Clarks WWII Play 'Purple Hearts' Begins September 5

Invisible City Theatre Company - under Artistic Director David Epstein - presents the New York premiere of Purple Hearts - a new play by Burgess Clark (Director of Education at North Shore Music Theatre, A Child's Christmas in Wales, Down Came the Rain) based on real events surrounding the attack on the U.S.S. West Virginia on December 7, 1941 and winner of the Edinburgh International Festival's "Best of the Fest" Award. Previews begin September 5 prior to an official press opening of September 8 at the Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, between Lafayette Street and The Bowery) in Manhattan.

The play - directed by Invisible City Artistic Director David Epstein - "is based on real events surrounding the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. West Virginia on December 7, 1941. For as long as three weeks after the attack, sailors survived aboard the sunken battleship waiting to be rescued. At the bottom of the sea, trapped under impossible conditions, they struggle to keep hope - and themselves - alive," state press notes.

A recipient of a Special Services Award from the U.S. Army, Purple Hearts has also garnered a "Best of the Fest" Award from the Edinburgh Festival and was named "Best Play" by the National Association of Speech and Dramatic Arts.

The cast features Ryan Serhant, Dan Patrick Brady, Anneka Fagundes, Rebecca White, Cecilla Frontero, and Kevin T. Collins.

The design team is Elisha Schaefer (Set Design), Joe W. Novak (Lighting Design), Jennifer Raskopf (Costume Design), and Peter Wood (Sound Design).

"Founded in 2002, Invisible City Theatre Company is dedicated to providing a creative environment that fosters imagination and risk-taking in its artists.  Through the production of classical texts, contemporary plays, and new works, ICTC hopes to shed light on some of the nuances, trials, and triumphs of being human."

Scheduled September 5 through September 22, Purple Hearts performs Wednesdays - Saturdays at 8pm at the Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street, between Lafayette Street and The Bowery). Tickets are $18 and can be reserved by calling 212-387-8440.

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