DUTF Continues This Week with TOADSTOOL TEA, FORMOSA & More

Week one of the Downtown Urban Theater Festival (DUTF) kicked off with a moving performance of Javier Reyes' Toy Soldierz and ended with a sold-out performance of The Messiah Complex. DUTF writers in attendance at the Opening Night Playwrights Reception included Javier Reyes, Royal Shiree, Paul Cosma Cimpoieru, Ana Pepine, Fabio Costaprado, Martyna Majok, Rock Wilk, Andrina Smith and Gustav Gauntlett.

This week's schedule features:

Wednesday, April 9, 2014 - 8:30pm
Toadstool Tea
by Jamal Williams
Toadstool Tea is a tongue-in-cheek story that tries to deal with the fears of the elderly. It is a play that transcends age, race, and economically standing to show that seniors still pursue happiness and love despite severe obstacles.

Thursday, April 10, 2014 - 8:30pm
Deceiving - truth has the structure of fiction
by Fabio Costaprado
6 characters. 5 years staring. 4 time changes. 3 metal boxes. 2 organs. 1 truth.

Friday, April 11, 2014 - 8:30pm
Formosa
by Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai
Formosa is a solo show about beauty, body, culture, and Barbie via the poet-playwright's imaginary encounters with a Taiwanese factory worker who makes the dolls, a Chinese adoptee girl who loves the dolls, and a Nicki Minaj-wannabe Asian American female hip hop MC who just might be turning into a doll.
AND

Women at the Well - 8:30pm
by Martyna Majok
A woman alone at a pub. Her date is late. The last time her date was late, he was never anywhere ever again. A play about misunderstandings, the American way of saying goodbye, and a lady with a six pack of O'Doul's.

Saturday, April 12, 2014 - 8:30pm
Brooklyn Quartet
by Rock Wilk
Brooklyn Quartet is about the resilience of the human spirit; that no matter what we do to one another, that we somehow find it in ourselves to forgive and to remain hopeful; that this is the most meaningful, powerful and important part of us; that this is what true love is, and that true love is the only thing that can save us.

In 2001, DUTF was founded with the purpose to build a repertoire of new American theatre that echoes the true spirit of urban life and speaks to a whole new generation whose lives defy categorizing along conventional lines. That purpose has been realized many times over, as more than 100 writers have created and refined their work for the stage and thousands of inspired audience members have applauded their performances. DUTF inaugurated the festival in 2002 at HERE in SoHo to help revitalize the NYC downtown arts scene, which, at the time, was experiencing a severe downturn due to the WTC disaster. It has been recognized as "one of the world's best festivals for new works" and described as "not only prestigious, but a slice of heaven for playwrights who want the chance to freely express themselves." (Lisa Mulcahy, Theater Festivals, Allworth Press, 2005)

The 12th Annual Downtown Urban Theater Festival runs April 2 through April 19, 2014 at HERE, 145 6th Avenue, NYC, Manhattan, 10013 (enter on Dominick Street one block south of Spring). All shows start at 8:30pm and tickets are $18. Tickets are available online at www.dutfnyc.com or www.here.org or by calling (212) 352-3101. HERE Box Office is open after 5:00pm on show days or two hours before any performance.

Photo by Matthew Brian Fisher

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