The Flea to Host Special Performance of TRANSATLANTICA with Former Bats, 12/9

The Flea Theater announces a one night only performance of TRANSATLANTICA by Kenny Finkle, directed by Tim Cummings and featuring original Bat Company Members reprising their roles: Tim Cummings (The Normal Heart, The Fountain Theatre in LA), Greg Keller (NYTW's Belleville, Wit with Cynthia Nixon), Jennifer McKenna, Alfredo Narcisso (The Motherf***er with the Hat), Jack O'Neill (Baal), Beth Tapper and Irene Walsh.

TRANSATLANTICA is part murder mystery, part unrequited love romance and part absurdist debacle about the denial and transcendence of Death. The World Premiere of TRANSATLANTICA played The Flea Theater in 2002 for a limited engagement.

Carol Ostrow, The Flea's Producing Directors says, "Jen McKenna has been working with The Flea for the past few seasons as an Actor's Coach - helping refine the skills of our current company of Bats and preparing them for auditions and roles. It seemed a brilliant idea to bring back the very Bats that she started with ten years ago. Especially as this particular group's careers have thrived since their days as Bats."

TRANSATLANTICA will perform for one night only on Monday, December 9th at 7pm. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org . The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Broadway and Church, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q/W, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines.

Kenny Finkle's plays include: INDOOR/OUTDOOR (off-broadway @ DR2, Trinity Rep, Portland Stage, Hangar Theatre) ALIVE AND WELL (Old Globe, Virginia Stage Company), PENELOPE OF ITHACA (Hangar Theatre), TRANSATLANTICA (originally produced at The Flea, directed by Tim Cummings), A THOUSAND YEARS (FIU Theatre Festival). INDOOR/OUTDOOR is published both by Broadway Play Publishing and in Smith and Kraus' "Best Plays of 2006" anthology. Finkle is a recipient of a NYFA fellowship, a NYSCA grant, was awarded University of Illinois' Inner Voices prize and has received commissions from Ford's Theatre, Virginia Stage Company, Theatreworks, USA, Canton Theatricals, Matt Murphy Productions and the Hangar Theatre among others. He received his MFA from Columbia University's Playwriting program and his BFA from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He is adjunct faculty at Marymount Manhattan College as well as a teaching artist for the DreamYard Project in the Bronx. Kenny is currently writing the book for a new musical entitled RIDE with music/lyrics by the late Damon Intrabartolo (BARE) as well as a graphic novel musical experience for audiences of 1,2 or 3 entitled U R STAR.

Tim Cummings is currently playing Ned Weeks in the LA revival of The Normal Heart. He recently received the LA Weekly, LADCC, Ovation, and StageSceneLA awards for Best Supporting Actor for both Enda Walsh's The New Electric Ballroom at Rogue Machine, and Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice at South Coast Rep. While at The Flea he directed the original production of Transatlantica and appeared in 5 plays, including The Guys (2001, 2006, 2011). He is Associate Director of the Youth Workshop at The Ojai Playwrights Conference and Co-Literary Manager for EST-LA.

Greg Keller's credits include Wit (with Cynthia Nixon), Belleville (NYTW), Cradle and All (MTC), The Seagull (with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming at CSC), That Pretty Pretty (Rattlestick), Seminar (with Jeff Goldblum, Ahmanson Theater), 33 Variations (with Jane Fonda, Ahmanson Theater), and six plays at The Flea as a member of The Bat Theatre Company. He holds an MFA in acting from NYU, and was a Lila Acheson Wallace playwriting fellow at The Juilliard School. His plays have been produced at Cherry Lane, Williamstown Theater Festival, Berkshire Theater Festival, and LAByrinth Theater Company, where he is a member.

Jennifer McKenna is a former Bat and current Arts Activist/Consultant in the Theatrical and Artistic communities. She has worked directly with The Flea for the past 5 years to cultivate a resource for the resident company in which the actors can equip and prepare themselves to live fully inspired lives on and off stage in New York City. She is striving to address and progress beyond the starving artist paradigm that so often adheres itself to creative people in our culture today. Jennifer also works privately outside The Flea with creators of varying artistic mediums.

Jack O'Neill joined the Bats in 2000 with the highly acclaimed Baal. He went on to serve as president of The Bats and to work on and perform in shows by Mac Wellman, AR Gurney, and Len Jenkin. A songwriter, he has performed on Conan O'Brien, and worked with T-Bone Burnett, Rob Thomas, and Pat Monahan of Train among many others. He's thrilled to be back with Jim, Carol, and fellow Bats, even if for one night.

Alfredo Narciso Broadway: THE MOTHERF***ER WITH THE HAT (LAByrinth/Public/Gerald Schoenfeld Theater), A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (Roundabout/Studio 54) New York: BASILICA (Rattlestick), GOOD MOTHER (New Group), RED DOG HOWLS; Ivo van Hove's MISANTHROPE (New York Theater Workshop), CHIMICHANGAS AND ZOLOFT (Atlantic Theater Co., HOLA award), THE UGLY ONE (Soho Rep/Play Co.), AFTER (Partial Comfort), THINNER THAN WATER (LAByrinth), MEASURE FOR MEASURE; CHAIR (TFANA), SAFE (Studio Dante), DRUNKEN CITY (Playwrights Horizons), MICROCRISIS (Ma-Yi), EDGEWISE (Play Company/Page 73), among others. Regional: ART (Elliot Norton/IRNE nominations), Huntington (IRNE nomination), Two River, Long Wharf, HBO Comedy Arts Festival, Magic Theater, Sundance Theater Lab, among others. Film/TV: Like Sunday, Like Rain, Elliot Loves, Living & Dining, The Guys, "The Good Wife", "Blue Bloods", "Unforgettable", "Person of Interest", "Law & Order: CI", "Ugly Betty", among others. Recipient of the Charles Bowden award and member of LAByrinth, Ensemble Studio Theater and Partial Comfort. www.alfredonarciso.com

Beth Tapper is thrilled to return to The Flea after performing in many plays here over a decade ago. She now lives in Los Angeles where she has appeared in various television shows, commercials and film. She is a member of The Actor's Gang Theater Company where her performances have garnered LA Weekly awards, as well as the chance to tour with Anne Nelson's THE GUYS, an ironic twist of fate, as it was first performed at the The Flea after September 11.

Irene Walsh has been seen Off Broadway at The Flea Theater in The Guys, opposite Bill Irwin, Terrence Mann, and fellow-Bat actor Tim Cummings. She also played Sigourney Weaver's sister in the film version of The Guys. She has appeared in other productions at The Flea Theater including DAWN, A Heartbeat to Baghdad, No Mother To Guide Her, Cleveland, and Baal. Other credits include EST, Manhattan Ensemble Theater, FringeNYC, Tonic, BRIC, NYU Festival of New Works, Milwaukee Rep Theater, Berkshire Theater Festival, and New Paltz Summer Repertory Theater. The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council recognized Irene as "an artist who shows excellence within their field". At SUNY New Paltz, Irene earned her B.A. in Acting and Directing and served as president of New Paltz Players Productions. She will appear in the upcoming film Miasm by Bryan Santiago. Irene is the founder, producer, and director of Split Rock Films. At the 2013 Trailer Cash awards, the trailer for Irene's first full-length documentary Lapa: The Heart of Samba garnered both top prizes - the Jury Prize and Crowd Favorite awards.

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 world premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swados, and Mac Wellman. Recent successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses and Restoration Comedy.

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