Urban Stages Announces THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES

Urban Stages has announced a February virtual production, THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES, streaming February 5- 12, 2021 at urbanstages.org. Creative Consultant Bara Swain serves as the project's producer with Kim T. Sharp as the production manager.

The springboard for this online event challenged eight playwrights to select a hero or a villain, and write a monologue incorporating a quote from their selected figures. Historical, fictional, and comic book figures were chosen, from the Man of Steel to the Fuhrer; from Kamala Harris to Hannibal Lecter. An additional challenge was to reference another hero or villain in the script ... or have one of these figures appear in the monologue! Playwrights worked with actors from Urban Stages' diverse artistic community to capture performances of their new works. These monologues have been carefully selected and assembled to create a 70-minute theatrical event streaming at urbanstages.org for a limited time.

"This short monologue series gives playwrights an opportunity to flex their creative muscles by writing a new piece for an actor under a specific theme. Urban Stages welcomes this talented group of artists." Frances Hill, Urban Stages, Artistic Director.

Playwright participants include seven-time Emmy Award-nominated Scott C. Sickles, Massachusetts Artist Fellow in Playwriting John Minigan, OBIE Award-winning producer Sandra Sharif-Daley, United Solo Festival's Best Documentary One-Woman Show recipient Jenny Lyn Bader, and award-winning playwrights Catherine Weingarten, Ruth Zamoyta, Frank Tangredi, and Eric Percival.

The cast include Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress nominated Danielle Bourgeois (Regional: One on the Chamber), actress Stefanie Lekkas (Metamorphosis), actor/producer/VO artist Sascha Vanderslik (Film: Heart Shaped Pizza), Jason Asher (Off-Broadway: I The Wonder of You), Kailah S. King (Regional: Urinetown), Zach McCoy (Off-Broadway's Love and Human Remains), Sarah Okada (Off-Broadway: Yearning for Peace), and Misti Tindiglia (New York: Marked).

The monologues are helmed by Drama League alum NJ Agwuna, Producing Director of F.A.B. Women at The Barrow Group Christine Cirker, international directors Pedro Santos (Portugal) and Lynn Petersen (Australia), Founding Artistic Director of Amios NYC and ShotzSF in San Francisco Christian Haines, and Urban Stages' staff, Ilanna Saltzman, Vincent Scott, and Kim T. Sharp.

Due to the virtues of ZOOM, Urban Stages has been able to bring to the project International Artists along with New York, California, New Jersey, and Massachusetts writers, actors, and directors. Actress Stefanie Lekkas, and Director, Lynn Petersen will be working from Australia, with Petro Santos directing from Portugal. Sascha Vanderslik will be performing in California under the direction of Bay Area director Christian Haines, while John Minigan is in Massachusetts.

THE HEROES AND VILLAINS MONOLOGUES

Will begin streaming on urbanstages.org

Friday, February 5 at 7:30 pm EST through February 12, 2021

Urban Stages will host a talk-back with the creative team following the opening night performance on Friday, February 5 (8:45 pm est) The 8 Monologues last 70 minutes.

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