Area Stars Join The Theatre Lab for Dramathon to Raise Scholarship Funds

On May 20th, favorite Washington actors Sarah Marshall, Jennifer Mendenhall, Kim Schraf, Craig Wallace, MaryBeth Wise, Christopher Henley, Donna Migliaccio and Deidra Starnes will perform in readings of new plays by favorite Washington playwrights Ari Roth, Norman Allen, Ally Currin, David Emerson Toney , Renee Calarco, Elizabeth Pringle, Pamela Leahigh, and Keith Bridges at Theater J from 11pm to 1am.

The late-night Dramathon performance is being produced by The Theatre Lab School of the Dramatic Arts to raise scholarship funds as part of its Send a Kid to Theatre Camp campaign. Volunteers have been soliciting donations for the campaign since April 4. Those that bring in the largest totals will be performing alongside professional actors in a unique evening of original works.
"Playwrights will have just 24 hours to complete a brand-new ten-minute play," Theatre Lab Co-Director Buzz Mauro said. "They'll write in response to a prompt, and they'll know which professional will be playing the lead in their play. It's going to be a blast for everyone involved-especially the audience!"

The readings will be directed by professional directors Jessi Burgess, Mitchell Hebert , Jessica Lefkow, Jenny McConnell Frederick, Paul Douglas Michnewicz, Joshua Morgan, Dorothy Neumann and Delia Taylor. The volunteers will get one rehearsal with their director before the May 20 performance.

"We're blown away by the generosity of the Washington theatre community," Theatre Lab Co-Director Deb Gottesman said. "We called the most successful actors and playwrights in town and asked if they would lend their talents to raise money for kids and-without fail-they have embraced this opportunity. So now, anyone who wants to participate can do so alongside people at the very top of their craft."

Tickets for the Dramathon are $15, $10 for students, and can be purchased online at www.theatrelab.org or by calling 202-824-0449. Theater J is located at 1529 16th Street NW, Washington, DC.

The Theatre Lab enrolls over 300 young people from across the metropolitan area in its summer drama programs each year. More than one-third of participants receive full or partial scholarships from The Theatre Lab. In 2011, The Theatre Lab will dispense $63,000 in financial aid, $49,000 of which is raised during the spring Send a Kid to Theatre Camp campaign.

The Theatre Lab has been listed in the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region, is the winner of the 2010 Mayor's Arts Award for Innovation in the Arts, and has been recognized as one of the 50 top arts- and humanities- based programs in the country serving youth outside of school hours by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities.

For more information on The Theatre Lab and the Send a Kid to Theatre Camp campaign please call 202-824-0449 or visit www.theatrelab.org.

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