'i am not a chimpanzee' Plays as Part of MITF

The 8th Annual Midtown International Theatre Festival, in Association with Theatre Resources Unlimited, will present i am not a chimpanzee, a new play by Michael Stockman. The production, which will run from July 16th through August 4th, is directed by Douglas S. Hall.

i am not a chimpanzee is "an off-beat drama that takes place on the night of September 11, 2002, in the Park Avenue kitchen of Sam and Margaret Waxman.  Sam, formerly a partner in a white shoe law firm, spends his days in sweats doing street drugs under the table. Margaret spends her time at a sanctuary for chimpanzees at the Bronx Zoo. In a last ditch effort to win his wife back from the chimps, Sam hires a hooker and during the course of the evening, he and Margaret get in touch with the reality of their loss," as press notes describe the play.

Featured in this AEA Approved Showcase Production are Betty McKinley, Mort Milder and Nedra McClyde.

Playwright Michael Stockman returns to the Midtown Festival, which last year presented his family drama Jewish By Injection Only. In early July, his alternative urban romance, Peeps, received a staged reading Off-Broadway, as a finalist in the Hinton Battle Theatre Laboratory Diverse Voices Playwriting Contest.  His The Professor and the Secretary took 2nd place at the FirstStage LA 2007 1-Act Competition & went up in the inaugural production of Luna Stage in LA. Other plays include Boulevard X-Mas Trees (13th St. Rep.) and Greetings From Serotonin Springs.

Director Douglas S. Hall recently directed the world premiere of Duse's Fever Off-Broadway. He has also directed at Williamstown, Seven Angels, the Michael Weller and the Mountain Playhouse. A member of the SSD&C, he's currently on the faculty at NYU/CAP 21. Consulting Producer,  Jason Kaminsky, is the producer of Cipher, at the SPF Summer Play Festival on Theatre Row.

The production will run at Where Eagles Dare Theatre (347 West 36th Street). Tickets are: $18 and $15 for students and seniors.

For reservations call SmartTix (212)868-4444 or visit www.SmartTix.com for more information.