Wandering Theater Company Presents THE TRIAL OF MRS. SURRATT

The Wandering Theatre Company (Natalie Villamonte Zito, Artistic Di- rector and Amber Wallace, Executive Director) announce their presentation of The Trial of Mrs. Surratt, a Limited Engagement Off-Off Broadway run for 15 performances ONLY May 4th- 19th at the Flamboyan Theater at The Clemente Arts Center (107 Suffolk St, New York, NY 10002).

The Trial of Mrs. Surratt a New Play with Music by Broadway playwright Lanie Robertson (Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill), makes its' way to New York City. This play is a surreal and telling look at the trial and final days of Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed by the United States Government. An exploration of the lives of those infamously dubbed as the "Lin- coln Conspirators," this play challenges audiences to examine a piece of American history from the perspective of its most misunderstood historical figures. Based on dinner table conversations, federal trials, and journal entries Surratt explores 1865 post-Civil War America in a way most have never imagined. "The Trial of Mrs. Surratt gives new life to an important piece of American history and what it means to be loyal to your country. As relevant today as in 1865." (DC Metro Theater Arts.) Featuring an Appalachian Folk sound with strong harmonies, banjo, mandolin, vi- olin, tambourine and percussion. The songs in the play are historic Civil War battle hymns, which have been completely re-arranged and re-imagined. New Arrangements by Matthew Tillett, Musical Director; Natalie Villamonte Zito, Director; and The Wandering Theatre Company.

Performances begin Saturday, May 4 and continue to play through Sunday, May 19. Perfor- mances are scheduled: Wednesday*-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 3pm. To pur- chase tickets ($55) or for more information visit: https://www.thewanderingtheatrecompany.org/lanie-robertsons-the-trial-of-mrs-surratt.

*A special performance will be held on Wednesday, May 8th, with reception immediately follow- ing the evenings performance. Location TBA. For more information contact Amber Wallace at thewanderingtheatrecompany@gmail.com

Technical Direction by Jak Prince. Scenic Design by Michael Harbeck. Lighting by Jamie Roderick, Costumes by Natalie Villamonte Zito and Alivia Fredrickson.

The 20 person ensemble will be headlined by Elise Gainer as Mary Surratt, recent Director/ Playwright/Lead Actor in The Bloody Deed of 1857 Off-off Broadway production in 2018.

The ensemble for The Trial of Mrs. Surratt also includes:

Heidi Tolson as Anna Surratt Carol Copper as Rachel Semus Mark Ashin as Frederick Aiken Jake Howard as Louis Wiechmann John Squires as Edwin Stanton Bill Morton as General Holt Xavier Reminick as John Wilkes Booth Sam Stoll as Johnny Surratt Ben Natan as Colonel Conger Christian Fary as John Matthews Thomas Rene as Ned Spangler Emily Johnson-Erday as Honora Fitzpatrick Adam Riggs Davidson as Troupe Actor Charlie Harrington as Troupe Actor Michael Martinez as Union Soldier/Guard Craig Jameson as Union Soldier Kristen Krak as Confederate Soldier/Anna understudy Kierna Conner as Confederate Soldier Sarah Franco as Little Confederate Boy

Never published or produced before, Mr. Robertson brought The Trial of Mrs. Surratt to Wander- ing's Artistic Director, Natalie Villamonte Zito for her to develop. In 2016, the Director and company spent six months developing/creating a workshop piece that ran in Vermont and in the 2016 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington DC. DC Metro Theater Arts described Surratt as "An ambitious performance," mentioning "the blocking and attention to detail throughout the performance is just delicious."

"We are honored to be the first to work on the development of this revolutionary new play and to be a part of its journey in our American Theatrical canon," states Wandering Artistic Director Natalie Villamonte Zito.

The Wandering Theatre Company is a Non-profit organization, created by a collection of the- atre artists dedicated to creating and sharing American ensemble theatre. Their goal is to develop a strong American theatrical identity, creating new American plays and re-inventing established plays in order to further examine societal issues affecting American culture and people. Past pro- ductions include: The Afflicted (Workshop, 133rd Street Arts Center), The Afflicted (Off-off Broadway, Access Gallery Theatre), The Afflicted (Capital Fringe Festival, GALA Theatre in Tivoli Sqaure), Jean Anouilh's Antigone (Syracuse Fringe Festival, Community Folk Arts Cen- ter), Jean Anouilh's Antigone (Capital Fringe Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center), Jean Anouilh's Antigone (Off-off Broadway, Access Gallery Theatre), The Insanity of Mary Girard (Capital Fringe Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center), The Insanity of Mary Girard (Off-off Broadway, Access Gallery Theatre), The Trial of Mrs. Surratt (Otter Creek Festival of the Arts), The Trial of Mrs. Surratt (Capital Fringe Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center), The Laramie Project (Capital Fringe Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center), The Laramie Project (Off-off Broadway, Access Gallery Theatre), and most recently The Laramie Project Cycle (Off-off Broadway, Access Theatre Black Box). Visit www.thewanderingtheatrecompany.org for more information or to support Wandering's mission by donating or volunteering.

Natalie Villamonte Zito: Founder and Artistic Director of The Wandering Theatre Company.Di- recting credits include: The Laramie Project Cycle (Off-off Broadway), The Laramie Project (Off-Off Broadway/Washington, D.C.), The Trial of Mrs. Surratt (Vermont, Washington D.C.), The Insanity of Mary Girard (Off-off Broadway/Washington D.C.), Jean Anouilh's Antigone (Off off-Broadway/Washington D.C./Syracuse), and The Afflicted (Off off-Broadway/Washington D.C.). Her work has been awarded the TheaterMania's Capital Fringe Award for Best Physical Theater twice - The Laramie Project (2017) and Antigone (2014). She received her BA in The- atre Arts: Directing and Performance from Marymount Manhattan College.

Amber Wallace: Co-Founder and Executive Director of The Wandering Theatre Company, Am- ber has proudly dedicated 7 years to Wandering and its mission to explore our American society through the eyes of American Playwrights and Natalie's artistic vision. Amber graduated from Marymount Manhattan College with a BA in Theatre Arts: Producing and Management. She is currently the Associate Producing Director of The York Theatre Company where she works full- time bringing musicals to life!

To post a comment, you must register and login.