24-Hour, Neighborhood Play Festival AFTER LAST CALL... to Benefit Rainbow Railroad

Two recent graduates of The University of the Arts are hitting the ground running and producing a 24-hour, neighborhood, new play festival to support Rainbow Railroad.

On October 6th at 7pm, 18 Resident Artists will gather at The Pharmacy, a South Philadelphia coffee shop/concert venue, where Randi Alexis Hickey (Artistic Director) and Eleanor Safer (Production Stage Manager) will welcome them to an incredible challenge- create four world premiere plays in 24 hours, to benefit an organization that is helping LGBTQ people evacuate areas in which their lives are in danger.

Rainbow Railroad has recently become well known for their work in Chechnya, where "gay concentration camps" currently exist. These 18 Resident Artists will be split into four teams and given a South Philly home, donated to us for the night by our neighbors, to use as their "war room" in this effort.

The Pharmacy will serve as After Last Call headquarters, where participants will report throughout the night for curveballs, coffee, and artistic shenanigans. As far as we are aware and have researched, this is the first 24-hour neighborhood play festival of its kind, and especially the first fundraiser of its kind.

On Saturday October 7th at 7pm, these plays will premiere for the public at The Pharmacy, now transformed into our performance space. Tickets are available online at www.afterlastcall.weebly.com or at the box office on the day of the performance for $15 (General Admission) or $10 (Student/Industry).

Participants include Philly favorites such as Alice Yorke (Red 40, Lightning Rod Special, Pig Iron), Jarrett McCreary (Running Numbers, The Children of Edgar and Nina), Shamus McCarty (Anna, Machinal, Tartuffe), Katherine Perry (Arden Theatre, On The Rocks, Theatre Horizon, Revolution Shakespeare), Jack Tamburri (Directors Gathering, Ma-Yi Theater, Tribe of Fools, PlayPenn, Yale School of Drama), and many more!

Randi and Eleanor are emerging theatre artists who are passionate about new, independent theatre, as well as human rights in the world at large. They are excited to pursue both of these things through After Last Call...or How To Make A Play In 24 Hours, and are asking the community for support by way of a crowdfunding campaign. After we reach our campaign goal, we are then able to donate all profits to Rainbow Railroad. Those interested in our cause are highly encouraged to visit our Indiegogo site at igg.me/at/after-last-call.

"The neighborhood 24 hour play festival cultivates the artistic home and collaboration grows out of it. We invite artists in, and they become residents in this experience." -Randi Alexis Hickey, Artistic Director

"As a queer, Jewish person, the situation in Chechnya really resonates with me and it's amazing to get to put my art toward an organization like Rainbow Railroad, that's doing so much good." -Eleanor Safer, Production Stage Manager

'Art is very difficult to not be personal and thus to not be political. I think it all goes hand in hand. It's our lives, and our lives are very political." -Claris Park, Resident Actor

"We have this crazy news cycle now, where it feels like every thirty seconds there's something we should all be aware of because it's new and important...I think there's something about finding work that's important in the moment, even if flawed." -Shamus McCarty, Resident Actor

For further information on Rainbow Railroad, visit www.rainbowrailroad.ca, and for more information on After Last Call..., go to www.afterlastcall.weebly.com.

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