SoHo Playhouse Presents 2023 Lighthouse Series Winner IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

SoHo Playhouse will present the world premiere of its 2023 Lighthouse Series winner, John Collins' It's Not What It Looks Like, starring John Collins and Chesney Mitchell, and directed by Vincent DeGeorge, running July 24 - August 10, 2024 in a limited Off-Broadway engagement. Previews begin July 24 for a July 27 opening.

What happens when you're caught red-handed? Wiping blood off your hands...and everyone can see you. But you didn't realize that. And an ill-timed food delivery is calling your phone. It's Not What It Looks Like starts there. To prove their innocence, two people, M and W, go back to the beginning with their own version of events. As tensions rise, their narrative starts to crumble, and the truth comes out.

This new play by John Collins, directed by Vincent DeGeorge, and in collaboration with Chesney Mitchell, asks the question: "What does it mean to be seen as a good person?" A two-person testimony spanning several months with an assembly of characters tries to answer that. A funny, suspenseful and thrilling story of grief that will make you wonder if it really isn't what it looks like.

SoHo Playhouse's Managing Director Britt Lafield says, "We are so excited to have John, Chesney, and the show back at the Playhouse as the winner of the 2023 Lighthouse Series. Coming off the incredible success and upcoming Broadway run of the 2022 winner JOB, I can think of no better representation of our mission statement of supporting new artists and giving them opportunities to present their work in an industry where it feels like those opportunities are harder and harder to come by. We are proud to support these amazing artists, recognize the incredible work they have done, and let theater audiences see what the next generation of artists is creating."

John Collins says, "I'm thrilled to be premiering my play, It's Not What It Looks Like, at SoHo Playhouse. It's been a great journey bringing this show to Soho since winning the Lighthouse Series, and Chesney, Vincent and I are excited for audiences to take the journey of these characters with us. We hope this story makes our audience consider if things really are what they look like, in both their own lives and the people's around them."

The production team includes Nicholas Pollock (Light Design).

SoHo Playhouse is located at 15 Vandam Street in New York City. Performances are Wednesdays - Saturdays at 7pm. Run time is 90 minutes. Tickets are $41.50 (includes fees). To purchase and for more info go to https://www.sohoplayhouse.com/upcoming-events/its-not-what-it-looks-like.

John Collins (M / Playwright) is thrilled to be making his Off-Broadway debut with his play, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. Graduating in 2021 with a BFA from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), John spends his time in New York as an actor and writer. Originally from Indianapolis, IN, John has been recognized with The Yale Book Award for Drama, and most recently, Winner of the SoHo Playhouse Lighthouse Series for IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. johnpcollins.com

Chesney Mitchell (W / Collaborator) moved to New York after completing her BFA in 2022 at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. In her senior year, she co-wrote, produced, and starred in a full length film with two of her fellow classmates called BOOKED. Since then the film has gone on to be an official selection of multiple film festivals such as New York Independent Film Festival, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Poppy Jasper Independent Film Festival, Sky Arts Film Festival, and Cindependent Film Festival. Winning Best Feature at Cindependent and Sky Arts, with a best actress nomination at both as well. chesneymitchell.com

Vincent DeGeorge (Director) is a theatrical researcher, educator, professional director/choreographer and visual artist. He has spent the last twenty years developing the somatic and experiential theater technique The Theatrical Awareness Practice. This practice, which has become the cornerstone of his teaching and directing, consists of grant supported research adapted into highly structured improvisational explorations that are designed to reacquaint the artist with the infinite intelligence and creative capacity of their own human body experience. On the faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music since 2013, Vincent is a tenured Associate Professor, the Patricia A. Corbett Distinguished Chair of Musical Theatre and the Joseph Weinberger Chair of Acting for the Lyric Stage in Musical Theater and Opera. In addition to directing and developing new works, Vincent directed New York City's first fully staged production of The Exonerated; he co-wrote and directed the award-winning musical revue Nashville (NYC's Nightlife, Bistro and MAC Awards). As a visual artist he was commissioned by Blacksburg Virginia Summer Arts Festival to design and build Life In The Trees. This immersive installation was purposed as both a gallery exhibition and a theatrical setting for two original performance pieces, which Vincent adapted and directed. As a performer Vincent was a company member of Building Home, which uses theater-making to facilitate and stimulate public conversation and community engagement as a civic practice; he was also a company member of the NYC based contemporary dance company dre.dance under Artistic Directors and Choreographers Taye Diggs and Andrew Palermo.

Continuing in the spirit of the theater's original tenant, Edward Albee and his Playwright Unit Workshop, SoHo Playhouse is committed to presenting the brightest and most talented artists from New York, with its Lighthouse Series, and around the world, with the International Fringe Encore Series, to give the theater-going audience of New York important stories told with unique style, and evolving what the concept of Off-Broadway Theater is in the 21st century. For info visit https://www.sohoplayhouse.com.

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