Urban Stages Continues 25th Season By Reviving Old Premieres

Urban Stages (Frances Hill, Founder/Artistic Director, Lauren Schmiedel, Managing Director) will continue its 25th Season celebration with a look at its past premiers. Over the next eight weeks Urban Stages will revive six of the best World and New York Premieres the company has mounted over the past 25 years. The performances will take place on Mondays at 6PM at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street) at 6PM, beginning March 9 through April 20, 2009.

First reading will be Chungmi Kim's poetically beautiful and haunting play COMFORT WOMEN directed by Frances Hill with original cast members, Tina Chen, Jade Wu, Jo Yang with Jessica J. Ko as the NYU student. COMFORT WOMEN premiered at Urban Stages in 2004 after touring in the Urban Stages celebrated "On Tour" series presented in libraries throughout the five boroughs. Published in New Playwrights The Best Plays of 2005 by Smith & Kraus, the New York Time said "it comes alive when it focuses on the crippling psychological guilt of the (comfort women) victims." since that production the play has been translated into Korean and produced in Seoul, Korea and subsequently received a production in Canada last year. COMFORT WOMEN will be presented on Monday, March 9th.

On Monday, March 16th, Victor Cahn's epistolary play ROSES IN DECEMBER starring Tony Award winner James Naughton. A graduate student begins a correspondence with her Professor, which goes beyond just simple questions and answers about literary issues and turns into something much more interesting. ROSES IN DECEMBER was produced as a world premiere in 2005 has since been published and produced in regional theatres throughout the country.

Guillermo Reyes' play MEN ON THE VERGE OF A HISPANIC BREAKDOWN will be performed by Felix Pire. Mr. Pire won the Outer Critics Award for best performance in 1998 for creating six hilariously amusing Cuban American gay characters living in Florida. MEN ON THE VERGE OF A HISPANIC BREAKDOWN moved from Urban Stages Theatre to a commercial run, directed by Joseph Megal. It has been published and produced throughout the country. The Urban Stages production and the commercial MEN ON THE VERGE OF A HISPANIC BREAKDOWN will be presented on Monday March 23rd.

John Picardi's popular comedy, THE SWEEPERS, directed by Frances Hill will return to Urban Stages with the original cast including Brigitte Vielleau Davis, Antoinette La Vecchia and Dana Smith. The play takes place in an Italian neighborhood in Boston in the connecting backyards of three Italian friends from childhood, whose husbands are fighting in WW II in Italy. Comedy and pathos emerge as the Sweepers' secrets are revealed. Soon after its premiere at Urban Stages in 2002 THE SWEEPERS moved to Capital Rep, it has been publishes and performed around the country. THE SWEEPERS will be presented on Monday, March 30th.

Bruce Graham's riveting and compelling play COYOTE ON A FENCE will be performed by Drama Desk Winner Paul Sparks who created the original part of a prisoner on death row in 2000. COYOTE ON A FENCE examines the lives and motives of two death row prisoners. The play has been a favorite in regional theatres and had a long run on the West End in London. The director is Lou Jacobs. COYOTE ON A FENCE will be presented on Monday, April 13th.

Eisa Davis' celebrated play BULRUSHER was given its World Premiere at Urban Stages in 2006. In 2007 BULRUSHER was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. This production will be performed by Ms. Davis a noted actress (recently performing in Broadway in PASSING STRANGE). The play follows an orphan who finds herself being raised as the only black child in a Northern California community when a stranger in town helps her discover her identity. The play has been published and performed nationally. BULRUSHER will be presented on Monday, April 20th.

The URBAN STAGES' READING RETROSPECTIVE SERIES Beginning March 9 - April 13, 2009

COMFORT WOMEN will be presented on Monday, March 9th at 6PM.
ROSES IN DECEMBER will be presented on Monday, March 16th at 6PM
MEN ON THE VERGE OF A HISPANIC BREAKDOWN will be presented on Monday, March 23rd at 6PM.
THE SWEEPERS will be presented on Monday, March 30th at 6PM.
COYOTE ON A FENCE will be presented on Monday, April 13th at 6PM.
BULRUSHER will be presented on Monday, April 20th at 6PM.

 

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