Tongue in Cheek Theater to Premiere First Full-Length New Work BUFFALO HEIGHTS, 5/7-17

Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions (TIC) premieres its first full-length new work, Buffalo Heights by Adam Harrell, in a two-week run May 7-17, 2014 in New York City.

The new comedy follows new teacher, Fran (Jake Lipman), on her first semester teaching French at Buffalo Heights High. When controversy erupts at the school, Fran encounters unexpected adversaries and allies, including a hapless security guard (Joe Mullen), ambitious principal (Shelley Little), combative students (Allison Lemel and Matthew Whitfield), and a local congresswoman (Nina Leese).

Buffalo Heights was commissioned and developed by Tongue in Cheek Theater Productions as an original premiere for the company's May 2014 production, drawing inspiration from The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman and Rhinoceros by Eugene Ionesco. It was devised with playwright Adam Harrell (winner of the 2011 NWDC/NPA New Play Award and 2012 Three Leaches One-Act Competition for Birds of Paradise) and the TIC Ensemble cast. Buffalo Heights features sound design by Philip Rothman (New York Innovative Theatre Awards nominee for sound design for TIC's production of Proof), scenic design by Michael Lounsbery, and is stage managed and assistant-directed by Shelby Arnold. TIC's producing artistic director, Jake Lipman, directs.

The TIC Ensemble and playwright Harrell developed the piece over a six-month period starting in 2013. An earlier draft of the work was performed in a staged reading on February 12, 2014 at Shetler Studios. Funding for Buffalo Heights was made possible, in part, by the Puffin Foundation.

Tongue in Cheek Theater's mission is to produce thought-provoking comedies. Buffalo Heights marks TIC's 27th production. In reviewing TIC's fall 2013 production of How I Learned to Drive, The Huffington Post recognized the company's tenure, saying, "Tongue in Cheek is an Off-Off-Broadway company celebrating its eighth season, a major achievement in and of itself."

The play runs 85 minutes without an intermission. Buffalo Heights runs for two weeks, May 7-10 and 13-17, 2014 at 8 pm at the Bridge Theatre at Shetler Studios, 244 West 54th Street, 12th floor, New York, NY. Tickets are $18 and may be purchased online at www.tictheater.com and by calling 212-868-4444. For group sales and school group performances (with study guide materials and talk-back following the performance), contact info@tictheater.com.

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