Horse Trade Presents WORDS, RAZORS, AND THE WOUNDED HEART in April

Horse Trade Theater Group (Heidi Grumelot, Artistic Director, Erez Ziv, Executive Director) and Less Than Rent Theatre will present the World Premiere of WORDS, RAZORS, AND THE WOUNDED HEART by James Presson. The production will be directed by Jake Ahlquist (Fringe Excellence Award Winner '10) and star Sean Patrick Monahan (Charles Busch's Time Square Angel) and Emma March Barash (Stop the Virgins at St. Anne's Warehouse). The show will also feature Dean Acree (New York Dream at The Pearl), Cory Asinofsky (Puppet Hamlet), Amanda Brooklyn (HBO's Girls), Ben Diserens (the upcoming Wolf of Wall Street), Patrick Dooley, Jenna Grossano, Jackie Hansen, Jacob Presson, Tom Sanchez (Independents), and RJ Vaillancourt (Healthy Start by Gilad Cohen). Designs will feature sets by Grace Laubacher (Convergence at soloNOVA), lights by Gary Slootskiy (Independents), and costumes by Samantha Jacobsen.

WORDS, RAZORS, AND THE WOUNDED HEART is a tell-all chronicling an adolescence spent in Connecticut High School Hell. It tells the story of two star-crossed teenagers whose love faces many obstacles not the least of which being that they're siblings. When their friends get involved, it's only a matter of time until their suburban powder keg explodes and sets the whole world on fire.

WORDS, RAZORS, AND THE WOUNDED HEART is a contemporary response to Jacobean Revenge Tragedies such as 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Duchess of Malfi, and The Spanish Tragedy. The title is drawn from a line in the opening scene of Titus Andronicus. It is one of a number of adaptations produced by Less Than Rent Theatre, including Little Town Blues (inspired by Chekhov's Three Sisters), Friends Don't Let Friends (inspired by Ibsen's Hedda Gabler), and Songs and Julie (based on Strindberg's Miss Julie).

The production will run April 11-27 at UNDER St. Marks (94 Saint Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A); Thursday through Saturday at 7pm. Tickets ($18, $15 students & seniors) are available online at www.horseTRADE.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. This show contains violence, strong language, sexual content, drug use, and adult themes and may not be appropriate for children.

JAMES PRESSON (Playwright) is the founder and co-artistic director of Less Than Rent. His play Little Town Blues (co-written with Rachel Buethe) was first produced at The Wild Project in the spring of 2011 and will be performed in April at Penn State University. His play Friends Don't Let Friends was produced at Walkerspace in the winter of 2011. Both plays have since been published on Indie Theater Now. His self-directed Richard 3 was performed as part of the New York International Fringe Festival. James was a co-writer of Voices in Conflict, which was performed at The Vineyard Theatre and Fairfield Theatre Company (in Connecticut) and presented as a one-night-only event at The Public Theater and the Culture Project. It was later published by Playscripts, adapted for television, and aired on PBS. James' honors include a Freedom Award from the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), the 'Courage in Theatre' Award from Music Theatre International (MTI), the State of Connecticut Governor's Award for Artistic Achievement, and an award for 'Outstanding Director' at FringeNYC (the production also received the 'Outstanding Actor' award as well as citations as 'Best of the Fest' and 'Top Ten Musicals' from the official Fringe Guide).

LESS THAN RENT THEATRE is dedicated new work by new artists for new audiences. Words, Razors, and the Wounded Heart marks LTR's seventh full production since 2010. They have been the recipient of two Fringe Excellence Awards, as well as New York State Council of the Arts LMCC grants in sponsorship of their Horse Trade residency. A recent profile by Martin Denton in The East Villager proclaimed, "I am already a lifelong fan of LTR. If you care about the future of the American Theater, you need to become one too."

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work that has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York - the first and only festival of its kind in New York City. In 2011 Horse Trade received the New York Innovative Theatre Ellen Stewart Stewardship Award for demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership.

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