Brett Singer & Associates, LLC
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2007
The Riant Theatre Company
is pleased to announce the return of THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL,
which is celebrating its 12th season. The festival will begin on
Thursday, February 15 and will take place at The American Theatre of Actors,
314 West 54th Street, in the Chemuchin Theatre, between 8th
and 9th Avenues. The Awards Ceremony and Performance will be on Friday, March
2nd at 8pm at The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space, 2537 Broadway
at 95th Street.
The Strawberry One-Act Festival, the brainchild of Artistic
Director Van Dirk Fisher, is a play competition in which the audience and the
theatre's judges cast their votes to select the best play, best director, best
actor, best actress and best set design of the season. In addition, this winter the festival will
be videotaped and broadcast on their website www.therianttheatre.com/video,
where viewers will also have the opportunity to cast their votes. The price to view the Strawberry One-Act
Festival online is $25 per series.
Twice a year, hundreds of plays from across the country are
submitted for the competition, of which 40 are chosen to compete. Plays move
from the 1st round to the semi-finals and then the finals. On March 2nd the festival will
culminate with the Awards Ceremony and Performance at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia
Theatre at Symphony Space. The
playwright of the winning play receives a $100 cash prize and a development
deal to have a full-length play developed by the Riant Theatre. In addition, several plays will be chosen to
be published in The Riant Theatre Company’s next anthology: The Best Plays From The Strawberry
One-Act Festival: Volume Four. Volumes One, Two and Three are available
online at www.Amazon.com, www.BarnesandNoble.com, the Riant’s online store at www.therianttheatre.com and at the
Drama Book Shop.
The Riant Theatre was founded in 1979, as a not-for-profit, tax-exempt
organization, by Artistic Director, Van Dirk Fisher. The Riant is a theatre
that provides a nurturing environment to develop new plays and outstanding
artists.
The Riant believes that by furthering the understanding between the
races, people can all advance and learn to live in harmony. The company
celebrates their diversity and takes joy in sharing their cultural differences
and similarities. The company acknowledges that theatre is an important tool
that has been used for centuries to help people see themselves in a new light
and achieve a new perception of themselves and the world in which they live.
The Riant (which means merriment and laughter in French) has grown to become a
place where artists (singers, writers, actors, directors, musicians, &
visual artists) can come together to collaborate on new works and share ideas.
THE STRAWBERRY ONE-ACT FESTIVAL will run from February 15 through
February 25 (Monday through Friday at 7:30pm & 9:30pm; Sat & Sun at
1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm & 9pm) at The American Theatre of Actors, 314 West 54th
Street, in the Chernuchin Theatre, 2nd
Fl, NYC, between 8th & 9th Avenues. THE STRAWBERRY
ONE-ACT FESTIVAL Awards Ceremony
and Performance Winter 2007 will be held at The Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at
Symphony Space at 2537 Broadway at 95th Street
on Friday, March 2 at 8pm.
For reservations, call 646-623-3488 or visit
www.therianttheatre.com. Tickets are
$20.00 for each series,
$25.00 for the finals (Price includes
reception) and $35 for the awards show.
A complete schedule of all performances and events follows.
- more -
Page 2
Schedule For Festival Performances
Thursday, February 15th at 7:30 pm
TIMING by Rudolph Cecera & Directed by Bernard
Etienne
Featuring:
Rudy Cecera, Denise Collins, Laura D'Amico & Jiffy Reed
A man goes to see a psychiatrist to get advice on how to handle a relationship.
CAPTAIN NIGHTMARE by
Michael J. Quinones & Directed by Marc Santa Maria
Featuring: Curran Connor, Rainbow Dickerson
& Vincent Madero
An up and coming visual artist learns an important lesson about putting
ambition above friendship.
THE LAST MINSTREL SHOW
by Isaac Shapiro & Directed by Lanigiro
A satirical send up of the music industry in which an up and coming rapper gets
the offer of a lifetime. But will the ghosts of his past conflict with the
potential prosperity of his future?
YES, DEER Written & Directed by Loretta
Napolitano
Featuring: Matt Mickelson &
Meredith Napolitano
A woman suffers from Post Traumatic Deer Disorder after she hits a deer on her
way home from the Y. What’s a husband
to do?
Series B
Thursday, February 15th at 9:30 pm
HOW TO INTRODUCE YOUR
GIRLFRIEND TO YOUR PARENTS
Written & Directed by Jonathan Galvez
Featuring: Kenneth Kasch, Alan Pagano, Alison Walminski & Katie
Weigl
A delightful “How To” guide with a few great lessons for everyone.
SPINMEISTERS Written & Directed by Tanya
Klein
Featuring: Dolan Byrnes, Natasha Graf,
Mateo Moreno & Laurie Ann Orr
A political farce in which the White House speech writing team battles
desperately to make a hopeless situation sound good.
THE FILE ON J. EDGAR HOOVER by Steve Gold &
Directed by Mark Stone
Featuring: Mark Stone
A confrontation between JFK and Hoover in the Oval Office in June of 1962.
Series C
Friday, February 16th at 7:30 pm
THE
CELLAR Written & Directed
by Melissa Gawlowski
Featuring: Brian Greer, Dianna Marino
& Joshua Seidner
Two teens’ plan to have a little creepy fun in an abandoned house takes a turn
for the worse.
HERE AND THERE by
Irwin Nayman & Directed by Christopher Thomasson
Featuring: Jason Fogerty & Roger
Militec
When a man ask his boyfriend to move in with him he learns some unexpected
things about his boyfriend and their relationship.
1190 UNDERDOG ..A Historical Story by Mary E.
Goulet & Directed by Jesse L. Kearney
Featuring: Phil E. Eichinger, David
Heron & Hirotaka Otsuka
Beginning in 1190 A.D., a talking Tree is alternately visited by the then
rivals Jamuka and Temujin, who as boys on the Mongolian steppe had pledged
brotherhood.
Series D
Friday, February 16th at 9:30 pm
BALLOONS AND THICKETS
by Jimmy Nolan & Directed by Lyssa Mandel
Featuring: Kelly Dwyer, Pam Jones, Lee
Markham, Joe Sousa
A story of loss and love steeped in historical inaccuracies and set in the
woods.
MANAGER OF THE MONTH by Keri Taylor &
Directed by Cody Potter
Featuring: Mia Anderson, Rebecca
Anderson, Tania Diaz Flores, Amanda Ochoa, Keri Taylor, Mariya Tsakalo, Adam
Weir
At a dinner to honor an outstanding worker something’s brewing that’s bound to
stir things up. Something’s rotten, and
I don’t mean Denmark.
- more -
Page 3
THE PATTERN by Brian Harris & Directed by
Michael Burdick
A surprise visit to a psychologist’s office by a confused couple reveals
repressed desires as an unusual relationship develops.
A GREAT PAIR OF SHOES written & directed by
Laurie Newkirk
A delightful comedy unfolds as three generations of women discuss the world of
dating.
Series E
Saturday, February 17th at 1:00 pm
M5 by Liza Lentini & Directed by Tony
Raymond
Featuring: Rick Plaugher &
Christine Seisler
Two strangers with a penchant for wild stories, spontaneous sex, and small
handguns meet at an urban bus stop.
THE ROBOT PLAY Written &
Directed by Jason Cutler
Featuring: Sherri Quaid & Nathan
Riley
Are the sex lives of Robots any different than the sex lives between human
beings?
THE HIRED HAND Written & Directed by Paul
Trupia
Featuring: Maureen Chandler, Matt
Fitzgerald & Sheilah Spagnoli
A woman orders a hired man to help around the house and gets more than she bargained
for.
Series F
Saturday, February 17th at 3:00 pm
WELCOME TO NORWAY Written & Directed by
Robin Anne Joseph
Featuring: Laura Maggie Kramer &
Steve Plaushin
A woman discovers a powerful lesson about life’s destinations and how to accept
it.
GETTING IN Written & Directed by Mara
Lesemann
Featuring: Jordan Auslander, Lauren
Cozza, Alice Elliott & Lou Nargi
St. Peter searches for someone to cover his post at the pearly gates so he can
take a vacation.
CAWFFEE
TAWK Written & Directed
by Jenifer Badamo
Featuring: Cathy Marie Chimenti, Renee
Delio, Maria McConville & Samantha Sheehan
A woman is blackmailed and must make a decision that will change her life
forever!
EVERYTHING by Geraldo Pena
For every action there is a reaction, from Landlord vs. Tenant to Rich
Countries vs. Third World Countries.
And the beat goes on.
Series G
Saturday, February 17th at 5:00 pm
SAME MISTAKE TWICE Written & Directed by
Jesse Schmitt
Featuring: Jane
Bacon, David Holt & Katharine Poklemba
A chance meeting between a guy and a girl holds a mirror to their lives and the
truth within.
THE SITUATION LOON Written & Directed by
Patrick W. Hughey
Featuring: John Concillo, Claire
Hughey, Patrick Hughey, Emma Morrison-Cohen & Bob Watkins
A political docu-farce about the third term of President George Bush.
FILIBUSTERO! Written, Directed & Performed
by Andrew Harriss
United States Senators debate the merits of Federal Judicial nominees and the
validity of filibusters.
DOG PAPERS Written by Alexis Kozak
A young female college professor tries to end a relationship with her student.
Series H
Saturday, February 17th at 7:00 pm
SAINTS IN STRANGE PLACES
Written & Directed by David Holstein
Featuring: David Holstein, Michael
Kohn, Leah Rachel & Black Silver
Two people meet under bizarre circumstances and do whatever it takes to
overcome their status as underdogs.
- more -
Page 4
THE RED PAINT BALL Written & Directed by Alyssa and Laura Waldron
Featuring: Carrie DiGeronimo,
Vincent DiGeronimo, Laura Kelly, Will Lenihan, Alyssa Schroeder, Will Szigethy
Childish pranks leads to hanky panky as obedience is measured in steady
strokes.
AIRPORT by Christopher Loar & Directed by
Sam Williams
Featuring: Daniel Ball, Ricke Benson,
Uys Du Buisson, Melissa Hughes & Tyler Swank
One man’s ordinary journey spirals into a web of entrapment and illusion.
NANCY TO A POINT Written & Directed by
Alaina Hammond
Featuring: Sonya-Marie Aleman, Isabel Agnes, Chris Gilmer, Nikki Gold,
Alaina Hammond,
Sean O'Hagan & Anitra Thomas
A woman escapes into the recesses of her mind while dealing with a traumatic
experience.
Series I
Saturday, February 17th at 9:00 pm
DIRTY LAUNDRY ON THE CRAZY GIRLS LINE
Written & Directed by Hollie Rosenberg
Featuring: Hayli
Henderson, Ben Hollandsworth, Chris O’Neil & Heather Rosen
Crazy Girl explores her current predicament of being emotionally unbalanced and
single.
PSYCHE IN THE DARK
Written by Brad Jennings & Directed by Wayne Yeager
Featuring: Eve Armstrong
A woman flirts with death and becomes the hit of her dreams.
COMING
CLEAN by Steven Shapiro
A young business executive finds his life in shambles after his wife files for
divorce.
Series J
Sunday, February 18th at 3:00 pm
SELLING ARNOLD Written by Dean Preston
Shtainhorn & Co-Directed by Dean Preston Shtainhorn & Robert Learner. Featuring:
Justin Delasko, Michael Lester & Sean O’Hagan
Two struggling artist face financial crisis as their friendship unravels.
THE GARDEN PARTY by Martin M. Zuckerman &
Directed by Jana Mattioli
Featuring: Emily Beatty, Nina Kassa,
Robin LeMon & Misti Tindiglia
Life’s little miseries almost puts a damper on a planned garden party as the
beat plays on.
PINATA by Zach Messner & Directed by Nick
Dujnic
Featuring: Jon Anderson, Michael J.
Contini, Paul Gagnon, Ross Gallo, Jenny Jordon, Zach Messner & Jake
Silberman
An absurd comedy about murder, mayhem and roommates.
WELCOME HOME by Jay Hanagan
Something very special can happen when the love and history that
surrounds a family and their home reaches out to embrace a new family.
Series K
Sunday, February 18th at 5:00 pm
SHE RETURNS by Dennis Hurley & Directed by
Steven Brillon
Featuring: Jon Amundsen, Dennis Hurley,
Elise Rovinsky, Shelly Smith & Erin Wilk
A comic’s night of elation quickly turns into a nightmare when an unexpected
guest appears.
KNAVE OF HEARTS by Rosemary Martino &
Directed by Matthew Hamel
Featuring: Tiffany
Clementi, Evan J. Hamm & Paul Mischeshin
A jewel thief steals a woman’s heart and unleashes a passion that’s so hot,
it’s a crime!
- more -
Page 5
A MURDER AT THE CHURCH Written & Directed by
Jacqueline Hankins
Featuring: Cory Brookshire, Jacqueline
Hankins, Leroy Hankins, Chris Johnson, Robbyne Kaamil, Penelope Lagos, Veronica
Palazzolo, Lance Phillips, Crystal Roman, Vincenzo Vaccaro, Eric Walker
The church organist is ridiculed when she says she witness a murder during
choir rehearsal, but no body is found.
A very funny hip hop musical mystery.
Can you figure out who done it?
GALOSHES Written by Robert Brophy
A prodigal son finally stands up for himself and becomes his own man.
The
Strawberry One-Acts Festival Finals Winter 2007
Saturday, February 24th
at 2pm & 7pm & Sunday, February 25th at 3pm
The best plays from the Semi-Finals & The Wild Night
Tickets: $25.00. Price includes a reception at each show.
The
Strawberry One-Acts Festival Awards Ceremony and Performance Winter 2007 At the
Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space
Friday, March 2nd
at 8pm
The four best plays from the Finals will perform. Awards will be given to the Best Play, Best Director, Best
Actress, Best Actor & Best Set Design
Tickets: $35.00.
###
311 W. 43rd Street phone:
(212) 307-7181
New York, NY 10036 Fax: (212) 307-7178