Aaron Latham to Helm ORPHANS at Shelter Studios

Room 15 in collaboration with Shetler Studios and Catherine Castelli present Lyle Kessler's critically acclaimed dark comedy Orphans. Orphans will be directed by Aaron Latham and star Fady Kerko, Alex Montaldo and Gregg Prosser.

The play is a tale of two orphaned brothers - one a thug and the other a social misfit living in an old row house in North Philadelphia who kidnap a Chicago gangster. A physical and psychological power struggle ensues in their old row house when the gangster frees himself and the tables are turned.

The play received national acclaim following it's run at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 1985. The success continued when the production opened Off-Broadway in May 1985 at the Westside Theatre in New York City for an eight month run.

This production will feature original songs by Alla Ray and Mikki Hommel, performed by Alla Ray and produced by Ron Shetler.

Orphans opens on Thursday, February 16th at 7:30 pm and runs for ten performances to Sunday February 26th. Thursday - Saturday shows will be at 7:30 pm. Sunday matinees at 3:00 pm. Their will be an additional matinee Saturday, February 25th at 3pm and an evening performance on Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:30. Tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased at the production website: www.orphans17.com. Shetler Studios is located at 244 West 54th Street in New York City.

Aaron Latham is an American journalist who wrote the article that inspired the movie Urban Cowboy and co-wrote its script with director James Bridges. He also co-wrote the book for the 2003 Broadway musical version. Latham has been a regular contributor to such publications as Rolling Stone, Esquire, Talk, and The New York Times. Latham has written several novels and co-wrote the screenplays Perfect, also with Bridges, another film inspired by his articles, and The Program. Mr. Latham has been living with Parkinson's disease for several years now. Mr. Latham has been on the forefront of the fight against Parkinson's disease since his appearance on 'CBS Sunday Morning' in 2015.

Graydon Gund (Assistant Director) A Skidmore College alumnus, he graduated with a BS in theater and arts administration. Graydon is a freelance director, producer, and theater artist. New York directing credits include Border Sweet Border (Bedlam Ensemble), Millions & Millions & Millions (Betweeen Us Productions), a workshop of a new musical called Billy Bonfire as well as countless one-act festivals. Assisting credits include Clybourne Park (Chautauqua Theatre Company), and the national tour of Ghost the Musical. Regionally Gund has staged productions at the Williamstown Theater Festival and assisted at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. Graydon's favorite charity is the Human Rights Campaign, the countries' largest LGBT equality organization, which fights for equality across the country.

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