New Perspectives Theatre to Stage SHE CALLS ME FIREFLY, 4/15-5/3

New Perspectives Theatre Company and VH Theatrical Development Foundation are delighted to announce a new collaboration on a limited-run production of She Calls Me Firefly by Teresa Lotz, opening April 15, 2015 and running through May 3, 2015 with a varied performance schedule. The production takes advantage of the New Perspectives Studio storefront at 458 West 37th Street to bring the phrase "drinks and a show" to a whole new level.

NPTC Studio has been magically transformed into the pop-up bar Freddie's Place, where it's Nickel Beer Night and the proprietor is an odd, but genial host. You step from the NYC street ostensibly into Kentucky...where you arrive is hard to tell. Meet Ken, who has come to drown his sorrows, though no amount of alcohol can chase away the secrets that threaten to destroy him. Memories of Mama refuse to stay buried. The ties that bind are tough to break. Will Ken get free? Pull up a barstool and find out. The first drink is on the house in this immersive setting which includes Kelli King's Texarkana band and a front row seat to the action. Stick around for more music, drinks and discussion after the show.

Director Ludovica Villar-Hauser is aided in creating a unique environmental experience for theatre-goers by Scenic and Costume Designer Meganne George (Bdwy: It's a Wonderful Life, mabou mines' Dollhouse, Finn, and Cara Lucia); Lighting Designer Deborah Constantine, (La Mama, Williamstown, Primary Stages) and Sound Designer Janie Bullard (Rattlestick, The Flea). The cast includes Landon G. Woodson* Matthew J. Harris*, Sean Hudock*, and Autumn Kioti*.

TERESA LOTZ is a playwright, composer and lyricist/book-writer whose work includes The Awakening (music) Musical Theatre Factory 4x15 Series, Three Times Fast (book and music) Dixon Place Lounge, The Bowl, NPTC Women's Work Short Play Festival, Petunia and Fang, West Village Musical Theatre Festival, The Birds and the Bees: Unabridged (music), Smoke, NYU's Brandspankin' New Works Showcase, Dick Whittington: an XMAS Panto for NYC (music), Dixon Place, Grounded:; an original One Act Musical (book and lyrics), Nashville, TN. Her work has been heard at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, 54 Below, Dixon Place, Metropolitan Room and the Duplex. She works with VH Theatrical Development Foundation, Works by Women, and is a co-founder of LezCab Teresa is a member of NPTC's Women's Work Lab, Dramatist's Guild, ASCAP, and apprentice with the League of Professional Theatre Women. Bowling Green State University, B.M. Music Composition. New York University, M.F.A Musical Theatre Writing.

LUDOVICA VILLAR-HAUSER: Career highlights include: Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey into Night in London's West End; the premiere of Gregory Murphy's The Countess, which ran Off-Broadway for 634 performances and in the West End. OFF-BROADWAY: Bold Girls by Rona Munro (29th St. Rep.); NYC premiere of Duet by Otho Eskin (Greenwich Street Theatre); North American premiere of Leaves of Glass by Philip Ridley (Peter J. Sharp Theater); Final Analysis by Otho Eskin (Pershing Square Signature Center); The Brightness of Heaven by Laura Pedersen (Cherry Lane Theatre). Other favorites include A Short Wake by Derek Murphy; As It Is In Heaven by Arlene Hutton, produced by 3 Graces Theater Co. at The Cherry Lane Theatre; A Dozen Perfect Moments, Living Arrangements and This Will All be Yours by Laura Pedersen.

Meet the creative team.

NEW PERSPECTIVES THEATRE COMPANY is an award-winning, multi-racial company throughout NYC. Now in its 23rd season, notable productions have included Richard III, starring Austin Pendleton; The Taming of the Shrew (OOBR Award for Excellence), Exhibit #9 by Tracy Scott Wilson (Audelco Award); Jihad by Ann Chamberlain (OOBR Award for Excellence); Admissions by Tony Velella (10 Best Plays Citation, Backstage); the premiere of The Shaneequa Chronicles by OBIE-Winner Stephanie Berry (with Blackberry Productions); Anatomy of a Love Affair by Deirdre Hollman (Optioned by Essence Entertainment); MOTHER OF GOD! by Michele Miller (Princess Grace Foundation Finalist) and innovative productions from the Shakespeare canon. The Company's mission is to develop and produce new plays and playwrights, especially women and people of color; to present classic plays in a style that addresses contemporary issues; and to extend the benefits of theatre to young people and communities in need. Our aim is not to exclude, but to cast a wider net. www.nptnyc.org

The mission of VH THEATRICAL DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION is to create stimulating, original theater through the development of new work by playwrights, directors, producers and designers, and to educate emerging theatre professionals in the entire theatrical process from script development and production to casting and design. VH Theatrical Development Foundation is also committed to promoting, encouraging and creating opportunities for women in theatre. The VH Theatrical Development Foundation was created in 1999 by Ludovica Villar-Hauser, and has produced, among other plays, the Off-Broadway production of Gregory Murphy's The Countess, (which ran for 634 performances and was named one of the 10 Best Plays On or Off Broadway in the 1999/2000 Season) and the New York-Premiere production of Otho Eskin's Duet, which extended its run three times. We are currently devoted to developing the theatrical careers of new playwrights. www.vhtdfoundation.org

Performances run April 15 - May 3, 2015 with one preivew on Wednesday, April 15, 7:30pm. Regular run: Thursday April 16, 23 @ 7:30pm; Fridays, 7:30pm; Saturdays, 6:00pm and 9:30pm; Sundays at 5:00pm. Doors open 30 minutes for drinks and music; one libation included with ticket*. At the New Perspectives Studio, 458 West 37th Street, Ground Floor (@ 10th Avenue). Tickets: $18/$15 for students and seniors; TDF accepted. Advance Sale ONLY: www.eventbrite.com/e/she-calls-me-firefly-tickets-16048067201. Cash sales available at box office only when available. For more information, call 212-630-9945 or email contact@nptnyc.org. Adult content - under 16 will not be admitted. *Special Discount Tickets may not include a libation; check code for conditions.

Pictured: Ken (Sean Hudock*) gazes at the fireflies in his jar, while Veronica (Autumn Kioti*) watches him. Photo by John Quilty.

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