SAM'S TEA SHACK Makes New York Debut Tonight at The Tank

The Tank will present The New York Premiere of Sam's Tea Shack, written by Ben Gassman (The Downtown Loop at 3LD) and directed by Meghan Finn (Mac Wellman's The Offending Gesture with The Tank/3LD at The Connelly) at The Tank's new home at 312 West 36th Street.

Performances will take place in the Black Box Theater tonight, September 12 at 7pm, Wednesday, September 13 at 7pm, Thursday, September 14 at 7pm, Saturday, September 16 at 9:30pm, Sunday, September 17 at 7pm, Tuesday, September 19 at 9:30pm, Wednesday, September 20 at 7pm, Thursday, September 21 at 9:30pm, Tuesday, September 26 at 7pm, Wednesday, September 27 at 9:30pm, Thursday, September 28 at 9:30pm, Saturday, Setember 30 at 7pm, and Sunday, October 1 at 7pm. Tickets ($12 with 1 drink minimum) are available for advance purchase at www.thetanknyc.org. The performance will run approximately 55 minutes, with no intermission.

Steeped in a reverence for the F train as the new Silk Road, SAM'S TEA SHACK is a Ashkenazi Jewish boy's fantasy he is amongst his ancestors: central Asian nomads. In this malleable exchange between audience and Sam, he serves tea, talks about the neighborhood, Persian emperors, going to high school with Lin-Manuel Miranda, dumplings and samosas, and whatever is on your mind--it's a piece about cultural identity vs. national identity. It's a comedy.

Featuring Sam Soghor (Adam Leon's Gimme the Loot and Tramps) with Design by Normandy Sherwood (the OBIE-award-winning National Theater of the United States of America). Special guests will include Nadja Leonard-Hooper (9/12), Becky Yamamoto (9/13), Carl Holder and Kate Weber (9/14), Jack Frederick (9/16), Adam Leon (9/21), Eliza Bent (9/27 & 9/28) and Rebecca Patek (9/30).

Ben Gassman (Playwright) is a playwright from Queens. In April 2017 his play 40s & Chestnuts premiered at Brooklyn College, directed by Tara Elliott. He once made a play called the Downtown Loop with Meghan Finn and Sam Soghor. He occasionally writes about theater and the world beyond for the Brooklyn Rail. He teaches essay writing at NYU. Go to bengassman.com for more.

Meghan Finn (Director) is a director based in Brooklyn, NY who took over as Co-Artistic Director of The Tank in April of 2017. Prior to that she was the Associate Artistic Director of 3LD where she co-presented The Tank's celebrated 2015/16 Season. She recently directed DOOMOCRACY by artist Pedro Reyes for Creative Time at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. Other recent credits include: CHARLESES by Carl Holder (The Tank at The Brick for Save & Print), The Offending Gesture by Mac Wellman (The Tank/3LD at The Connelly); American Power performed by photographer Mitch Epstein and Composer/Cellist Erik Friedlander at the V&A London and The Wexner Center, Columbus, Ohio; Gary Winter's DAREDEVIL at The Brick; The Downtown Loop by Ben Gassman (3LD/3D+ Productions/Teeth of Tooth Atelier); Take Me Home by Alexandra Collier set in a taxi cab (Incubator Arts Project/LPR), The Service Road by Erin Courtney, Motel Cherry by Peggy Stafford (Summerworks Clubbed Thumb/New Georges HERE ) and 3 2's; or AFAR by Mac Wellman (Dixon Place). BA USC, MFA Brooklyn College.

Sam Soghor (Performer) is NYC born and raised and his grandma took him to a lot of Broadway musicals. Shmuel's Bar Mitzvah speech at Temple Shaaray Tefila received a (sacrilegious) standing ovation. His first Manhattan public access show Old Dog and Zippy in '95 caught the eye of the downtown arts scene. Recent theater includes: Ben Gassman's The Downtown Loop and Gary Winter's Daredevil both directed by Meghan Finn. Recent film includes: Adam Leon's Gimme The Loot and Tramps both available on Netflix. His latest public access offering The All City Hour is available on Vimeo. Next up: catch Sam hosting The Tank's hot new variety show starting in October.

The Tank is a non-profit arts presenter serving emerging artists engaged in the pursuit of new ideas and forms of expression. We serve over 1,000 artists every year in over 400 performances, and work across all disciplines, including theater, comedy, dance, film, music, public affairs, and storytelling. Our goal is to foster an environment of inclusiveness and remove the burden of cost from the creation of new work for artists launching their careers and experimenting within their art form. The heart of our services is providing free performance space in our 98 seat proscenium and 56 seat blackbox that we operate in Manhattan, and we also offer a suite of other services such as free rehearsal space, promotional support, artist fees, and much more. We keep ticket prices affordable and view our work as democratic, opening up both the creation and attendance of the arts to all. Since its founding in 2003, artists who have come through The Tank include Alex Timbers, Amy Herzog, Lucy Alibar, Mike Daisey, Reggie Watts, Kyle Abraham, Andrew Bujalski, We Are Scientists, and tens of thousands of others. Visit www.thetanknyc.org for more.

Pictured: Sam's Tea Shack with Sam Soghor. Photo by Skye Morse-Hodgson.

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