Lee Strasberg Theatre Presents THE SCHOOL PLAY, Now thru 12/13

The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute along with The Lee Strasberg Creative Center -- in collaboration with NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Undergraduate Department of Drama -- present THE SCHOOL PLAY, a world-premiere play written by Frank Winters, to be presented as part of the 3rd Annual Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission, from today, December 10 to 13 at the Marilyn Monroe Theater (115 E. 15 St.) in New York City. THE SCHOOL PLAY is directed by Danny Sharron. Performances begin December 10th and run through December 13th. A special Closing Night Gala Performance will be held December 13th. All tickets are General Admission, and priced at $10. The Gala Performance is priced at $30. To purchase tickets, please visit: BrownPaperTickets.com

THE SCHOOL PLAY - As a winter storm approaches, nine high school students find themselves summoned into a darkened theater at midnight. Not one of them knows what they're doing there or for what reason they, specifically, have been asked to come. Not until the tenth arrives. Apparently, something's happened, and nobody is leaving until they figure out just what that something is and what they're going to do about it. What happens next will test the strength of their character and the bonds of their friendship in ways they could never have imagined when the evening began and the storm rolled in.

Disclaimer: This play contains graphic discussion of sexual violence.

The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute Mission is dedicated to the ideals, values, and vision of Lee Strasberg's innovative work known throughout the world as The Method. Through actor training, outreach, and the preservation of archival materials, the Institute works to further the legacy of Lee Strasberg and maintain his place as a seminal figure in the great American theater tradition. One of its signature programs is the Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission. This year's THE SCHOOL PLAY by Mr. Winters was chosen as the playwright crafted a new work for a specific class of graduating students, now receiving a fully produced premiere at the Marilyn Monroe Theatre in Strasberg Institute's historic Union Square location.

This intimate ensemble of graduating NYU Strasberg students is assembled, by audition to create a company through which a new work is developed. Students meet with the playwright who, after interviewing each student, crafts a play to reflect their unique voices. Students then enter a 4 month development period of readings and workshops with the director and playwright to craft a play that receives a fully produced public performance. All this resulting in a piece infused with the nuanced relationships of a group of young twenty somethings and their complex relationship to the world around them. This process is not only a crash course in the development of new works, but also allows the Institute to provide a more practical incentive to emerging writers--the opportunity to skirt years of development and workshops and produce an unfiltered version of their play.

The School Play is written by Frank Winters. He is a playwright, actor, and director from Pleasantville, New York. Winters, a graduate of the SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Theater Arts and Film, received a BFA in Acting. His first play, Home Movies, was produced by the Treehouse Theater Company at the Midtown International Theater Festival in July 2011. His second play, On the Head of a Pin, was workshopped by Strangemen & Company, where he currently serves as Co-Artistic Director and Resident Playwright. The same company also workshopped his television pilot, Empire Comics Presents! The production was presented ive on stage in Brooklyn, NY in December 2013. Mr. Winters has recently completed work on a feature screenplay commissioned by Fido Features LLC.

The School Play is directed by Danny Sharron. Mr. Sharron is a NYC based director and producer with a focus on developing new work. He is the founding Artistic Director of UglyRhino Productions, a Brooklyn-based company aiming to make theater a social event by integrating live music, dance parties, and drinking into the theatrical experience. Recent directing credits: jason&julia, OKAY (Williamstown Theatre Festival); The Forest of Without (Drama League DirectorFest); What It Means To Disappear Here, #nyc, Rhinoceros, Glamdromeda (UglyRhino). Other directing credits include, A People's History of 13P, a film documentary illuminating the inner workings of the theater company 13P and featuring Sarah Ruhl, Young Jean Lee, and Erin Courtney, among others. He has developed work with The Public Theater, New York Theatre Workshop, and The Lark, and was a 2013 Drama League Directing Fellow. Assistant Directing credits include Into the Woods (Shakespeare in the Park), Venice and Pericles (The Public Theater), The Few (Old Globe), Frost/Nixon (1st Nat'l Tour), Tales From Red Vienna (MTC), and Living on Love (Williamstown). www.dannysharron.com

The School Play cast features: Danielle Guido, Drita Kabashi, Zack Kozlow, Yeu Jia Low
Daniel Manning, Remington Moses, Lauren Mui, Amanda Stewart, Jeremy Warfel & Stephanie Wurster.

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