Tim Realbuto's YES to Play Off-Broadway; Film Version in the Works

Tim Realbuto's critically acclaimed two-person drama YES will open next month at The Manhattan Repertory Theatre as part of the Off-Broadway venue's Fall Play Spectacular. Realbuto is most known for co-writing the musical Ghostlight alongside Matthew Martin and for touring his popular solo show Wunderkind.

YES, which received rave reviews earlier this year as part of the Venus/Adonis Festival at The Hudson Guild Theatre, made its world premiere in 2015 at the Emerging Artists Theatre in NYC. After that, Realbuto and team hit the road and took the show to Michigan where it played a successful, sold-out run at the Detroit Fringe Festival.

Realbuto recently co-write the world premiere of the prison drama The Weak Ones, also opposite Matthew Martin. Together, the writing duo were nominated for Best Play at the 2016 Thespis Awards.

With YES, Realbuto made his solo debut writing a full-length play. He writes, directs and stars as Patrick Ness in YES. He is joined onstage by co-star Joe Blute (So You Wanna Be Cool) as Jeremiah Rosenhaft. Blute and Realbuto originated the roles and have played them in every incarnation. Paul Mitchell Wilder (SUPER! at FringeNYC) will serve as production stage manager during the Manhattan Rep. run, as well as lighting designer, and standby to both Mr. Blute and Mr. Realbuto. Adele Rylands (Broadway Bares) will contribute as the show's fight director.

According to press notes: "YES is a one-act, two-person drama about Patrick Ness (Realbuto), a fading star in his 30's who now teaches private acting lessons in NYC, and the relationship that forms with Jeremiah (Blute), his new teenage student that Patrick happened to see in a high school production of 'Romeo and Juliet'. What begins as an innocent acting lesson turns into a sick game of cat and mouse, resulting in mental torture, sexual advances, and perhaps the destruction of two (possibly) innocent people."

A film version of YES is currently in the works, to be directed by Andrea DeLuca (STRUM). When DeLuca attended an early performance last year, he knew that the play screamed to be on the silver screen. DeLuca, Realbuto, and Blute have been in constant meetings about the project and shooting is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2017 on location in New York City. Realbuto has recently completed the screenplay, which expands his two-person, one-room play into several locations with added supporting characters. Blute and Realbuto will reprise their starring roles in the film version. Negotiations are underway with several well-known stage and screen actors to take on the newly added supporting roles. Full casting will be announced at a later date.

Realbuto has stated that the Manhattan Rep. production of YES will likely be the last one before filming begins. Performances of YES will take place at the newly remodeled Manhattan Rep. located at 17-19 West 45th Street in the heart of the theatre district. Performance dates are Friday, December 2nd at 6:30 PM and Sunday, December 3rd at 3:00 PM. A very limited number of $10 tickets (cash only) will be available on the day of the performance at the box office. However, it is highly recommended that you fill out your ticket form ASAP by visiting manhattanrep.com/yes-by-tim-realbuto.

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