Theater For The New City, Crystal Field Presents 'Sleep F$@cking: Revision'

Theater for the New City, Crystal Field (artistic director) presents, Sleep F$@cking: Revision, as part of the Dream Up Festival.

"Sleep F$@cking: Revision" by Margot Mejia is an exploration of the physical experience of writing and revising a work that delves into a troubled writer's mind. Wine-addled and in a mire of insomnia, a character named John begins to lose sight of what is real and what is the novel. The world of the play and the novel overlap and become one, as John physically enters his book and the stage is overtaken by both realities, making both him and the audience question their interpretation of events. Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival will present the play's world premiere August 26 to September 4.

Along the way, the play shows the travails of modern dating, the impermanence of failing relationships, and how the fear of rejection pushes people farther apart. Some, like John, find solace in fantastical wish fulfillment. It demonstrates how relationships with one's parents have a cascading effect on relationships in one's adult life.

The piece is acted by Margot Mejia, Aaron Dalla Villa and Bianca Rutigliano. It is Directed by Alex Gustafson, with movement direction by Donna Perry.

Playwright Margot Mejia is an actor, writer, director, comedienne, and producer from Queens, New York. She attended New York University on an academic scholarship and holds a B.A in Creative Writing. She is of Colombian, Native American, French, and Portuguese descent. She began her career as a performer at a young age as a professional child model with Funny Face Today Model Management.

Since posing for the camera as a kid she wrote, directed, and produced an original musical, Happy Birthday David that debuted at The Pit Striker Stage to a sold out audience. She has also written original short films, Game Play and Flame University for Stonestreet Studios, as well as heading their first screenwriting competition with Withoutabox. Her original TV Pilot DropOuts, co-written with writing partner Alex Luke, can be found on The Blcklst.

She is a recipient of the UCB Diversity Scholarship and has played bit roles with UCB Beta Teams PocketWatch and SCRAPS. Her original sketch comedy videos have been featured on the front page of Funny or Die under the name Prima Brosephina.

Margot is also a published poet and has performed her poems at The Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House and KGB Bar and Lit Lounge. She has also performed original characters at Broadway Comedy Club, as part of The Beverly Bonner Show.

She is a graduate of The Atlantic Acting School, Stella Adler Studios, and Stonestreet Studios. Most recently she has joined as a member of the Dramatist Guild.

Aaron Dalla Villa, who plays John, is currently filming the sci-fi action comedy "Alpha Rift," where he stars as Nolan Parthmore. He played the maniacal cult leader Maxwell Peterson III in the film "Pledge," which will premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal at the end of July 2018. He has appeared in feature films and commercials and has done voiceover work for video games. Other projects include staged readings, an animated series pilot, short films, and theater.

Bianca Rutigliano, who plays Sarah is a native New Yorker, Bianca discovered her desire and passion for performance at a young age. She started acting in community plays throughout Brooklyn and by her teen years she began her studies at HB Studios, The Neighborhood Playhouse, and Stella Adler Studio of Acting. She received her BFA from NYU-Tisch School of the Arts where she continued her studies at Stella Adler and Stonestreet Studios. While at NYU some of her theatre credits include: The Laramie Project, Pericles, and Dutchman (directed by Tony Award winner Roger Robinson). Since graduating she has appeared in several national commercials as well as feature films such as Hunter (alongside Jack Falahee), and Jane Wants a Boyfriend (alongside Eliza Dushku). She has recurred on the third season of the Fox television series "Gotham" and has previously recurred on the IFC television series "Benders."

Director Alexander Gustafson is a SUNY Purchase graduate who has studied under Dan LeFranc, Kip Fagan, Lyle Kessler and Kathleen Tolan. His work has been produced at Playwrights Horizons.

Donna Perry, movement director, is a classically trained dancer who studied at Boston Ballet with E Virginia Williams, Violette Verdy and Guest Artist Twyla Tharp. She also trained in Commedia Dell Arte with Roberto Androlini and Renaissance Dance with Marco Bendoni in Florence Italy.

She obtained her BFA in Dance and Theatre from the Boston Conservatory of Music Dance and Theater. She has performed with Boston Ballet in The Nutcracker Ballet.

She was a Guest Musical Theater Teaching Artist at St John's Universityand a hired consultant developing an arts based program with the Dean of the Arts under the National Endowment of the Arts grant.

She is currently a Performing Arts instructor and Dance and Drama Director at St Francis Prep High Schoolwhere she has staged directed and choreographed over 20 musical and Drama productions.

She also choreographed and staged a 25 min performance set for her students performance in Disney Land Florida and Disney World California for their 60th Jubilee. Her students also danced in the 2016 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Her Directing credits include Victoria Woodhull, NoWhere Man, and A Walk on the Beach, all original plays by Claude Solnik performed at Theater for the New City.

Her alumni are currently working in Film, Television, and on Broadway.

August 26 to September 4.
Theater for the New City (Joyce and Seward Johnson Theater) 155 1st Avenue.
A world premiere presented by Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Artistic Director) as part of Dream Up Festival 2018.
8/26 8pm, 8/29 6:30pm, 8/31 9pm, 9/1 5pm, 9/4 9pm
Tickets: $12. Box Office: (212) 254-1109, www.dreamupfestival.org
Running time: 1 hr. Critics are invited to all performances.

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