Step1 Theatre Project to Present WHO AM I at The Paradise Factory This June

Step1 Theatre Project presents WHO AM I by Rodney Reyes, directed by Janelle Zapata.

The Step1 Theatre Project asks "Who Am I" and "where did you come from" ... and they give you four stories and six chances to figure that out!

Performing at The Paradise Factory, 64 East 4th Street, NYC: FRIDAY JUNE 17th @ 6:30pm, SUNDAY JUNE 19th @ 6pm, THURSDAY JUNE 23rd @ 9:15pm, SATURDAY JUNE 25th @ 4:15pm, WEDNESDAY JUNE 29th @ 7:45pm, and FRIDAY JULY 8th @ 5:35pm. Tickets: $18; visit www.planetconnections.org.

The courageous Step 1 Theatre Project takes on the eternal question... WHO AM I. Enlisting four unique intertwining stories of a creator and his/her creation, playwright Rodney Reyes and director Janelle Zapata explore our origins and who was there when it all happened.

This veritable "Twilight Zone" begins with Marv, a comic book artist of a somewhat familiar superhero. Marv's own reality becomes "amazing" when he engages in conversation with his cartoon creation. Issues of self-confidence, loneliness, and self-abuse become his super-villains.

The second entry finds a bitter young woman, orphaned at three, alone with a woman she never met before. During their tense exchange, the woman finds a connection to the stranger... one she can't explain... until a most unexpected detail of her past is revealed. And all of this on her birthday!

"Guy/Girl" - the third piece - takes place in front of a mirror. A man looks into that mirror but sees a woman looking back at him. Issues of sexual orientation, gender identification, and basically, who we really are, come into play in this haunting vignette having nothing to do with the news and everything to do with the soul.

Human, the final story, finds a guy tripping out on acid. He meets God ... who is a woman ... and switches places... THEN it really gets weird.

In the end, the stories collide to reveal how we fit into the great cosmic puzzle and who we meet is as important as who we are.

Janelle Zapata and Jazmyn M. Arroyo are co-founders & co-Artistic Directors of Step1 Theatre Project. These two confident female artists have made it their duty as artists to assist fellow independent artists in realizing their potential by producing and presenting unique, multi-cultural, topically-themed theatre projects that speak to a wide audience thus bringing them together into one voice. "Our handle is "Artists Supporting Artists... Uniting Our Audience" exclaims Jazmyn, "and we are so excited to really be able to deliver on this!"

Planet Connections Festivity is New York City's premiere socially-conscious arts festival. The entire festival is structured to help artists shine a light on the various social and environmental issues facing our society and support those organizations working to address those situations. Planet Connections was also the country's first eco-friendly arts festivity with our artists working to create eco-conscious art by revising their marketing, design and rehearsal techniques. The 2016 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity will run from June 13-July 10 at The Paradise Factory (located at 64 East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue). For more information on PlanetConnections and the various events it will be presenting visit www.planetconnections.org.

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