In addition to The Happy Sad, the Summer Play Festival also offers Nicki Bloom's Tender through July 26 at the Public Theater. Performances take place in the Anspacher and Martinson Theaters at the Public.
Created and produced by Tony-winning producer Arielle Tepper Madover (Mary Stuart, Hair, 33 Variations Frost/Nixon, The Pillowman), SPF began performances July 7 and runs through Aug. 2. Already presented in the festival were Reborning, The Chimes, The Sacrifices and Whore.
Works running July 21-26 include:
Tender by Nicki Bloom. "A random act of violence leaves a family shattered and searching for a way to be whole again. Amid the ramifications, mystery, memory, and potential murder set the stage for this haunting drama about love, loss, and grief." Daniella Topol directs Betsy Aidem (Celebration), Kerry Bishé (Pygmalion, "Sex in the City"), Michael Cullen (Dark Matters) and Matt Dellapina.
The Happy Sad by Ken Urban. "Finding love is easy. Defining love is not. New York City provides the backdrop to a contemporary comedy of sex, love, and dating in a city where there are too many options and not enough time." Trip Cullman directs Christopher Abbott (Mouth to Mouth), Ari Graynor (The Little Dog Laughed), Sue Jean Kim (The Drunken City, "Gossip Girl"), Maulik Pancholy ("Weeds," "30 Rock"), Michael Stahl David (The Black Donnellys), Heidi Schreck (The Internationalist, Drum of the Waves of Horikawa) and Eddie Kay Thomas ("Till Death"). Upcoming SPF productions follow:
Departure Lounge by Dougal Irvine. "It's the end of vacation as four guys wait for their flight home in this testosterone-driven new musical. With time to kill they recount the hilarious antics of the week, and as secrets tumble out we learn more about the lads than they know about themselves." (July 28-Aug. 2 in the Anspacher Theater).
Tony nominee Christopher Gattelli directs the musical that features Nick Blaemire (The Black Suits, Cry-Baby), Doug Kreeger (Rooms, Thrill Me), Kathleen Monteleone ("Grease-You're the One That I Want"), Alex Tonetta (The History Boys) and Jonathan B. Wright (Spring Awakening).
We Declare You a Terrorist by Tim J. Lord. "Eight hundred civilians are taken hostage during the performance of a hit Moscow musical. In the aftermath, the playwright is plagued by the story of his captor — a young woman willing to die for her cause — in an intense drama where one person's patriotism is another's act of terrorism." (July 28-Aug. 2 in the Martinson Theater).
Niegel Smith stages the work that includes David Bishins (A Mother, a Daughter and a Gun), Keira Keeley (Green Girl, The Thugs) and Katie Sigismund (Opus).
For tickets, priced $10, and more information visit SPFNYC.
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SPF, which operates under the umbrella of Living Room for Artists, has produced over 70 original works, providing writers a financially supported protected environment in which to explore and hone their material with the aid of established professionals.
