The Arts Effect NYC Presents facebook me 8/22-28

Six million girls ages 13-15 are on Facebook while countless adults ponder what it would be like to come of age in the iGeneration. facebook me is a shockingly real look into the lives of ten teen girls as they attempt to navigate the excitement and embarrassment, the shame and the success of their adolescence online...where status is so much more than an update. Private battles are fought in public as thousands witness, comment, take sides and ultimately determine a victor. A witty comment, a suggestive photograph, a scandal revealed--nothing is too sacred nor too personal in the goal to garner "likes" and be liked in the quest to craft the perfect online identity.
Developed by the 13-15 year-old actor/writers of The Arts Effect All-Girl Theatre Company (Winner of Most Outstanding Ensemble, Fringe 2008), facebook me delves deep into one of the hottest, most talked about, highly debated topic in the news today...teens on Facebook. facebook me removes the speculation as the girls tell it like it is.

"Facebook is a real-life Wonderland. It's AMAZING and scary all at the same time. It's like I'm Alice, and don't know what's going to happen if I eat that little cake, you know? I know it could be seriously bad BUT, on the other hand, it could be insanely good--curiosity always gets the best of me and I post!"
--Winnifred Bonjean-Alpart, 14, 4-year member of The Arts Effect All-Girl Company, student at Packer Collegiate Institute

"It's US Weekly or In Touch for regular people--and it's like, good or bad, you're the cover story every week."

--Julia McDermott, 14, 4-year member of The Arts Effect All-Girl Theater Company, student at LaGuardia High School.

facebook me performance schedule
Premiering at the 15th annual NY Fringe Festival
The CSV Cultural Center (107 Suffolk Street btwn Rivington & Delancy, NYC)
August 22 @ 2pm
August 25 @ 2pm
August 26 @ 6:30
August 27 @ Noon
August 28 @ 2:45 (with post-show talk-back with the cast)
www.facebookmetheplay.com
About the facebook me development process
In September 2010, The Arts Effect All-Girl Theater Company began crafting facebook me. For six months, under the guidance of company directors Katie Cappiello and Meg McInerney, the 15 members of the all-girl ensemble attended weekly creative sessions bringing stories and experiences to share and deconstruct. Through a unique combination of debate and discussion, improvisation, reflective writing, character building around this theme, The Arts Effect girls have created an edgy original play. facebook me is guaranteed to give audiences an honest, "real time" look at the effects of Facebook on the emotional, physical, and creative lives of iGeneration girls.
"facebook me is more than a production--it's the culmination of a challenging creative process for our girls. Our goal was to offer a safe space for young, impassioned, intellectually curious teen girls to come together to artistically explore the realities of their world and engage their community through theater."
--Katie Cappiello & Meg McInerney, Founders/Directors, The Arts Effect NYC, facebook me
About The Arts Effect NYC
Founded by Katie Cappiello and Meg McInerney and recently voted "THE BEST THEATER GROUP FOR KIDS IN NYC" by Nickelodeon, The Arts Effect is NYC's premiere performing arts development and youth theater program for young, impassioned, up-and-coming artists. Established in 2007, The Arts Effect utilizes the power of the theater arts in the classroom and on the stage to support children in building stronger senses of self, finding their voices, and engaging and inspiring their communities/peers through the creation of thought-provoking and innovative theatrical experiences.
About The Arts Effect All-Girl Companies
The Arts Effect dedicates itself to creating artistic opportunities for tween and teen girls to share their voices and spark conversation. The All-Girl Company and All-Girl Jr. Company bring girls ages 8-15, from across the Tri-State, together weekly to artistically explore their world as a team. Through lively, respectful debate and discussion, improvisation, and creative writing, original girl-driven, girl-focused plays are created.
About Katie Cappiello & Meg McInerney
Katie Cappiello and Meg McInerney are graduates of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where they studied a combination of Theater (The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute), Women's Studies, and Applied Theater. Katie and Meg are the founders/directors of The Arts Effect NYC. In their 10 years of teaching, they have brought theater arts programming to over 15 public/private schools in NYC. Their revolutionary work with young girls has been revered by many throughout NYC and beyond, including: Secretary of State Hillary R. Clinton, Eve Ensler, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Amy Richards, and Jennifer Baumgardner. In Fall 2009, Katie and Meg developed Operation: Girl Power! with the goal of bringing their girl-focused, girl-supporting creative arts workshops/events to elementary and middle school girls. The Operation: Girl Power! Premiere was attended by over 400 NYC girls and their families and offered a day of FREE acting, creative writing, blogging, and film- making workshops along with an evening of FREE performances. Currently, Operation: Girl Power! is serving 500 girls in NYC private, public, and special ed. schools. In 2009, Katie Cappiello & Meg McInerney were honored by The National Women's Hall of Fame and The United States Congress for their work with the girls of NYC and beyond.