Titles and Casts Announced for Orlando Shakespeare Theater's PLAYFEST: AFTER PULSE

Orlando Shakespeare Theater (Orlando Shakes) in Partnership with UCF invites audiences to take a risk on new plays at PlayFest presented by Harriett's Charitable Trust from November 3 - 6, 2016. This year's four-day event titled PlayFest: After Pulse will feature six new plays that explore issues surrounding the Pulse tragedy. Tickets to individual PlayFest readings ($10) 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). PlayFest Passes ($49) and PlayFest VIP Passes ($100) are on sale now and may be purchased by phone or in person.

This season's PlayFest lineup will be dedicated to new works that have a direct correlation to themes relating to the Pulse shooting that took place in Orlando on June 12, 2016. The groundbreaking new works will include Israel Horovitz's The Day Before Yesterday, Karen Zacarías'Native Gardens, Allison Gregory's Motherland, Lee Blessing's Minneapolis/St. Paul, and John Biguenet's Ever After.

"The plays we've chosen for PlayFest this year focus on issues that have directly affected our community," said Cynthia White, Director of New Play Development at Orlando Shakespeare Theater. "In the wake of Pulse, it is more important than ever for us to come together to learn and heal."

In addition to the new works being presented, this year's PlayFest will also feature a Keynote Address by playwright Caridad Svich titled, "Creating After Orlando and Global Theatre Initiatives." Svich has instigated six theater actions addressing social issues that have gone global. In response to Pulse, Missing Bolts Productions and NoPassport Theatre Alliance & Press (of which Svich is the founder) created After Orlando, a collection of over sixty three-minute plays exploring the issues surrounding the tragedy. Svich's keynote will be followed by readings of a number of the plays from After Orlando, including several written by members of the Orlando theatrical community. All funds from the After Orlando reading will be donated to the "OneOrlando Fund" to assist the victims and families of the Pulse tragedy.

In a special PlayFest event taking place the following weekend on Saturday, November 12 at 7 p.m., award-winning director and playwright Moisés Kaufman will discuss The Tectonic Theatre Project's creation of The Laramie Project, after a reading of the play. All funds from The Laramie Project reading will be donated to "Angel Action Wings for Orlando." The Laramie Project reading is presented in collaboration with Mad Cow Theatre.

Moisés Kaufman, along with the Tectonic Theater Project, created The Laramie Project a play that explores the issues surrounding the death of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was murdered in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1999. This was the first use of the "Angel Action Wings" in a counter-protest to hate groups who came to Laramie. The "Angel Action Wings for Orlando" were originally constructed in Orlando Shakes' Costume Shop by volunteers to shield mourners from anti-gay protesters during the Pulse funerals. They have since been used at the "Beautiful Together" benefit concert held at the Dr. Phillips Center and at a number of other national community events.

PlayFest is made possible through the generous support of Harriett's Charitable Trust. Additional support is provided by Frank Santos and Dan Dantin and the National New Play Network. The PlayFest Patrons program recognizes its supporters: Gordon & Susan Arkin, John & Rita Lowndes, Kenneth & Trisha Margeson, and Simon & Ellen Snyder.

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.

Orlando Shakespeare Theater is supported by United Arts of Central Florida. This project is funded in part by Orange County Government through the Arts & Cultural Affairs Program. Orlando Shakespeare Theater is also sponsored in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the State of Florida.

PLAYFEST 2016

The Day Before Yesterday

By Israel Horovitz

Thursday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m.

Based around the terrorist attack on the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, The Day Before Yesterday chronicles the lives of three couples over the course of 72 hours, from before the attack when they were strangers living in Paris, Miami, and Brooklyn, to the next morning when they collectively take refuge at a nearby apartment.

DIRECTOR: Francisco Solorzano

CAST: Sheryl Carbonell as Missy, Colton Butcher as Peter, Ansley Van Epps* as Marie-Laure, Logan Benedict* as Pierre-Edouard (Petey), Ashley Turner as Miranda, and Francisco Solarzano* as Ali (Al).

Native Gardens

By Karen Zacarías

Friday, November 4 at 7:30 p.m.

A young Latino couple moves into a Washington, DC neighborhood next door to a middle-aged Caucasian couple and both battle for control of the property line in their backyard, all the while attempting to balance the expectations and requirements of their own "American dream."

DIRECTOR: Cynthia White

CAST: Gabrielle Ortiz as Tania Del Valle, Maxel Garcia as Pablo Del Valle, Suzanne O'Donnell* as Virginia Butley, and Mark Ferrera as Frank Butley.

Motherland

By Allison Gregory

Saturday, November 5 at 4:30 p.m.

Standing at the intersection of what's strictly legal and what can turn a profit, Mother seeks to carve out a life for herself and her children. When the law, love, and opportunity show up all at once, her courage is put to the test.

DIRECTOR: Belinda Boyd

CAST: Avis Marie Barnes as Mother, Jean-Michel Rousseau as Destin I, Anthony Golden, Jr. as Destin II, Nichele Lambert as U-Neek,Eric Eichenlaub as Sergeant, Keegan Stull as Officer Flank, and Stelson Telfort as Dontavius.

After Orlando

Saturday, November 5 at 8:00 p.m.

A selection of three-minute plays from the After Orlando project, featuring playwrights from NYC, Orlando, and around the country.

DIRECTORS: Rob Winn Anderson, Consulting Artistic Director of The Garden Theatre, Trudy Bruner, Arts Administrator of Lake Highland Preparatory School, Paul Castaneda, Artistic Director of Greater Orlando Actor's Theatre, Laurel Clark, Executive Show Director of Sleuth's Mystery Dinner Shows, John DiDonna, Program Chair Valencia College/Director Phantasmagoria, Michael Edwards, Associate Director of The Winter Park Playhouse, Jim Helsinger, Artistic Director of Orlando Shakespeare Theater, Michael Marinaccio, Producer of Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, Beth Marshall, Producer of Beth Marshall Presents, Margaret Nolan, Owner of Kangagirl Productions,David Reed, Theater Faculty of University of Central Florida, Mark Edward Smith, director and actor at Mad Cow Theatre, and Brandon Yagel, Education Coordinator at Orlando Shakespeare Theater.

Minneapolis/St. Paul

By Lee Blessing

Sunday, November 6 at 1:00 p.m.

A celebrated crime novelist leads two different lives, one as Randall, the middle-aged husband and father, and the other as Mandy, the newly-wedded wife and stepmother. In a play that is both poignant and bitingly funny, Mandy/Randall struggles with the complexities and repercussions of an identity too vast to fit within binaries.

DIRECTOR: Thomas Ouellette

CAST: Blaine Edwards as Mandy/Randall, Eric Zivot* as August, Kody Grassett as Case, Laura Mansoori as Lauren, Rachel Comeau as Jen.

Ever After

By John Biguenet

Sunday, November 6 at 3:15 p.m.

Various characters represented by four actors share the process and feelings that individuals and families go through as they attempt to make sense of everything following a tragedy.

DIRECTOR: David Lee

CAST: Connor Padilla as Younger Man, Luis Antonio as Older Man, Regina Russell as Younger Woman, and Ginger Lee McDermott* as Older Woman.

The Laramie Project

By Moisés Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project

Saturday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Keynote will follow reading

Compiling the results of hundreds of interviews, The Laramie Project explores the causes and aftermath of the tragic and brutal murder of Matthew Shepard. By exploring the actual words of the people of Laramie, we are able to see how close both heartbreak and hope are to our own lives.

DIRECTOR: Katrina Ploof

CAST: Dawn Wicklow, Chris Prueitt, Sarah E. Matthews*, Kathy Baker Wood, John Connon*, Rick Stanley, Jacqueline Rivera-Weber, and Mark Ferrera. Cast subject to change.

*Denotes a Member of Actors' Equity Association

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