Monday, January 28, 2013

Manhattan: THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY


Queens Comes to Manhattan in Premiere of Ambitious Repertory
** 3 Plays, 18 Playwrights, 37 Actors, 93 Roles, 1 new Theater **
February 8 - March 3 at 777 Theatre

Theatre 167 will present the Manhattan Premiere of THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY, a rotating repertory of three plays about the Queens, New York neighborhood famous for being the world's most diverse community. Created by 18 playwrights and starring a company of 37 actors, the plays were conceived and will be directed by Ari Laura Kreith. The trilogy will inaugurate the newly renovated 777 Theatre, located at 777 8th Avenue at 47th Street beginning February 8th. While each of the plays has been presented individually in Queens to critical acclaim, this is the first time any of these plays will be seen in Manhattan and the first time they are being presented together in repertory, where audiences can see them on alternating nights or all in one day.


The three plays of THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY are: 

167 TONGUES
by Jenny Lyn Bader, Meny Beriro, Alvin Eng, Steven Fechter, Jennifer Gibbs, Les Hunter, Anna Kushner, Rehana Mirza, Suzanne Sheptock, and Stefanie Zadravec.

An Indian sweet shop vendor attempts to keep her store going and her most ardent suitor at bay, a Nepali woman and a Mexican man fall in love across a linguistic divide, an Irish ghost befriends a troubled Ecuadorian girl, a Dominican manicurist wonders whether her Jewish-Chinese boyfriend will propose before she is deported by the INS, and a Rwandan night nurse attempts to understand the 167 distinct languages spoken in the local Emergency Room. 

YOU ARE NOW THE OWNER OF THIS SUITCASE
by Mando Alvarado, Jenny Lyn Bader, Barbara Cassidy, Les Hunter, Joy Tomasko, Gary Winter, and Stefanie Zadravec.

A contemporary magic realist story for all ages! Inspired by folk tales collected on the streets of Jackson Heights — tales hailing from Burma, China, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Korea, Latin America, Mexico, Pakistan, Persia, Thailand, and beyond.

JACKSON HEIGHTS 3AM 
by Jenny Lyn Bader, J.Stephen Brantley, Ed Cardona Jr., Les Hunter, Tom Miller, Melisa Tien, and Joy Tomasko.

A Bangladeshi cab driver working the midnight shift yearns for a woman who rises at dawn to bake bread, but does not speak her language. A closeted policeman from Long Island comes to Jackson Heights for a date. A Russian immigrant discovers that redemption arrives in the strangest ways. A rookie cop tries his best, a beloved dog disappears, and a heartbroken E.R. doctor helps patients fulfill their dreams. Car dispatchers, sex workers, drag queens, gamblers, and insomniacs collide in the colorful world of Jackson Heights after hours. 

THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY stars Varin Ayala*, Farah Bala*, Cynthia Bastidas*, J.Stephen Brantley*, Arlene Chico-Lugo*, Ross DeGraw*, Jyotsna du Ciel*, Nick Fehlinger, Marcelino Feliciano, Samuel T. Gaines*, Nicholas Gorham, Andrew Guilarte, Israel Gutierrez*, Taylor Hess, Kevin Hoffman, Scott Janes*, Brandon Johnson, Russell Jordan*, Maribel Martinez, Neal Mayer*, Kenneth Maharaj, Nina Mehta, Sorely Muentes-Méndez, Jenny Mercein*, Anthony Merchant*, Dashiell Morss, Elodie Morss, Sergey Nagorny, Flor De Liz Perez*, Orlando Rios*, Alicia Sable*, Claudia Schneider*, Indika Senanayake*, Lipica Shah*, Gen Parton Shin, Fulvia Vergel*, and Nela Wagman*; with dramaturgy and dialect coaching by Angie Sohlberg; and with a production team that includes Abbey Bay (stage manager), James McSweeney (set design), Michelle Leibrock (costumes), Diana Duecker (lighting), Katie Hong (sound), Ross DeGraw (technical director), Max Ward (projections), Zooey Barry (props), and Michael Wilson Morgan (puppets). 

*Appearing Courtesy AEA

Born in a neighborhood that speaks 167 languages, Theatre 167 is a multicultural ensemble founded to embrace collaborative work, investigate cultural interactions, and celebrate community. All three plays in the THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY were written using Theatre 167’s own unique system of creative collaboration, where multiple playwrights share characters and storylines in online documents in real-life meetings and in live research sessions at all hours. 

THE JACKSON HEIGHTS TRILOGY runs February 8-March 3, with performances Tuesdays-Thursdays at 7:30pm; Friday at 8:00 pm; Saturdays at 12:00 noon, 4:00pm, and 8:00pm; and Sundays at 2:00pm and 5:00pm. Full repertory schedule with individual shows below -- please note that on Saturdays audiences are able to stay and see all 3 shows back-to-back. 

Performances are at 777 Theatre, located at 777 Eighth Avenue between 47th & 48th Streets, 2nd floor -- accessible from the 1/2/7/A/C/E/N/R trains to Times Square or 1/C/E/ to 50th Street. Tickets are $18 athttp://www.facebook.com/l/fAQHqDWbmAQFyopPw-atIyxE6g4L-kPbMx-iGJBU-kxA0pA/www.theatre167.org Queens Comes to Manhattan in Premiere of Ambitious Repertory

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