The Flea Theater Presents UNEXPLORED INTERIOR, 4/8

The Flea Theater has announced a unique collaboration between The Museum of Jewish Heritage, The Public Theater, The Flea Theater, and individuals, Luna Kaufman, Emmanuel Ruranga, M.S. L.P.C., Daniel Neiden and Erika Feldman. In commemoration of the 19th anniversary of the start of the Rwandan genocide, the group will produce a one time only public reading performance of a new play by Jay O. Sanders.

Directed by James Glossman, the reading will be held in the theater of the Museum of Jewish Heritage with a cast of fourteen actors: Fritz Weaver, Arthur French, Sharon Washington, Owiso Odera, Marlyne Barrett, Charles Parnell, Irungu Mutu, Craig Alan Edward, Nile Bullock, Matthew Murumba, Clark Jackson, Benjamin Thys, James A. Williams and Michael McKean. The Museum of Jewish Heritage offers the perfect place to connect the tragedy of Rwanda with the other genocides of the world.

Sanders, one of the most prolific character actors of his generation, is known for his work in theater (Pygmalion), film (JFK, The Day After Tomorrow, Tumbleweeds, Edge of Darkness), television (Person of Interest, Law & Order), and audiobooks as well as being a ubiquitous narrator of documentary films for Public Television. But over the years, he has made his home at The Public Theater, appearing as Richard Apple in Richard Nelson's highly-lauded, ongoing Apple Family Plays (That Hopey Changey Thing, Sweet and Sad, and Sorry) as George W. Bush in David Hare's Stuff Happens, and in the title role of last year's Titus Andronicus. He has also been a familiar presence at Shakespeare in the Park, most recently appearing as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Ghost, Player King, and Grave Digger in Hamlet, and Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night.

Ten years after the genocide, still haunted by the images from the nightly news and frustrated by his own continued ignorance - as well as that of those around him - Sanders set out to learn everything that he could about what happened and use his theatrical expertise to, in turn, share it with the world.

The son of activist parents who spent their lives working with the Civil Rights movement and a series of worldwide humanitarian organizations, Sanders, who had just become a parent himself, was particularly affected by the reports of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, and the world's refusal to engage.

Driven by this sense of purpose, in April of 2004 Jay attended the 10-year Commemoration of the start of the genocide in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, and set out from there, relentlessly studying, discussing, writing, and rewriting for the next 9 years.

Unexplored Interior is a work of passion, of necessity. Sanders has developed and honed it through a series of workshops and readings at The Cherry Lane, The Public, The Lark, and The Flea Theaters.
The reading will take place on Monday, April 8 at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage at 36 Battery Place in Battery Park. Admission is free. Limited tickets are available by contacting Alek Deva, Development Associate at The Flea, 212-226-0051, ext110, alekd@theflea.org.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage can be reached by subway: 4/5 to Bowling Green, R to Whitehall Street or Rector Street, or the 1 to Rector Street. Parking garages are available nearby. Present your parking ticket at coat check for discount validation.

James Glossman (director) Recent work includes both new plays and classics at Luna Stage, Playwrights Theater of New Jersey, Shadowlands Theater, George Street Playhouse, Queens Theatre in the Park, Penguin Rep, Portland Stage in Maine, The Odyssey, The Matrix, and Skirball in LA, InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia, Washington Jewish Theatre, Riverside Theatre in Florida, BoarsHead Theater in Michigan, City Lit Theatre in Chicago, and Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre [WHAT] on Cape Cod. He has been connected to this project since it began.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage educates people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century - before, during, and after the Holocaust. Current special exhibitions include Through Soviet Jewish Eyes: Photography, War, and the Holocaust (on view through April 7, 2013), and Hava Nagila: A Song for the People (on view through summer 2013). It is also home to the award-winning KeepingHistory Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy's memorial, Garden of Stones. The Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule in its Edmond J. Safra Hall and receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, The Public Theater is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare and the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues - including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to its beloved, free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all, new and experimental stagings at The Public at Astor Place, and a range of artist and audience development initiatives including its Public Forum series, which brings together theater artists and professionals from a variety of disciplines for discussions that shed light on social issues explored in Public productions. The Public Theater is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust provides leadership support for The Public Theater's year-round activities. www.publictheater.org

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include the premieres of Anne Nelson's The Guys, seven plays by A.R. Gurney (O Jerusalem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth, Post Mortem, A Light Lunch, Office Hours and Heresy), Cellophane and Two September by Mac Wellman, Ashley Montana Goes Ashore... and The Oldsmobiles by Roger Rosenblatt; JABU and Kaspar Hauser by Elizabeth Swados; Return of the Chocolate Smeared Woman by Karen Finley, Bingo with the Indians by Adam Rapp, Oh, The Humanity and other exclamations by Will Eno, Dawn and Job by Thomas Bradshaw, Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used to it) Itamar Moses, The Great Recession, Girls in Trouble by Jonathan Reynolds, Parents' Evening by Bathsheba Doran, Looking at Christmas by Steven Banks, the Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, the Drama Desk nominated These Seven Sicknesses by Sean Graney, I Hate f-ing Mexicans by Luis Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Amy Freed's Restoration Comedy and Hamish Linklater's The Vandal. www.theflea.org.

Luna Kaufman has been a key proponent of holocaust/genocide education for the last thirty years. Working with Governor Tom Kean, she helped lay the foundation for New Jersey to ultimately become the first state in the country to mandate such a curriculum in schools statewide, which was quickly adopted nationally. Mrs. Kaufman, a survivor of three concentration camps, went on to champion renowned sculptor Natan Rapoport (creator of the Warsaw Ghetto Monument) and donated his brilliant work, The Flame to the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Currently, Luna continues the work of her friend, Sister Rose Thering, at the Seton Hall University's Jewish Christian Department as a chair emeritus of The Sister Rose Thering Fund. Among her many citations: Seton Hall bestowed Mrs. Kaufman with an Honorary Doctorate in the Humanities for her work on behalf of Judeo-Christian relations; her award-winning biography, Luna's Life has received a number of awards; and in November of 2012 Luna was decorated by Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski with a Kavalier's Medal.

Emmanuel Ruranga, M.S. L.P.C. is a native of Rwanda and an active supporter of Genocide victims. He partnered with the Rochester Chapter of American Red Cross, in 1994, as a co-founder of Rwandan Relief Aid to raise Rwandan Genocide awareness and funds. He raised over $75,000 to help Rwandan Orphans after genocide. He has appeared on several Rochester, NY TV stations to inform the public about the Rwandan genocide. He has also worked extensively with BPeace (Business Council for Peace) to train Rwandan women in business skills and help them start and grow their businesses. He is on the board of the Sister Rose Thering Endowment at Seton Hall University (for Jewish and Christian Studies). Emmanuel is a psychotherapist, a trainer, an entrepreneur and promoter of social justice. He has appeared on local Newark TV stations to discuss the impact of untreated mental health and substance abuse issue in African American males. He has co- founded the Family Partnership Network and Male Health Initiatives at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey to provide education on effective parenting skills, stress management skills and a range of other family services (including job placement). This initiative is being funded by PNC Bank. He is currently a Clinical Supervisor at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey where he has worked for 15 years. He is also in his own private practice at Youth and Family Wellness in Maplewood New Jersey, where he provides individual, family and couples therapy.

Erika Feldman is presently the Managing Director of the Theatre Row Complex, a project of the 42nd Street Development Corporation. While administering Theatre Row, Erika has created and implemented a plan that continues to anchor the theatre complex, and facilitated the creation of a resident theater program that has helped several Off-Broadway award winning companies such as The New Group, TACT and Keen Company to grow and thrive. She refocused Theater Row's mechanism to better support the needs of both the resident and transient companies; and in so doing, honor the original mission of the 42nd Street Development Corporation to "stimulate a renewal of 42nd Street west of Port Authority Terminal." Before coming to Theatre Row, she was the General Manager of Theatre for a New Audience, where she managed the first historic American tour of Cymbeline to the Royal Shakespeare Company - the first American production invited to perform at the RSC. Prior to that Erika worked for 101 Productions on multiple Broadway shows including, Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Jumpers, Fiddler on the Roof, Ana in the Tropics, and De La Guarda. Recently, Erika co-produced a public dialogue called The Other Peace Process: Muslim Religious Courts in Israel. Erika is a consultant for the Tenderloin Economic Development Project of San Francisco, and also for Bryant Park.

Daniel Neiden has, over the past thirty years, mounted and produced projects at The Kennedy Center, The Public Theater, The Village Gate, The Perry Street, and The Cherry Lane Theater and garnered nominations (Drama Desk) and awards (VSArts/DC). He has worked with Liz Swados for nearly ten years, as actor, creative consultant, and co-producer on more than a half dozen of her ventures including The Hating Pot, Jerusalem and Groundhog, at such venues as BAM, The Public Theater, Manhattan Theater Club, Kennedy Center and La Mama. He has also served as a consultant and fundraiser for Nederlander Productions, working on Broadway projects including Sunset Boulevard, Night of the Iguana, and development of The Shanghai Gesture. He co-wrote, directed, and produced two sold-out benefit performances at Symphony Space including Just Healthcare, honoring Michael Moore and featuring performances and readings by Pete Seeger, Tom Chapin, Michael Musto, and Carl Hancock Rux, and Silkwood Today with Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols and Ron Silver. Neiden has guest-lectured at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's National Theater Institute for more than ten years and was chosen to join the committee planning the direction of NTI. His recent work includes mounting the first production of Brundibar since it was presented in Terezin, a new work based on letters of and about Raoul Wallenberg, and producing, as well as writing music/lyrics, and co-writing the book for a new musical version of The Tempest, performed at the Cherry Lane Theater. He is currently developing a new play about at-risk women called Let the Phoenix Rise! Other recent work includes the music for Welcome to Tourettaville at the Kennedy Center.

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