VILLIAN ERA Returns to New York Following Edinburgh Fringe Run

After a critically-acclaimed run in Edinburgh, Star Stone's VILLAIN ERA, directed by Ryan Cunningham returns to New York. An autobiographical tale about Stone's own experience facing public-shaming and cancel culture, VILLAIN ERA will play a limited engagement at Off-Broadway's Caveat (21 Clinton Street, Manhattan). Performances begin Sunday, October 27, with tickets starting at $15.

Set in 2019 Los Angeles, actress Star Stone accepts a casting for a reality competition show on YouTube. Receiving little instruction from the director,  a flustered Stone is thrust onto a soundstage to shoot the episode. Aiming to win the game and receive the prize money, Stone successfully completes the episode, submits a confessional, and goes about her life. A few weeks later, the video went viral with 17 million views. Great! There's just one problem…Stone was given the villain edit, and she faces a barrage of harassment, ranging from hateful messages to literal death threats. Sharing her story publicly for the first time, Star reveals it all from battling bots, trolls, and the online vegan mafia, and the real effects it had on her in this one-woman multi-media comedy show. 

“A social media comment section is the new witch hunt,” Star says. “Compounded by the anonymity, Cyber-bullying does not have any recourse, and therefore people can easily post threatening, hurtful messages, and in fact, are encouraged to do so creating a mob-mentality. Yet, those on the receiving end, have real psychological and emotional effects from it, equivalent to an in-person offense. It's surprising that psychological harm created by social media is still not taken seriously, even when there's so much evidence that it has long term mental health effects on its victims. I am proud to take what was my worst nightmare and recreate it into a comedy show exploring these issues.” 

VILLAIN ERA is directed by Ryan Cunningham. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR. 

VILLAIN ERA plays the following performances: Sunday, October 27 at 5:00 pn 

Tickets start at $15 and are now available online at https://www.caveat.nyc/events/villain-era-10-27-2024

Running Time: 60 minutes (no intermission)  

For more information, visit www.starstonespeaks.com

STAR STONE (playwright, producer, performer)  is an actress, producer, and playwright. She is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Theatre and a graduate of UCB LA's Improv School. Star is the writer and creator of #MeToo, a one-woman show (Edinburgh Fringe, SOLOFEST, United Solo, Second City, Hollywood Fringe) and the creator of Villain Era. She is a former member of the Oakland Slam Poetry Team and has performed at NYTW, La Mama Galleria, NY Poetry Festival, and more. Since 2022, Star has worked as an advocate for survivor's voices including partnerships with The NYC Mayor's Office to ENDGBV, Beyond the Violence: Stop Domestic Violence, and RAINN Speaker's Bureau. Star is a recent recipient of The V-Day Foundation's grant award.

Ryan Cunningham (director)  is a queer writer/director and Emmy & Peabody award-winning producer in film, television, and theater. Directing credits: Samantha Bee presents Wits End (NYCF, SXSW), Sugar Daddy (SoHo Playhouse NYC & Soho Theatre London), Alan Cumming's Club Cumming Presents a Queer Comedy Extravaganza! (Showtime), Ilana Glazer: The Planet is Burning (Amazon), Expecting Amy (HBO Max), and the upcoming feature Lone Wolves. Ryan is also slated to direct the docuseries John Lennon 1980 for XTR. TV producing credits include Broad City (Comedy Central), Search Party (TBS/HBO Max), Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central), The Last O.G. (TBS), and Ziwe (Showtime). Film producing credits include Keep the Change (winner Tribeca Film Festival 2017) directed by RISD FAV Alumni Rachel Israel, and Becks (winner, Los Angeles Film Festival 2017), directed by Dan Powell and Liz Rohrbaugh.

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