First Draft at Charter Theater to Premiere THE BISON BEAST OF DUBOIS, 1/10 & 1/17

First Draft at Charter Theater – a nonprofit organization devoted to developing theater audiences alongside new plays; supporting local artists; and partnering with theaters looking to produce new work – announced today that it will present two readings this month of the new comedy, "The Bison Beast of Dubois," by DC-based playwright Mario Baldessari, who is First Draft's Playwright-in-Residence for the 2011-2012 season.

"The Bison Beast of Dubois" is a monstrously fun new comedy that explores what happens to a small town's already simmering prejudices when attempts to revive its tourism industry awakens something unexpected from deep in the backcountry.

The January readings will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 10th at Theater on the Run in Arlington, VA; and 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 17th at the Arts Club of Washington. The popular First Draft series combines the reading of a play with a guided, post-show audience discussion. The cast features DC-area actors: Raven Bonniwell, Jim Brady, Joshua Dick, Liz Dutton, Stan Kang, and Elizabeth Kitsos-Kang.

Baldessari's most recent plays include "Jack and the Bean-Stalk" at 1st Stage (in partnership with First Draft), which was Helen Hayes Award Recommended, and "Fat Gay Jew" at Charter Theater. His other playwriting credits include: "Fear Itself," "Wonders Never Cease," "Sacred Cows" and "The Rule of Three" for Charter Theater; and "Our Lady of Sandwich" for the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts (NCDA). He is a faculty member at NCDA and has taught classes and workshops in improvisation for the Writer's Center, the Actors' Center, Imagination Stage and the Educational Theater Company. For many years, he was the lead writer and a founding member of the comedy troupe, Dropping the Cow.

In September, Baldessari premiered "Best Men" at the Kennedy Center's Page-to-Stage Festival. "Best Men" is the third in a series of plays that Baldessari and Stezin have written together. The first two, "The Thing about My Brother" and "Fidelity Drumming," have been featured previously in the First Draft Reading Series.

First Draft at Charter Theater is supported in part by Arlington County through the Cultural Affairs Division of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. The First Draft Reading Series is also made possible in part by the warmth and generosity of the Drama Committee of the Arts Club of Washington, and The Share Fund of The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region.

The organization's mission is to develop audiences alongside new plays, and support local artists and theaters looking to produce new work. For more information, visit First Draft online at www.firstdraft.org.

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