Dragon Theatre Kicks to Open 16th Season with U.S. DRAG

Two young women in Manhattan are trying to figure out life after college, but they'll settle for making rent. They join a community advocacy group called SAFE ("Stay Away From Ed") named for an elusive serial attacker terrorizing the city, when they learn there's a big reward for information that leads to his capture. Their SAFE "friends" include their ruthless, socially stunted roommate; the celebrated author of a fictional memoir; a lonely man who feels a kinship with crime victims; and an "Ed survivor," reveling in her fifteen minutes of dubious fame. This black comedy was written by Gina Gionfriddo (After Ashley Dragon 2013, Rapture, Blister, Burn, a 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist) and was the winner of the 2001-2002 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for woman playwrights.

U. S. Drag began as Gina Gionfriddo's thesis production for her MFA in PLaywrigihting at Brown University and was awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, an honor for female playwrights, which she shared in a tie with Susan Miller in 2002. Also in 2002 she was given the Helen Merril Award for Emerging Playwrights. In her opening notes for US Drag, Ms. Gionfriddo suggests that this is a play about fear and terror. As such, the original script was written before 9/11, but Ms. Gionfriddo revised it after the events of that day, wondering if the play was already doomed to irrelevance.

Director Noe?lle GM Gibbs says: "Far from becoming obsolete, the fear that paralyzes every character in the play speaks louder today than it did in 2001. In an age where we experience attacks in the most unexpected places, from Planned Parenthood facilities to the streets of Paris, many of us live in a world of fear, finding it increasingly easier to mistrust those around us than to engage with them. We also live in a society where harmful attacks come from within, where we identify as workaholics, alcoholics, drug addicts, or depressed victims. These self-deprecating behaviors mutilate our own bodies, squelch our imaginations, and keep us from living into our full potential. For recent college grads like Allison and Angela, the maze of the "real world" makes the fear all the more paralyzing. Thoughts like, "How do I prove I matter?" "Do I have something to offer?", or "What if I never achieve my dreams?" become disabling obsessions. Can there be any hope when it seems like the rest of the world is a club that they can't get into?"

Featuring: Maria Costello (Bookstore Manager et al), Josiah Frampton (Christopher), Liz Frederick (Angela), William Gaoiran (Ned), Olivia Haas (Allison), Lauren Hayes (Mary), Peter Ray Juarez (Evan), and Jeremy Ryan (James).

Designers & Production Team: Katie Barrus (Costume Designer), Stacie Doherty (Stage Manager), Ashley Taylor Frampton (Production Manager), Josiah Frampton (Box Office Manager), Noe?lle GM Gibbs (Director), Meredith Hagedorn (Executive Artistic Director), Lance Huntley (Sound Designer), Charlynn Knighton (Properties Designer), Scott Ludwig (Scenic Designer), Brittany S. Mellerson (Lighting Designer), Linda Olbourne (Company Manager), Jesse Ploog (Stage Manager), Kimberly Wadycki (Managing Director and Press Inquiries), Kimberlee Wittlieb (Photographer), Maggie Ziomek (Graphic Designer)

When: February 4 - February 28, 2016

Thursdays - Saturdays, 8pm, Sundays, 2pm
Pay What You Will Preview, Thursday, February 4th at 8pm Opening Night Friday, February 5th at 8pm
Post show discussion after Sunday, February 21st matinee

Please note there is a special season kick-off cocktail party at 6p at LV Mar on opening night, Friday, February 5th. Join some Dragon Staff and the Director of U. S. Drag as we lift a glass to Dragon's 16th season. LV Mar will generously donate a proceeds of all Dragon sales back to the Dragon Theatre this evening.

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