45 Bleecker Announces Creation Of '45 Bleecker Street Company', First Reading Held 4/5

Louis Salamone, Executive Producer of The Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street, announced the creation of The BLEECKER STREET THEATRE COMPANY, a (501c3) non-profit resident theatre company to nurture and develop new works. The idea for the Bleecker Street Theatre Company, which will be headed by Peter Zinn, evolved from 45 Bleecker's production of the Amish rave drama, "Rumspringa" by Mr. Zinn which opened in February, 2009. The new theatre company will develop and workshop new plays in its free Monday Night Play Development Series with the goal of presenting fully produced plays that evolve from the series. The company also plans to present classics and previously produced works that they believe have an important voice in our current world.

Peter Zinn, Artistic Director of Bleecker Street Theatre Company said: "The new company is specifically interested in fostering works that speak to a new generation of theatre goers, and that are easily transferred to film and new media." "Rumspringa" was adapted to a full length screenplay and is currently being developed as a feature film in Los Angeles with representation from Innovative Artists Literary Agency in Santa Monica, CA. For more information on The Bleecker Street Theatre Company visit www.thebleecker.org.

On Monday, April 5 The Monday Night Play Development Series, will kick-off at 8 PM with a free reading of "Playtime", a new play by Murray Schisgal, starring Rosie Perez, Peter Reigert and Chip Zien in The Green Room Theatre at 45 Bleecker.

"Playtime" is an absurdist tragicomedy about the financial shenanigans of our fervently industrious Wall Street entrepreneurs. Peter Riegert plays Tommy, a manipulative hedge fund manager who befriends a journeyman stock broker (Chip Zien) with a problematic household and a spacey wife (Cynthia Mace). Rosie Perez plays Tommy's striking Nuyorican girlfriend.

Murray Schisgal's Broadway productions include LUV, ALL OVER TOWN, JIMMY SHINE, AN AMERICAN MILLIONAIRE, TWICE AROUND THE PARK and THE CHINESE and DOCTOR FISH. His off-Broadway plays included THE TYPISTS and THE TIGER and he co-wrote the film TOOTSIE starring Dustin Hoffman.

On Tuesday, April 13 The Bleecker Street Theatre Company presents a Playwrights Symposium titled ‘The Playwright's Journey - the state of things'. The Benefit evening in The Bleecker Street Theatre at 45 Bleecker begins with a champagne reception at 7:30 pm followed by the panel discussion at 8 PM. Tax-deductible tickets at $25 can be purchased via www.thebleecker.org.

The panel of distinguished playwrights will include:

Murray Schisgal (Luv, Jimmy Shine, and co-writer of Tootsie)
Israel Horovitz (The Indian Wants the Bronx, Line, North Shore Fish)
Mario Fratti (Nine, The Cage, 28 Unpredictable Plays)
Donna de Matteo (Our Son's Wedding, Almost on a Runway)
Quincy Long (The Adventures of Por Quinly, The Johnstown Vindicator)

The playwrights will discuss the highs and lows of their careers, what it is like to be a playwright in the theater of today, how it has changed and what the future holds. A question and answer session with the audience will follow. The moderator will be Stephan Morrow, Artistic Director of The Great American Play Series.

45 Bleecker is a multi-use theatre complex located in the NoHo district of lower Manhattan with three performance spaces open 19 hours a day, seven days a week. The main space, called The Bleecker Street Theatre, seats between 199 and 300; The Green Room Theatre, on the lower level, seats between 99 and 120. The spacious Lobby, which offers free WiFi, is home to Follin Art Gallery, and features gourmet sandwiches and concessions by Crosby Connection.

For more info on The Theatres at 45 Bleecker Street, visit www.45bleecker.com.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.