audiences at the Kennedy Center, and Playwright Horizons. Ms. Maxner is the recipient of the Kenan Fellowship at the Kennedy Center; a Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grant in Choreography; a DanceWeb Europe Scholarship for Vienna's ImpulsTanz Festival; and numerous other grants from the Northampton Arts Council and the US Embassy in Turkey. Ms. Maxner has worked extensively in Turkey, teaching and choreographing for companies and universities. In 2002, Ms. Maxner spearheaded the Silicon Dance Project, the first-ever collaboration between the Ankara State Opera's Modern Dance Company and a U.S. theater company. Ms. Maxner is part-time visiting faculty for the UNC School of the Arts. Her newest movement/theater work, Still Life with Rocket, premiered at Theater Alliance of Washington DC in June 2017.

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