World Premiere of THE SUN SHINES EAST Opens Tonight at Deane Little Theatre

Shining East Productions presents The Sun Shines East, based on a true story written by Corinne Chateau* about an adoptive mother's struggle to break through deep personal barriers and international politics to bring home her daughter. Pat Golden directs a cast of 5 including Karen Christie-Ward*, Tara Gadomski*, Mary Francina Golden*, Bristol Pomeroy, and Amy Staats*. Fourteen performances will be held at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City from tonight, January 31-February 16, 2014. *Member, Actors' Equity Association. AEA Approved Showcase.

Based on true events, The Sun Shines East is an adoption story set against the backdrop of political strife in the mid-1990s. After suffering a series of miscarriages, Christine, a New York actress, finds herself drawn "east" to The Republic of Georgia to adopt a baby. Her husband Robert, also an actor, a bit less enthusiastically goes along with the idea. Despite a chilly welcome from the staff of the children's hospital there, the two parents-to-be immediately fall in love with a baby girl and make plans to bring her home. However, unbeknownst to them, the government of Georgia shuts down international adoptions. The couple find themselves in the middle of the political and personal fight of their lives, testing both their marriage and ultimately their courage.

Written and produced by adoptive mothers, The Sun Shines East is a moving personal journey, and an urgent call to action as orphan children continue to be used as pawns by politicians ruthlessly seeking political advantage. With moratoriums and increased restrictions on adoption in countries such as Russia, China, and Guatemala, this play reminds us what is at stake for millions of suffering infants, victims of bureaucracy and too young to speak for themselves.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/931176 or calling 212-352-3101. Fourteen performances will be staged on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm from January 31 - February 16, 2014 at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theatre, 10 West 64th Street, in New York City.

Corinne Chateau (playwright) is an adoptive mother. She and her husband, Bryan Hickey adopted a baby boy from the Republic of Georgia seventeen years ago. This play is inspired by their experience. As an actress, she has appeared in feature films, television, on and off Broadway and in regional theater. She has worked with renowned directors such as Elia Kazan and Arthur Penn and has appeared with Anne Bancroft, Shelly Winters, Katherine Hepburn, Ellen Burstyn and others. As a directing fellow at the American Film Institute she wrote and directed three films. She has taught acting in the graduate film department at NYU and in The Actors Studio MFA program at the New School. She is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre, and the Actor's Studio. She has authored the book, The Road to Cali, a Journey to Motherhood, and has performed a one-woman show based upon her book. Her new full-length play, The Sun Shine's East, was initially developed at The Actors Studio and received readings at The Actors Studio Writers Directors Unit, and at St. Malachy's Actors Chapel Theater. She is currently working on a documentary based upon her family's escape from Poland in the years before and during World War II.

Pat Golden (Director) Credits include productions Off-Broadway for Ensemble Studio Theatre (EST), New Perspectives, Subjective Theatre, Tank, St. Peter's, Perry Streetand Cherry Lane. Regional credits include SDC Director Observer at McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Amherst College and the South Oakland Arts Council, as itsArtistic Director, simultaneously studying Directing at Carnegie Mellon and Anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. Workshops of new plays include Ensemble Studio Theatre and EST/Southampton, INTAR/HPLR, NYU/HPLR Collaboration, On Her Shoulders/New School and Cherry Lane-including for its annual series, From Breast Cancer to Broadway. Pat is a filmmaker whose credits as a Casting Director, known for discovery of new talent, include feature films Gimme Shelter, Downtown Express, The Handmaid's Tale, Platoon, Blue Velvet and The Killing Fields and Lee Daniels Entertainment, New Line, Warner Bros and PBS as Associate Producer. Golden is a member of Ensemble Studio Theater, Lincoln Center Directors Lab, Hispanic Playwrights-in-Residence(HPLR)at INTAR Theatre, Eduardo Machado's NYU/INTAR Collaboration,NewShoe Theatre Group, dedicated to fostering collaboration between women playwrights and directors and Stage Directors & Choreographers (SDC).

Karen Christie-Ward (Dodo) is a native New Yorker who has performed Off, Off Broadway and in Comedy Clubs around the city with a variety of improv and comedy troupes, most notably in Tales From the Oven directed by Jim Gaffigan, and with the hysterical "Funny Sheesh" with whom she still works regularly. Until she found out she was funny, serious drama was Karen's first love. She has performed at The Kennedy Center and the McCarter Theater in Emily Mann's Mrs. Packard and in such pieces as Anna Christie directed by Robert Kalfin, Steel Magnolias, Extremities, Moon for the Misbegotten, Romeo and Juliet and Othello. Karen is also a long standing member of "Making Light Productions"" and has performed in many of Sharon Fogarty's experimental musicals, such as The Overdevelopment Of Scott, Where Sleeping Gods Lie and Sepulker for which she was awarded "best supporting actress in a one act play" from Spotlight On Productions. Film and TV credits include the diabolical Nurse Charles in "One Life To Live," Correction Officer in "Law and Order SVU," a waitress in "Forged" by Will Wedig, and "Olive Oil" in The Son Of No One" by Dito Montiel.

Tara Gadomski (Angelina / Mimi / Secretary) is an Ukrainian-American actress, raised in the US and Brazil. She is also a writer and radio presenter. She trained to be an actor at The George Washington University in Washington, DC and at the Academy Drama School in London, England. She works regularly in film, commercials and theatre in New York and in London, hosts the "New York Talks" program on BBC Radio 5, and writes radio drama and comedy. Some notable starring credits include: Lost Pirates an original musical Tara co-wrote and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; the award-winning short film and webseries: Docket 32357; the off-Broadway play, Recent Tragic Events and several national commercials. www.taragadomski.com

Mary Francina Golden (Producer / Betta / Minister of Justice) - is an adoptive mother of two beautiful daughters to whom she dedicates her performance. Theatre credits include Playwright's Foundation: The Rimers of Eldritch (dir. Amy Wright); Oxford Shakespeare Company: Two Noble Kinsmen (Hippolyta in London and New York), Romeo and Juliet (Nurse), All's Well That Ends Well (The Countess), As You Like It (Jacques in Stratford-on-Avon and New York); Open Door Theatre: The Importance of Being Earnest (Lady Bracknell); Trinity Rep: Mensch Meier (dir. Adrian Hall); Asolo State Theatre: The Girl of the Golden West, The Male Animal; Pennsylvania Stage Co.: The Cocktail Hour (Nina); New Globe Theatre: As You Like It (Rosalind), Hedda Gabler (Hedda), Ghosts (with Kim Hunter), Misalliance (Lina), The Importance of Being Earnest (Gwendolyn), The Cocktail Party (Celia), The Glass Menagerie (Laura). Mary Francina's next role will be as the Mother in 'Nite, Mother presented by apt929productions in Chelsea, Feb. 2014 (Dir., Clark Middleton). Film and Television credits include indie short "The Tailor;" web series "The Madness of Art" (episode was Huffington Post favorite); feature film Andy Warhol's "Bad;" and soap operas "One Life to Live" and "All My Children." Training: Austin Pendleton, Patsy Rodenberg and John Kane, Cicely Berry, John Barton. M.F.A. from Catholic University. (AEA, SAG-AFTRA).

Bristol Pomeroy (Robert) has a foundation in theater with a BFA in acting from SUNY Purchase College. Although most of his acting has been on the stage, he has been more involved in independent film and television in the last four years, most recently playing a co-star role on "The Americans." He also recently played a supporting role in the independent film "FAT," starring Mel Rodriguez, which premiered at The Toronto International Film Festival this year. He was last seen on the stage as Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy at Playhouse on Park.

Amy Staats (Christine) is an actor, writer, and filmmaker. She is a 2013 Big Vision Empty Wallet Screenplay Fellow for her feature script Mr. Rawls. Her ode to silent screen stars Mary and Louise won best short script at the LA Comedy Shorts 2012 and is currently in post production. She is the creator of the web series Here's What I Like...And Now I'll Tell You Why (LA Comedy Shorts, Garden State Film Festival, Waterfront Film Festival, Chashama Film Festival ,Victoria TX Ind FF, BVEW, and others). Her work has been read at The New Group, The Ensemble Studio Theatre, Naked Angels Tuesdays @9, and Galapagos. Her one act play The Changing of The Guard was produced in the Ensemble Studio Theatre One Act Marathon and has been published in the Best America Short Play Anthology. As an actress she recently performed the role of Ashley in Trevor, a play by Nick Jones directed by Moritz Stuelpnagel. She is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre, recent acting credits there include Waking Up by Cori Thomas and Sluts of Sutton Drive by Josh Conkel. Film/TV acting credits include: "Compulsive Love" dir. by Kevan Tucker, Monsura is Waiting dir. by Kevin Newbury, Mary in Mary and Louise dir. by Abigail Zealey Bess and Helen Pelletin "Here's What I Like...And Now I'll Tell You Why". Other Awards: New Voices Fellowship, Best Solo Show Nominee MITF Awards for Cat.her.in.e.Training: Deborah Hedwall and William Esper. www.amystaats.com

The Sun Shines East is presented by Shining East Productions. Producer: Mary Francina Golden; Co-Producers: Corinne Chateau & Bryan Hickey; Director: Pat Golden**; Set Designer: James Maloff; Lighting Designer: Alexander Bartenieff; Sound Designer: Bill Toles; Props Master: Michelle Elwyn; Costume Designers: Catherine Siracusa and Sidney Levitt; Production Stage Manager: Genevieve Ortiz*;Production Assistant: Kolbe Handal; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR. **Member, SDC.

To post a comment, you must register and login.