Stephen Gracia Short Plays FOR THE PRETTIEST ONE and DISCOMFORTURE Set for Dialogue with Three Chords Production on April 26

Dialogue with Three Chords will present two brand new short plays from playwright Stephen Gracia: "For the Prettiest One" and "Discomfiture" on April 26 at 8pm, at the "Den at Dennehy's," downstairs at Mr. Dennehy's pub on 63 Carmine Street in Manhattan. The performance also features a reading by Jenny Husk, whose newly released poetry book "Vocalises" provides the theme of the evening: the struggle of the self against the body and live music. Admission is free with a $3 suggested donation.

"For the Prettiest One" finds two aging drag queens discussing the end of their drag era by way of Greek mythology and is directed by Jennifer Skura. "Discomfiture," directed by Michael LoPorto, depicts two very different types of drag kings backstage after a show as they argue about identity, masculinity, and authenticity.

"For the Prettiest One," explains Gracia, "revolves around two drag queens in their early 30's who meet in a hotel bar to talk about a recent, disastrous drag ball, the myth of Eris, and the desperate need for new Drag heroes." Erica, one half of the resulting conversation, is desperate for a new era of drag. She's "sick of nostalgia for an age we weren't born into," as she puts it. "She has a very Futurist philosophy," Gracia remarks, and sees "destruction as a necessity to creative advancement--- the overwhelming need to "make it new."

The drag kings in the next short play, "Discomfiture," debate another aspect of the drag scene: defining gender identity in relation to the characters they portray onstage. "It explores the struggle that occurs when the body and the self seem at odds," says Gracia, "which is a theme I see in Jenny Husk's poetry, so "Discomfiture" serves as a bridge between "Prettiest One" and Husk's reading." Jenny Husk is the author of the newly released book "Vocalises" from Upset Press. Author Ana Božicevic explains that "in the poems of Jenny Husk the world is a membrane words bounce against and poke into, skating on the scrim then delving below in quick sharp digs of fragment, image, and gut-punch." The evening also includes a live musical performance by Ridley Parson. For more information, please visit: www.dthreec.org

"For the Prettiest One" features: Jeffrey T. Perri Jr. as Thea and Vincent DiPeri as Erica. "Discomfiture" features: Kendra Leigh Landon as Hettie and Susanne Stewart as Buddi.
Dialogue with Three Chords was founded by Stephen Gracia and Michael LoPorto and applies the do-it-yourself philosophy of punk to the stage and features short plays and live music. Their work has also been produced at Sargent Theatre, Makor Theater, DUMBO Theatre Exchange, Levenson Hall at Brooklyn College, and the Theaters at 45 Bleecker.

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