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August 31, 2006

VISIBLE THEATRE

VISIBLE THEATRE
presents
“TRUE STORY PROJECT: SEX”
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL STORIES BY THE ENSEMBLE
Conceived and Directed by Krista Smith
Co-Directed by Laura Silence

Performances will begin October 4
at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre in the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex


(New York) August 18, 2006—Visible Theatre (Krista Smith, Artistic Director) will present its third bi-annual True Story Project, “True Story Project: SEX,” conceived and directed by Krista Smith, co-directed by Laura Silence, and written by the ensemble at the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, part of the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 West 36th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). The official opening performance will be Wednesday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m. Performances will run through Saturday, November 4.

“True Story Project: SEX” features a profoundly diverse ensemble of nine actors, including actors with disabilities, who take turns revealing true life stories that explore sex and sexuality in a wide range of styles. The stories shift in subject matter and treatment from outrageously funny to grievously stark and engrossingly matter-of-fact. Previous True Story Projects have been performed at many New York City colleges, hospitals, shelters and residential centers. They have appeared as part of the Imagine Festival in 2004 (Chashama), at the HERE Arts Center, and at City Hall, to commemorate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The True Story Project seeks to advance the mission of the company by “celebrating alternative perspectives, challenging perceptions and providing unique insight into the human condition.”—Visible Theatre mission statement.

The ensemble of Visible Lab members includes Rebecca Bateman, Angela D'Arezzo, Eugenia Francis, Gregg Mozgala, Chris Reed, Esra Gaffin, Michelle Mantione, Katie Labahn, and Liz Treston performing as themselves. Mr. Mozgala and Ms. Treston also serve as head writers for the project.
Krista Smith has conceived and directed two previous True Story Projects, each of which was developed over an intensive two-year writing- and rehearsal process. Other directing credits include Pvt. Wars at the Duncan Smith Theatre in New Jersey, and the world premiere of The Ballad of Round Eyes by Stacey Engels. She has appeared in over 40 plays, including the Actor's Studio Free Theatre revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? directed by Arthur Penn, and the OOBR best drama award-winning Two Rooms by Lee Blessing. Other work includes: Hitler’s Addendum with Ruby Dee, That Tuesday written by Eduardo Machado and directed by Joseph Chaikin, and a cameo in the HBO film Let it Snow. She teaches acting at Johns Hopkins University.
Laura Silence is a member of the Visible Lab and Visible Writing Circle. She has taught acting for twelve years with organizations such as Merry-Go-Round Playhouse, Curtain Call in Stamford CT, The National Theatre Workshop for the Handicapped, The Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco and Visible Theatre. Her regional performances have included the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, the Mendocino Shakespeare Festival and Off Off Broadway. She has worked extensively in children’s theatre and in improvisational theatre. Silence says of her work: “Theatre should ideally be the telling of a story--honestly, creatively, expressively, wholly, joyfully, soulfully, and clearly.”

“Since founding the Visible Theatre in 2000, Krista Smith, an actress, director, and advocate for people with disabilities, has nurtured a range of theatrical projects that are bringing able and disabled bodies together in performance. With a vision directed toward confronting issues of social exclusion and a mission to foster long-term development of provocative theatre art, the Visible Theatre enfolds all bodies in its theatre training, workshops, and new play development.”—Susan Tenneriello, Brooklyn College forthcoming review, Theatre Journal 58:3 (October 2006). This fall’s production of Krankenhaus Blues will be dedicated to the memory of playwright John Belluso, a Visible Board member, friend and inspiration for Visible’s mission and work

The five-week performance schedule (October 4 through November 4) for “True Story Project: SEX” will be: Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 3:00 p.m. The official opening performance will be Wednesday, October 4 at 8:00 p.m. Admission will free of charge, with tax-deductible donations accepted at the door. The box office number for individual and group reservations is 212-479-8418.

For more information on Visible Theatre or “True Story Project: Sex” visit www.visibletheatre.org or e-mail desk@visibletheatre.org

Posted by Elizabeth Treston