BASEMENT, a New Play by Robert Rosenbaum, to Debut at Theatre 54

During the Persian Gulf War, playwright Robert Rosenbaum recalls wondering what would happen if the Iraqis ever attacked our home turf, specifically Brooklyn, New York, where he lived at the time.

"I often thought about what if they sent planes here? I was living in Brooklyn at the time and figured I would go into our basement during any bombing raids. From there my mind wandered... What would I need? Who would I let in? What would I find when I came out? I read several books on the bombings of London during WWII. The people routinely sought shelter, during bombing raids, underground in basements, shelters; the tube. I thought this would be a great setting for a character study. I wrote pieces of it intermittently for several years."

The now Catskills resident eventually put the story aside until last year when he attended the ANDTheatre Company's Summer Salt Writer's Workshop, and then it all started developing again. So much so, that a little over a year later, with a finished script at hand, the help of ANDTheatre, the direction of SDC Director, Joan Kane, and a new inspiration following the November 8th elections, he has an equity showcase, limited engagement opening tonight at Theatre 54 at Shetler Studios. It runs only 5 performances from Friday, November 17th to Sunday, November 19th.

"Basement is a very timely play." says Rosenbaum, "It deals with our political climate and the contention that has become so big a part of our society in the past year. I hope the play will cross social and racial lines and speak to a broad audience."

The story is a contemporary drama set in Brooklyn, NY, in a world overshadowed by fear. When the dreaded bombing really happens, a single father and daughter retreat to their basement shelter, and are faced with the choice of which neighbors to let in their safe haven. Soon, conflicts arise from the ethnic diversity of the occupants. When the building above is bombed, the nine neighbors are trapped, and must work together to survive the night... and each other.

The diverse cast features Jared Wilder (Jake), Lussi Salmela (Hannah), James Armstrong* (Steve), Jen Taher* (Lily), Gilda Mercado (Angela), SJ Hannah (Louis), Anuj Parikh (Sal), Satya Shaw (Hadir), Bilgin Turker (Fadyaa), and Mark Hudson (Sergeant).

Tickets and more information can be found on Smarttix HERE. To learn more about how BASEMENT goes from cinematic inspiration to an actual staged production (and hopefully beyond), you can visit the playwright's website at www.basementtheplay.com.

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