La MaMa ETC Presents Staged Reading Of Michael Shayan's TRICKS Featuring Monet X Change From RuPaul's Drag Race

The historic La MaMa Experimental Theater Club presents an industry reading of Michael Shayan's new queer, dark comedy, "Tricks," featuring Monét X Change from RuPaul's Drag Race and directed by John Michael DiResta.

Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome to the world-famous Hollywood Magic Castle! Cortez, our resident beauty-obsessed star-diva, ceremoniously kills off his young assistants in tragic magic accidents. The spotlight, he claims, isn't big enough or bright enough for two. Dee and Donya - the shady, kiki'ing, quick changing duet - think otherwise. They've had it with Cortez's shenanigans, and just as they're about to set their plan in motion, the beautiful young Max arrives, cheekbones and all. And he just might be the answer to everyone's prayers.

In addition to Monét X Change, the cast includes: David Ryan Smith (B'way: One Man, Two Guvnors), Larry Owens ("To Dust"), Phillip Taratula (Empire Travel Agency), Kellan Peavy, Justin Schuman, Jose Useche, Samuel Ellis, and Stephan Amenta.

The reading takes place as part of La MaMa's 18th annual "Experiments" Play Reading Series at La MaMa ETC (66 East 4th St.) on Monday, 4/30 at 7pm. Admission is free with a suggested donation. Tickets are available at www.lamama.org/tricks. #TricksThePlay

Michael Shayan (Playwright) is an Iranian-American Jewish playwright based in New York. He is a 2017-18 Lambda Literary Fellow in Playwriting and participated in last year's Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices. Most recently, his work has been developed or presented at The Lark (dir. Lisa Rothe), Dixon Place's HOT! Festival (dir. Ellie Heyman) and La MaMa. He is currently a semi-finalist for the SPACE on Ryder Farm residency. He studied playwriting at Harvard with mentors Sam Marks, Liz Duffy Adams and Robert Scanlan. He was the youngest elected Board Member at the queer New Conservatory Theater Center in San Francisco. He's also a performer, a magician, and a proud member of the Dramatist's Guild.

John Michael DiResta's directing work focuses on new play development, immersive theater, queer theater, and theater for social justice. Recent credits: The Same Day (LaGuardia PAC), From Pilgrim Landing (Columbia Stages), Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Yale Dramat), Lafayette (Francis Gould Hall), Body of Words (Theater for the New City), Blood on the Tracks (Judson Church), Oedipus, Hare and Tortoise (Hangar Theatre), The Drunken City (Steppenwolf), Favorites (Rising Phoenix), The Memory Tax (Araca Project), and Back to Society (MCC/Abrons Arts Center). Readings and Workshops: Jeanine's World (Atlantic Theater w/ Camryn Manheim), Orville and Wilbur Did It (York Theater w/ Bobby Steggart) Long Island Arpeggio (Labyrinth Theatre Co), La Casa De Schwarz (Judson Church), A Real Boy (Athena Theater). John Michael is artist-in-residence at Skidmore College. www.jmdiresta.com.

Andrew Dahreddine (Producer) is an NYC-based actor, producer, and casting director. Off-Broadway Producing: Vivien on the Rocks at Theatre Row. NYC Casting: S.T.A.R. at The Director's Company. Selected NYC Acting: Macbeth (dirs. Kenneth Branagh & Rob Ashford), Miss Julie (dir. Thomas Ostermeier) at Lincoln Center Festival, Anne Frank in the Gaza Strip at Planet Connections, As You Like It & Measure for Measure with The Drilling Company. Regional Acting: The Comedy of Errors, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and A Christmas Carol (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Andrew holds a BFA in Acting from NYU, with a minor in Producing. www.AndrewDahreddine.com

Coordinated by Matt Nasser, La MaMa's Experiments Play Reading Series provides a forum for talented playwrights to continue their creative process. Now in its 18th season, the Monday evening readings at La MaMa give playwrights the opportunity to hear their developing plays read by professional actors and to receive valuable audience feedback. Experiments is a playwright ­driven service that is free to attend. Each season, it is organized around shifting themes and curators, which allows a larger, underserved theater community to experience a greater diversity of programming.

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