BTC Productions and Robert Nicotra Present MEN WITHOUT MYTH, Opens 6/3

BTC Productions and Robert Nicotra are proud to present Men Without Myth: Three One Acts by Italian American Playwrights at the Theatre at 30th Street, from June 3 to June 13, 2010. In a world where there are social and financial pressures everyday, three artists who sacrificed security and the norm to pursue their passions, cross each other's path through kismet. These three writers from Jersey City, Greenwich Village and Bay Ridge Brooklyn find out they have more in common than their passion for writing and their Italian American heritage.These "Men Without Myth" scribe their father's wounds, in this laughable, dramatic and sometimes intense evening of One Act plays by John Dapolito, Charles Messina, and Robert Nicotra.

Tickets are available at www.smarttix.com or call 212-868-4444. Tickets are $25.00.

Performances: Thursday June 3 - Saturday June 5 at 8pm, Sunday June 6 at 3pm, Wednesday June 9 - Saturday June 12 at 8pm, and Sunday June 13 at 7pm.

Talkback with writers and actors: June 6, 9, and 11 performances will be followed by a special talkback with actors and writers.

The Plays: Augie's Ring - Written and directed by John Dapolito:A down and out neighborhood legend drowns himself in isolation and booze at a local pub, only to encounter his latest and a most unlikely challenger. Augie's Ring will star Caitlin Norton and Robert Nicotra.

Klepto- Written and Directed by Charles Messina: Set in a cheap motel room in Fort Lauderdale, 1977 Klepto tells the tale of a boy with an encyclopedic mind for baseball and his complex relationship with his overbearing, kleptomaniacal mother, who have embarked on a journey south from NYC to find the boy's deadbeat father. Klepto stars John Barbieri, Gina Ferranti, and Lou Martini, Jr.

Like You-Written and Directed by Robert Nicotra: It's St. Paddy's Day, dinner is hot and the Yankees Exhibition game is about to start. It's just another night in Jackie Ryan's Life until he's interuppted by a knock on the door from a son he hasn't seen in seventeen years. His son wants answers; Jackie just wants to be left alone. Like You stars Patrick Terance McGowan and Alfredo Diaz.

The Playwrights:

John Dapolito's plays are Augie's Ring, An Act of Kindness, Killer Midgets. and Baptism by Fire. Baptism by Fire was originally produced and directed by Michael Imperioli as the inaugural production of Studio Dante. John recently expanded and adapted his one-act play, "Augie's Ring" for the screen with screenwriting partner, Dominik Tiefenthaler. John will be directing and co-producing his new play Killer Midgets, which will be co-produced by Annie McGovern. Killer Midgets will open Off-Broadway in 2010. John also enjoys collaborating with other talented playwrights, he was recently the dramaturgy and supervisory-director of Brian Gianci's comedy, "Grandmother's House". Other theatre endeavors: John is a master class acting teacher, script advisor and dramaturgy. He has developed two new approaches to drama and acting, "The Actable Phrase Technique", and "Script Secrets of the A-List Actor", both of which set the foundation for his acting classes. John is also renowned as a pioneer, in 2003 John broke new ground in our industry with his career development program, Actors!Where Are You Going? The program uses profiling techniques developed by John to determine professional actors industry-niche, a technique sure to put an end to type-casting forever.

Charles Messina was born in Greenwich Village, of Italian-American descent and is a graduate of New York University. Known for his deconstructive take on biographical subjects, Messina's most notable stage work as director includes the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway plays Cirque Jacqueline, about the life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis, and Mercury: The AfterLife and Times of a Rock God, about Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. In 2007 Messina also directed the big budget musical Be My Love, written by Richard Vetere, about the life of singer Mario Lanza, which was produced by Sonny Grosso and Phil Ramone at the Tilis Center. Also in 2007, Messina's play Merging starring Jason Cerbone, Gina Ferranti and Ernest Mingione won Best Play in The Players Theater's Shortened Attention Span Theater Festival in Greenwich Village. Messina also directed the short film based on the play. He has directed the off-Broadway shows Rockaway Boulevard by Richard Vetere, The Accidental Pervert by Andrew Goffman, and Art Metrano's Accidental Comedy, as well as a staged reading of his own script Younger, starring Joe Piscopo. Messina's play, Homeland, which premiered in 2008, starred Sopranos actors Dan Grimaldi and Joe Lisi, as well as Jason Cerbone, Gina Ferranti and Amir Darvish. Messina wrote the book My Father, My Don, about the life of Genovese Capo James "Jimmy Nap" Napoli and his son Tony Napoli, in collaboration with Tony Napoli. It was released by Beckham Publications Group in Fall 2008.In 2009, Messina's play "A Room of My Own", about an Italian-American family living in Greenwich Village in the late 1970s, was optioned and is being developed into a major motion picture by Executive Producer TEd Kurdyla. Messina co-wrote the upcoming film Jekyll and Hyde, starring 50 Cent and directed by Abel Ferrara, and co-wrote (with Vincent Gogliormella) the film Twas The Night Before a Brooklyn Christmas, starring Michael Rispoli and Mario Cantone.

Robert Nicotra left the financial industry in 2008 to pursue his life long dream of acting and writing full time. Robert Is the author of the screenplays "Vicious Circle", "Bobby Nico" and the short film "Independent Contractor." He has worked as a script, joke and project consultant(2006-2009) to Professional Comic Lynn Koplitz and penned a TV spec script "One Foot In The Grave", for her development deal with Fox. His first play "Like You" is making it's world premiere at Men Without Myth. Robert founded Before Tomorrow Comes Productions (BTC) in 2010. BTC Productions is dedicated to assisting and igniting artists to create and produce their own work. BTC will develop and produce theatrical productions and films through readings, workshops, and a not for profit division.

Interview inquiries with the playwrights and press tickets: Please call Michael Martinez at 845-201-8820

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/MEN-WITHOUT-MYTH/123510677659513

Listing Information:

Location: Theatre at 30th Street
(at Urban Stages)
259 West 30th Street
between 7th and 8th Aves.
212-268-9829

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