Clubbed Thumb Presents Its 16th Annual Festival of New Plays At HERE 6/5

Clubbed Thumb, the Obie Award-winning New York Theatre Company that commissions, develops and produces funny, strange, and provocative news plays, presents SUMMERWORKS 2011, its 16th annual festival of original works by American Playwrights, from June 5-25 at HERE Arts Center (145 6th Avenue) in Manhattan, it has been announced by Maria Striar, Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director.

SUMMERWORKS 2011 features three new plays: Tanya Saracho's ENFRASCADA, directed by Jerry Ruiz, June 5-11; Kristin Newbom and W. David Hancock's OUR LOT, directed by May Adrales, June 12-18; and Jason Grote's CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT), directed by Seth Bockley, co-starring Tony Torn and Judith Hawking, June 19-25.

A testament to the significance of Clubbed Thumb's SUMMERWORKS as a launching pad for emerging writers are the celebrated playwrights who have had their early works - in some cases, their first professional production in New York - at SUMMERWORKS: Sarah Ruhl, Adam Bock, Gina Gionfriddo, JorDan Harrison, Anne Washburn, Rinne Groff, Sheila Callaghan, Lisa D'Amour, and Rachel Sheinkin among them.

This production is part of HEREstay, HERE's curated rental program, which provides artists with subsidized space and equipment, as well as technical and administrative support.

ABOUT SUMMERWORKS 2011

ENFRASCADA (June 5, 6, 7, 9. 10 & 11)
Written by Tanya Saracho, directed by Jerry Ruiz.

In ENFRASCADA, when Alicia's world is turned upside down, she and her friends mine the underworlds of Brujeria, Santeria, and Hoodoo searching for that thing that will put it all back, the way it used to be.

Playwright Tanya Saracho's EL NOGALAR, an adaptation of THE CHERRY ORCHARD commissioned by Teatro Vista, is currently at the Goodman Theater in Chicago. Her plays include an adaptation of THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET for Steppenwolf SYA; OUR LADY OF THE UNDERPASS; SURFACE DAY; KITA Y FERNANDA; QUITA MITOS; and the upcoming THE GOOD PRIVATE. She is a recipient of the Ofner Prize given by the Goodman Theater as well as a 3Arts Artists Award.

Director Jerry Ruiz's recent credits include 26 MILES by Quiara Hudes, SANGRE by Mando Alvarado, THE KING IS DEAD by Caroline V. McGraw, ELECTION DAY by Josh Tobiessen, THE NEAR EAST by Alex Lewin, and RATTLERS by Johnna Adams. Regional credits include WAITING FOR THE HEARSE at Mixed Blood in Minneapolis, TWELFTH NIGHT for Chalk Rep in Los Angeles and BLOOD WEDDING. Jerry has developed work at Second Stage, Soho Rep, The Public, Playwrights Horizons, The Atlantic, Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Playwrights Realm.

OUR LOT (June 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 & 18)
Written by Kristin Newbom and W. David Hancock, directed by May Adrales.

Faced with the task of cleaning out their dead step-father's stuff from their crumbling childhood home, Alice, Kathy, and Stig and their Iraq war vet friend, Toby, gather one last time and grapple with a haunted van, Albert Einstein's chalk, and a shed full of repressed family memories. OUR LOT is an homage to America's need for "collections."

Co-author W. David Hancock received OBIE Awards for his plays THE RACE OF THE ARK TATTOO and THE CONVENTION OF CARTOGRAPHY, presented in New York by the Foundry Theatre. Other works include DEVIANT CRAFT, THE INVISIBLE MEDIUM, BOOTH, LEFTOVER FUTURE, THE INCUBUS ARCHIVES, THE PUZZLE LOCKER. Co-author Kristin Newbom's plays include TELETHON (produced by Clubbed Thumb), REVELATIONS, EDUCATED FLEAS, HAPPY?, SAKES ALIVE, BLUESTORY, THE PIRATE PLAY and SUBROSA.

Director May Adrales's credits include EDITH CAN SHOOT THINGS AND HIT THEM at Actors Theatre of Louisville; MARY at the Goodman Theatre; EXIT CUCKOO at Midtown International Theater Festival; CHING CHONG CHINAMAN at Pan Asian Rep; THE BEREAVED at Partial Comfort Productions; and THE WIFE at Access Theater. She is a recipient of SSDC Denham Award, Van Lier Fellowship, Drama League Directing Fellow, and New York Theater Workshop Fellow, Credits include work with Soho Rep Directors Lab and Women's Project Directors Lab. She is a Former Director of On Site Programming at the Lark Play Development Center (2008-2010) and Artistic Associate at The Public Theater.

CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT) (June 19, 20, 21, 23, 24 & 25)
Written by Jason Grote, directed by Seth Bockley.

In CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT) ambitious gurus, entertainers, wage slaves and a giant pig let their appetites get the better of them.

Playwright Jason Grote's plays include 1001, MARIA/STUART, HAMILTON TOWNSHIP and BOX AMERICANA. His work has been produced, developed or commissioned by MOMA, The O'Neill, Sundance, Playwrights' Horizons, NYTW, The Atlantic, Soho Rep, P73 and elsewhere. He is published in "The Backstage Book of New American Short Plays 2005," edited by Craig Lucas. Honors include The Denver Post's Ovation Award, "Best of Fringe" from The Seattle Times and critics top ten lists in The Huffington Post, Time Out New York, Boulder Daily Camera, and Rocky Mountain News.

CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT) was commissioned and developed by Clubbed Thumb with funds from NYSCA.

Seth Bockley is a director, playwright and performer. Chicago directing credits include 1001 by Jason Grote, JON, winner of the 2008 Jeff Citation for Best New Adaptation (Collaboraction); THE TWINS WOULD LIKE TO SAY (Dog & Pony); and LAIKA'S COFFIN and WINTER PAGEANT 2010 for Redmoon Theater, where he spent two years as a Directing Apprentice through TCG's New Generations program. Upcoming work includes writing the book for FEBRUARY HOUSE for The Public Theater and a workshop of COMMCOMM for P73. He is a member of the Goodman Theater's Playwrights' Unit and a recipient of the Goodman's Ofner Prize.

The cast CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT) includes Tony Torn and Judith Hawking.

ABOUT CLUBBED THUMB

Clubbed Thumb commissions, develops and produces funny, strange, and provocative new plays by living American writers. Since its founding in 1996, the comp------any has earned 4 OBIES and presented plays in every form of development, including over 75 full productions. Clubbed Thumb is an incubator for artists and their work, staging plays to critical acclaim while supporting an ever-growing creative community. "Funny, Strange, Provocative," an anthology of plays produced by Clubbed Thumb, is available through Playscripts. Clubbed Thumb's Producing Artistic Director is Maria Striar; Diana Maxine Konopka is Managing Director. In May 2010, Ms. Striar was honored with a first-ever Lilly Award for Artistic Directorship, citing her work as a "fierce champion of new works and new writers... who has helped launch and/or develop the careers" of scores of playwrights, especially women.

Past productions of note presented by Clubbed Thumb include DOT by Kate E. Ryan, directed by Anne Kauffman; THE SMALL by Anne Washburn, directed by Les Waters; PUNKPLAY by Gregory Moss, directed by Davis McCallum; TELETHON by Kristin Newbom, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; AMAZONS AND THEIR MEN written by JorDan Harrison, directed by Ken Rus Schmoll; and VENDETTA CHROME by Sylvan Oswald, directed by Alexis Poledouris.

As well, Clubbed Thumb has also premiered Anne Washburn's I HAVE LOVED STRANGERS, Adam Bock's MEDEA EATS and THE TYPOGRAPHER'S DREAM; Gina Gionfriddo's US DRAG, Lisa D'Amour's 16 SPELLS TO CHARM THE BEAST and RED DEATH; Rachel Sheinkin's THE DOCTOR OF LAST RESORT, Rinne Groff's INKY and JIMMY CARTER WAS A DEMOCRAT; Sarah Ruhl's LATE (A COWBOY SONG); and Sheila Callaghan's CRUMBLE (LAY ME DOWN Justin Timberlake).

Additional casting and creative teams for ENFRASCADA, OUR LOT, and CIVILIZATION (ALL YOU CAN EAT) are to be announced.

A SUMMERWORKS 2011 opening night event is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1 at 8:30pm.

SUMMERWORKS 2011 runs June 5-25 at HERE Arts Center (145 6th Avenue, enter at Dominick Street, one block south of Spring Street): Sundays-Saturdays (no shows Wednesday) at 8:30pm Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for students. For tickets, call 212-352-3101 or visit at www.here.org. Tickets also available at the HERE Arts Center box office.

For more information, visit www.ClubbedThumb.org

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