Cherry Lane Theatre's 2014 Mentor Project to Conclude 4/2-12 With Lina Patel's RAGGED CLAWS

Cherry Lane Theatre's award-winning MENTOR PROJECT for emerging playwrights concludes its 16th season with Lina Patel's new play RAGGED CLAWS, running at the Cherry Lane Theatre (38 Commerce St. in Greenwich Village) from April 2 to 12. Jedadiah Schultz directs RAGGED CLAWS, and the Tony Award-winning playwright David Henry Hwang serves as Ms. Patel's Mentor Playwright.

In THE RAGGED CLAWS, as Manhattan is being relocated to upstate due to rising sea levels and a feared tsunami, a British mother, American father and their adopted Indian son must confront the wounds of history, even as the future rises up to meet them.

Featured in the cast are Sanjit De Silva, Tom Galantich, Brian Hastert, Kahan James, Mahira Kakkar, Jonathan Raviv, Olga Sosnovska and Amy Lynn Stewart. Scenic and projection design is by Caite Hevner, Amanda Seymour is costume designer, lighting design by Miriam Crowe, sound design is by Sam Kusnetz, Raphael Mishler is props designer, Angela F. Kiessel is production stage manager, Laura Kim and assistant stage manager, Per Janson is assistant director and Kate Murray is casting director.

Scheduled through April 12, SONNETS ON TAP performs Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7 pm. Tickets are $19. To purchase tickets call 866 811 4111 or go online www.cherrylanetheatre.org.

One of the nation's leading programs for emerging playwrights - winner of the Ross Wetzsteon Obie Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Development of New Work, along with the James Kirkwood Award for fostering and promoting the work of contemporary American playwrights -- Cherry Lane Theatre's MENTOR PROJECT each year partners a veteran playwright with a new writer for an entire season of script development, casting, rehearsals, re-writes culminating with a full, professionally staged, 2-week production. MENTOR PROJECT plays are not open for review. This year Cherry Lane has introduced its first mentorship for directing.

LINA PATEL is an actor and playwright whose full-length plays include SANKAPAN (Desire), a Sundance semi-finalist and presented at the Lark's Playwrights Week; DISAPPEARANCE OF LUCK developed with Jose Rivera at New Harmony Project; NEEL AND NICKY, presented at New Group. She is presently working on a commission for a new play from Yale Rep.

DAVID HENRY HWANG is the author of numerous plays including M BUTTERFLY (Tony Award - Best Play); GOLDEN CHILD; YELLOW FACE; CHINGLISH; THE DANCE AND THE RAILROAD. Signature Theatre recently debuted his newest work KING-FU this season.

Established in 1998, MENTOR PROJECT has nurtured and launched new work by 50 emerging dramatists including Katori Hall, Rajiv Joseph, Christopher Shinn, David Adjmi,, Julia Cho,Molly Smith Metzler, Anne Washburn, Jakob Holder, Sheila Callaghan, Anton Dudley and Lisa Ramirez.

Cherry Lane Theatre is one of the most renowned theatres in the country, having produced a large succession of plays by nascent writers whose names have lent distinction to the American and international literary and dramatic treasuries dating back to the 20s: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Auden, Gertrude Stein, Beckett, Albee, Pinter and many more. In 1996 Angelina Fiordellisi revive Cherry Lane, preserned the building and detailed history, and founded the producing company Cherry Lane Alternative, creating a number of programs to launch the next generation of American playwrights.

Angelina Fiordellisi is Founding Artistic Director of Cherry Lane Theatre; Seri Lawrence is Literary Manager and Janio Marrero is Facility Director. Stephanie Ybarra is Mentor Project's Producing Artistic Director and Michael Bulger is Associate Producer.

For more information, visit www.cherrylanetheatre.org.