Photo Flash: LMP's THE OTHER DAY

Loretta Michael Productions is pleased to present the world premiere of The Other Day, a new drama written by New York Innovative Theatre award nominee Mark Jason Williams, as part of the 3rd Annual Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The production will be held at The Robert Moss Theater, 440 Lafayette Street, NYC, 10003 for six performances from June 2-22, 2011. Valentina Fratti will direct a cast of four to be determined*. AEA Showcase. *Members, Actors' Equity Association.

After a chance meeting, opposites attract when Santo, an out-going late 20's hottie, and Mark, a 30-something conservative neurotic, fall in love. Six months later, they are living together in a small one-bedroom in Jersey City until Mark's friend Dina rips away the shiny veneer covering the men's fragile relationship. With the hope of moving on, Mark takes Santo and Dina on a vacation to Amsterdam, where each faces an emotional journey that redefines their relationships in surprising ways. The Other Day is an honest, heartwarming and humorous look at friendship, love, and hope, which dares to ask the question: When is it time to stop grieving for what's lost and start living for what's found?

Director Valentina Fratti's interest in directing The Other Day stems from her belief that "Williams is able to capture the challenge faced by a complex character with humor and sensitivity. What happens when you need to say goodbye to the person closest to you? He places his characters in situations in which we wonder, what would I do? How would I react?"

The Other Day benefits the Hetrick- Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, which believes all young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential. Founded in 1979, The Hetrick-Martin Institute creates this environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth between the ages of 12 and 24 and their families. Through a comprehensive package of direct services and referrals, Hetrick-Martin seeks to foster healthy youth development. Hetrick-Martin's staff promotes excellence in the delivery of youth services and uses its expertise to create innovative programs that other organizations may use as models. For more information visit hmi.org, follow along on http://twitter.com/HetrickMartin or become a fan on Facebook.

Loretta Michael Productions is the producer of The Other Day. Original music: Robin Ziari; Lighting Designer: Yuriy Nayer; Scenic Designer: Jasmine Pak; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

The Other Day plays for six performances on the following schedule: Thursday, June 2nd @ 8:00pm; Saturday, June 4th @ 7:15pm; Sunday, June 5th @ 3:15pm; Saturday, June 18th @ 12:00pm; Tuesday, June 21st @ 4:00pm; Wednesday, June 22nd @ 8:00pm.

Director Valentina Fratti's credits include: The Green Manifesto by Anne Berlin and Andy Cohen at nyfringe. Anne Berlin and Andy Cohen's Revolution, Love Stinks (SPF Abridged Festival, Public Theatre) Little Drummer and Rocky's First Christmas and Pocket Change. Also, Patriot Act at the Castillo Theatre; Jeff Daniels' Apartment 3A; Young Playwrights Festivals at the Cherry Lane Alternative and the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Playwrights Horizons. At the Miranda Theater Co, which she co founded and where she served as Artistic Director for 12 years, The Book of Wren, Innocent Thoughts, Prostitutki and Near Normal. Readings include Ginna Carter's Traffic School with Elaine Stritch and Carla Cooks the War with Lyynn Cohen. Her plays include Unearthed, The Male Appetite, Jerusalem Mountain, and Shooting Medea. She works with commercial producer Jane Harmon and was the Associate Producer on the Broadway production of Alfred Uhry's The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Tony Award, Best Play). She is the recipient of the 2009 Alice Kaplan Institute Guest Artist residency at Northwestern University and on faculty at the New School for Drama.

Playwright Mark Jason Williams is a New York-born and bred playwright with a BFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts. As a playwright, his work has been performed throughout the New York metropolitan area, including Off Off Broadway productions at The Gene Frankel Theatre, Manhattan Repertory Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Source, and showcases at the 78th Street Theatre Lab and the New York LGBT Center. Mark's latest play, Recovery, was a breakout hit at the 2010 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, playing sold-out nights and winning two Planet Connections Awards, including a special Activism Award for Mark's efforts in fostering a partnership between the production and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, for which he raised funds and promoted awareness. Recovery will also appear later this year as part of the 2011 Minnesota Fringe Festival as part of Mark's dedication to touring his plays throughout the country. As a survivor of pediatric leukemia, Mark is committed to giving back to the community, and has done extensive work for non-profit agencies that support people with disabilities, LGBT youth and individuals with cancer, among others. This has also helped to shape his desire to create theatre for a cause, writing plays that tackle complex moral and social issues and get to the heart of the human condition.

The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York‘s premiere eco-friendly/socially-conscious theatre festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances, the festival seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere. At the heart of the festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, while supporting organizations, which give back to the community at large. The Festivity will take place June 1st through the 26th at Gene Frankel Theatre (24 Bond Street), The Robert Moss Theater at 440 Studios (440 Lafayette Street) in New York City. www.planetconnections.org.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.planetconnections.org.

The run time is 75 minutes with no intermission.

Photo Credit:  Loretta Michael Productions

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