Bad Plays Festival to Kick Off in the Village, Sept. 10

The Bad Plays Festival will return this fall at the Players Theatre (at 115 MacDougal St. in Greenwich Village) from September 10th through 30th.

"No, Virginia, these plays are not really bad, they're really GOOD -- but naughty (politically incorrect, political satire, bad language, bad puns, over-the-top silliness, and the like)...Each night starting at 8 p.m., there's a unique theme of 3-6 new plays for one all-inclusive ticket price of $15-$25 (varies with discounts and advance sales).  This year's festival also features a special Brown Bag Lunch Series of staged readings on Wednesdays at noon.; Ebony Black, a new children's musical on Saturdays at 3 p.m., and special Sunday night presentations of festival lovechild Best Little Crackhouse in Philly," state press notes.

There is a Carmen Miranda opening night benefit to start things off with a samba on September 10.  Throughout the festival, audiences vote on their favorite bad play.  Closing night brings presentation of the Fruit Cup Awards:  Golden Pineapple, Silver Tomato, and Bronze Banana.  Wild and woolly comedy and singing acts entertain nightly during set changes and intermissions, including Bronze Fondue, a band of nutty university professors.

This year's festival presents 6 Theme Nights of "bad" plays on a rotating basis:

- "Something to Offend Everyone," featuring: "Hollywood Saves Africa" by K. Knapp, "The Mexican Cleaning Lady or How I Almost Offended the Dalai Lama" by Leslie Bramm, "The Hootens of Hollerville" by Michael Paul Girard, and "The Jewish Roaches" by Richard Ravits. 

- "Sex, Thugs and Rock 'n' Roll," featuring: "Revenge Is Best Served Cold" by Samuel Toll, "God's Pants Too Huge" by George Holets, "Artist vs. Landlord" by Doron Braunshtein a/k/a Apollo Braun, "Sexual Perversity in Connecticut" by Mike Folie, "The Age Game" by Joan Blake and Tia Maria, and "Perfect Pitch" by Patricia Lee Stotter.

- "Swingtime for Hitler (& Friends), featuring:  "Goebbels! One Night Only! Live From Hell!" by Scott Munson, "Better Than Hitler" by Jon Brooks, and "God Bless America" by William Morton. 

- "Little Boxes Made of Ticky-Tacky," featuring:  "Going Postal" by George Holets, "The Greatest in the Whole Wide World" by David Kosh, "A Fake Fiasco" by Frederick Timm, and "The Canary" by Don Chan Mark.

 - "Is That a Gun In Your Pocket?," featuring:  "Aphrodite's Nightie" by Frank O'Donnell, "Berry Season" by Rosemary Toohey, "Down Goes Rocky" by Reid MacCluggage, "The Devil and His Sunglasses" by Csaba Teglas, and "Time Went by but Slowly" by J. Boyer.

- "Poking at Sacred Cows (a faux classical romp)," featuring:  "The Moor's Pastiche" by Jean Hart, "Come Again?" by Richard J. Budin, and "The Queen's Privy" by Michael Paul Girard.

Saturdays at 3 p.m., the company's original children's musical Ebony Black, a multicultural take on Snow White, will perform for children and family audiences.  Tickets are $7/children & $10/adults.

Every Sunday night at 8 is a special performance of the newly expanded Best Little Crackhouse in Philly (or Crackwhore… the Musical) by Stan Peal, "with costume prizes for best-dressed audience crackwhore, drug dealer or other street character.  It will not compete for the Golden Pineapple this year, but will be a special event in the downstairs theatre, followed by a party.  The one-act version of this outlandish musical won both the Golden Pineapple and Platinum Pineapple in previous festivals."

Wednesdays, September 12, 19 & 26 from noon to 2 p.m., the Brown Bag Lunch Series of staged readings will feature eight new plays with open discussions in a workshop setting with brown bag snacks and beverages included in the $10 admission.  Readings include "Long Night's Journey into Day" by Stuart Boyce, "An Acute Triangle" by RoseMary Martino, "60 Guilders' Worth" by Anthony Pennino, "Chunnel" by Paavo Tom Tammi, "Don't Wait/'Til It's Too Late" by Lenore Blumenfeld, "Woman-Bomb/de Sade" by Allan Graubard and Caroline McGee, "Vilification" by Laura K. Emack, and  "Red November, Charlie December" by Penelope Prentice.

Directors for this year's festival are:  Maria Benedek, Kelly Campbell, Kristofer Holz, Court Sweeting, Thomas Amici, Kenny Wade Marshall, Jared Culverhouse, Mary Lee Kellerman, Karen Raphaeli, Will Nunziata, Charles Major, David Sheppard Jr., Jason Weiss, Catherine Lamm, Robyne Parrish, Paul Nicholas, Elyzabeth Gorman, Paula Reilly, and Melba LaRose.

NY Artists Unlimited is a 25 year old nonprofit organization that provides theatre and art to under-served audiences.  The company is supported in part by the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Nancy Quinn Fund, Puffin Foundation, corporate and individual contributors.

Tickets $25 at door on day of performance; $20 advance sales (includes 3-5 short plays per night).  Reservations for the festival are strongly suggested.  For more information or reservations, please call 212-242-6036 or visit www.nyartists.org.  For online ticketing: www.theatermania.com.  The Players Theatre is at 115 MacDougal St. (betw. Minetta Lane & West 3rd St.), Greenwich Village.

          

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