Midtown International Theatre Festival to Present HELP YOURSELF, 7/17-21

In the crap and can't smell the roses? Is God punishing you with an extra 15 pounds? Is the Dalai Lama just not doin' it for you anymore? Crawl over to the self-improvement section for a little pick-me-up with a naturally negative New Yorker as she tries to navigate alternative ways to "enlighten" up.

Help Yourself was originally conceived for a commissioned slot at Dixon Place Theatre in April 2012 and was then performed at UCB in February of 2013 and The PIT in June 2013. Help Yourself is an official selection of the 2013 Midtown International Theater Festival.

All performances take place at the Jewel Box Theater WorkShop, 312 West 36th Street, 4th Floor, btw 8th and 9th Avenues, New York, NY 10018.

Subways: A/C/E/1/2/3/B/D/F/Q/M/N/R to 34th Street.

Tickets are $15.00 students/seniors, $18.00 general admission. Advanced tickets are available at https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27845

Show Date:
Wednesday, July 17th @ 6:00 pm
Friday, July 19th @ 9:30 pm
Sunday, July 21st @ 3:00 pm

Running Time: 40 minutes

More information can be found at www.midtownfestival.org

Lauren Hunter (Writer/Performer) is a native New Yorker and most recently played opposite David Zayas (Dexter) during the Nomad Series, seven nights of staged readings of one-act plays at The Bank Street and Cherry Lane Theatre. She has appeared in writer/director Brant Sersen's films, Splinterheads and the upcoming Sanatorium. Lauren has also performed her original works, including her solo show, Help Yourself, on the stages of the Manhattan Ensemble Theatre, Abington Theatre, Dixon Place, UCB, The PIT and the Manhattan Monologue Slam. Lauren has studied with The Barrow Group, Joanna Beckson Studios and The Atlantic Theatre Company. She was also a member of The Labyrinth Theater's 2011 Intensive Ensemble, where she met director Kitty Lindsay. Lauren graduated with a B.A. in English and Women's Studies with a focus on Creative Writing from SUNY Buffalo and is a member of the Dramatist's Guild. www.LaurenHunterNYC.com

Kitty Lindsay (Director) is a Los Angeles-based actor, stand-up comic, writer and director. Kitty received her theatre education from The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Shakespeare), New York University (B.A. Creative Writing), The Second City Chicago and The Groundlings. She was also a member of The Labyrinth Theater's 2011 Intensive Ensemble and an alumna of Pasadena Playhouse's 2013 Directors Lab. Kitty has directed new work for The Shelter NYC, The Looking Glass Theatre and Ugly Rhino Productions. Favorite directing credits include the world premiere of Erin Browne's Narrator 1 (Theatre Row), Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues (Abingdon Theatre) and the touring production of August Schulenberg's One Night. www.KittyLindsay.com

The Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival's 2013 Season runs from July 15 - August 4, 2013 at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor.

John Chatterton created the MITF in 2000, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, as a way to present the finest Off-Off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. In 2003, the MITF moved its activities to their current location, the Theatre Building on W. 36th St., where it has been successfully ensconced since. In 2008 the Festival expanded from two theatres in that building to four, at the WorkShop Theater Company and Abingdon Theatre Company spaces. The MITF's artistic emphasis is on the script itself, and therefore the Festival focuses on effective but minimal production values.

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