Orlando Shakespeare Theater Kicks Off 2015 PlayFest Today

Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest this week, November 5 - 8, 2015. Presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust, the four-day festival is packed with new play readings that reflect the vibrancy of human emotion and explores the diversity of their experience.

Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($8) may be purchased online at www.orlandoshakes.org, by phone at (407) 447-1700 ext. 1, or in person at the John and Rita Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street).

As a global community, the world of theater is breathing new life into the conversation about gender and racial parity, as well as representation. Orlando Shakespeare Theater, like many in the performing arts community, believes that to achieve equality we need to start with our plays and playwrights. Director of New Play Development, Cynthia White, has embraced this cultural movement by choosing, developing, and promoting seven new plays that ignite an explosive engagement between theatre artists and the community, while representing diversity of culture, gender, and background.

"The rich, adventurous plays of PlayFest 2015 showcase the diversity of human existence," says Cynthia White. "They paint a picture of the many roles we play every day: the bond between a father and son, marriage and raising the perfect family, and starting over in a new home. But every façade eventually cracks revealing the human fears, flaws, and foibles beneath."

PlayFest is a nationally recognized program, representing one of the strongest commitments to new plays in the United States. Since its inception in 2003, PlayFest has helped nurture and develop over 100 new plays-many of which have received subsequent productions in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. Audience favorites from PlayFest are handpicked and developed into full productions in the Theater's Signature Season.

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PLAYFEST READINGS:

Skin and Bone by Jacqueline Goldfinger | Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Directed by Katrina Ploof | Comedy

Twin sisters Midge and Madge run a broken-down B&B that has a date with a wrecking ball. When a young woman appears, searching for clues about her missing mother, the memories she stirs up send them all down the dark and dusty road of a past better left hidden.

CAST: Kate Ingram*, Elizabeth Murff, Kathryn Miller, Kevin Zepf

Man in Snow by Israel Horovitz | Friday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Directed by Francisco Solorzano | Drama

As he escorts a group of honeymooners up Alaska's highest mountain, a climber reflects on his deceased son, his despondent daughter, his trying marriage, and his life as a whole.

CAST: Jonathan Epstein*, Ginger Lee McDermott*, Jennifer Bonner, Francisco Solorzano*, Terrence Yip, Al Krulick*

Thyramus and Pisbee by Eric Hissom | Saturday, November 7 at 4 p.m.

Directed by Michael Marinaccio | Comedy

Chaos and hilarity ensue during a last-minute rehearsal before a performance for the King. Fast-paced and raucous, this comedy upends our preconceptions about William Shakespeare, his actors, and his genius.

CAST: Simon Needham*, Jay T. Becker*, Gemma Victoria, Brett Waldon*

The Adventures of Pericles by Ellen McLaughlin | Saturday, November 7 at 8:30 p.m.

A Modern Verse Translation of Shakespeare's Play | Directed by Jim Helsinger

Adventure, love, betrayal, murder, jousts, hurricanes, princes, prostitutes, and pirates all appear in the exciting adventures of Prince Pericles. A new modern verse translation of Shakespeare's exciting story.

CAST: Sid Solomon*, Melanie Whipple*, Paul Bernardo*, Mark Brotherton, Fredena J. Williams*, Chris Metz, Mindy Anders*, Lucy Carney, Rick Stanley, Stephen Lima, David Lowe, Kody Grassett, James Putnam, Jacob Valleroy, Sarah Summerwell, Kimmi Johnson, Austin Ryan Hunt, Corynne Wagener

Relativity by Mark St. Germain | Sunday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m.

Directed by Cynthia White | Drama

A reporter interviews Albert Einstein, revealing shocking secrets about his family, his past, and the theory of relativity.

CAST: Eric Zivot*, Suzanne O'Donnell*, Meghan Colleen Moroney*

Sam by Donnetta Lavinia Grays | Sunday, November 8 at 5 p.m.

Directed by Lisa Wolpe | Drama

Ten-year-old Sam and her drug-addicted mother arrive unexpectedly at her aunt's Brooklyn doorstep. Decaying family bonds, playground rhymes, and shocking memories weave their way to a surprise ending.

CAST: Shannon Springer, Holly E. Smith, Topher Embrey, Trenell Mooring*, Sheryl Carbonell

The Luckiest People by Meridith Friedman | Sunday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m.

Directed by Christopher Niess | Drama

What is our responsibility to our parents? Richard is forced to grapple with that question in the days following his mother's funeral. Meanwhile his father, Oscar, has growing suspicions over the circumstances of his wife's death that lead him to make a startling accusation against his son. The Luckiest People explores the great dichotomy of the father-son bond: a relationship of profound awe and unparalleled fear.

CAST: Mark Ferrera, Alexander Mrazek, Jill Jones, Joseph Reed*

*denotes member of Actors' Equity Association.

PLAYFEST SPECIAL EVENTS:

Keynote Speaker: Ellen McLaughlin | Saturday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. (FREE)

Keynote address by award-winning playwright, Ellen McLaughlin (The Trojan Women and Ajax in Iraq).

Playwright's Panel | Sunday, November 8 at 3:30 p.m. (FREE)

Additional details will be announced at a later date.

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PLAYFEST PASS - A PlayFest Pass offers admission into all seven readings for $42. To purchase a PlayFest Pass, call (407) 447-1700 ext. 1 or visit the Box Office in person.

PLAYFEST VIP - New this Year! ($100 per individual) - For the first time ever, we're offering the opportunity to upgrade to a PlayFest VIP pass to ensure a reserved seat for all PlayFest readings in one of the first four rows of the Margeson Theater.

Founded in 1989, Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF produces classic, contemporary, and children's plays and musicals. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Jim Helsinger and Managing Director PJ Albert, Orlando Shakes has grown into one of the region's most acclaimed professional Equity theaters, garnering national recognition from The Wall Street Journal's Terry Teachout. "Hence the high quality of Orlando Shakespeare, a company that deserves to be far more widely known outside Florida." With ambitious, high-caliber productions like 2014's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Parts I & II or 2008's chilling Macbeth performed "in the round," the Theater continues to provide an innovative world-class theatrical experience to its guests, while showcasing William Shakespeare's legacy as the cornerstone of the company. Orlando Shakes also offers immersive educational programming that serves Central Florida schools and the local community at large. For more information visit www.orlandoshakes.org.

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