FACT Theatre Company Presents PAGE 2 STAGE, 5/1-6

Fact Theatre Company is concluding its third season with their annual PAGE 2 STAGE repertoire. FACT focuses on developing new work and the two shows being presented were developed during their playwright's forums.

AN UMBRELLA IN THE SNOW by Jack Dyville is a full length play which has had an evolution from short play to full length. The story explores the friendship of two of the most unlikely acquaintances, Edith Loveland, (LUCY SORLUCCO) a former 76 year old Broadway chorus girl and Edgar (GUS FERRARI), a 40-something father of three, New York City fry-cook. Once successful, Ms. Lovely now lives alone in a flea-bag residence hotel in midtown Manhattan where Edgar owns the coffee shop. The two establish a bond of friendship and understanding, as Edgar, who is going through a separation from his wife of sixteen years, learns some valuable lessons from his new friend. Each becomes sympathetic to one another as they discover life is about making choices and accepting differences. An extraordinary duo on a sentimental journey; poignantly told with honesty, and lots of heart and soul.

UMBRELLAS IN THE SNOW has already received considerable acclaim. “An Umbrella in the Snow” which began as a 7 minute play at Manhattan Theatre Sources “Spontaneous Combustion” in 2003 went on to be selected for countless readings and was named a Semi-Finalist at the 2005 Strawberry Festival and at the 2011 Ronald Duncan Playwriting Competition in England. This year, Dyville along with actors Lucy Sorlucco and Gus Ferrari and dramaturg Lynn Manuell have developed the play into a full 90 minute piece.

LUCY SORLUCCO who is featured as Miss Lovely has performed in international tours as Fraulein Schneider in Cabaret and Madame Giry inThe Phantom of the Opera in New York City at Primary Stages, La Mama E.T.C., Encompass Music Theatre, BMI, American Place Theatre, Actor’s Outlet Theatre and Soho Rep and in stock and regional theater including Foothills Theatre, Ogunquit Playhouse, Westchester Broadway Theatre, Theatre by the Sea, Seaview Players and Aradia Theatre, and on radio and television. She has performed in concert at Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center, Wave Hill, Riverdale, NY and Greenwich House Music School. She is a Charter Member of F.A.C.T.

GUS FERRARI (Edgar) is a graduate of the Moscow Theatre’s “Stanislawsky Method Seminar”, Gus, also attended HB Studios and has numerous stage and film credits. He has traveled the country performing with “Murder to Go” Interactive Mystery Theatre and Winceyco Inc. educational theatre. He was, also, a founding member of the I.N.T.A.R 53 Latino Actors Workshop (1997-2000) and is currently a board member and technical-coordinator at F.A.C.T.

Jack Dyville who is the director and playwright is a member of the Dramatists Guild, SDC, AEA, SAG and is Co-Founder, Producer/ Artistic Director. of F.A.C.T. He has 4 scripts Published with DRAMATIC PUBLISHING’S IE CLARK Series, He was produced at NY Fringe (‘04 & ‘09), Strawberry Festival, Wonderland NYC Fest, The Duplex, Playwright’s Horizons Invitational Forum. He is also a performer/choreographer with credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway, National Tours, Summer Stock, Dinner Theatre. He has also taught theatre and dance for 25 years. Dyville has been co-producer-director of a summer theatre, Youth Education On Stage in Williston North Dakota for the past 25 years. He taught dance for 20 years and is a certified Adjudicator with International Dance Challenge.

Stemming from the win of Katie Labhan's play Treasure at the 2011 Summer Shorts Festival in North Dakota, it was decided that resident playwrights would add to that theme to find their own meaning to the word "treasure" and the result, TREASURES, is a collection of four 20 minute plays: Inscriptions by Mark-Eugene Garcia, Reluctant Savior by Marjorie Conn, Elaine by Julia Genoveva and Treasure by Labhan. Weaving these plays together will feature the poem, Discovery, by Christine Emmert. Directed by Rodrigo E. Bolaños, the production will explore and discover "the treasures in all us."

Inscriptions by Mark-Eugene Garcia, is a look at what Eddie has lost and left behind. But with the help of his writing mentor, Janice, he will discover how to get it all back and move forward in life. Mark-Eugene Garcia, a resident playwright with F.A.C.T is the librettist and lyricist for the musicals The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota and Facing East and the playwright of (un)missed connections. Inscriptons features actress Betty Hudson who appeared on Broadway in GEORGE M!, BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE and Off-Broadway in DOG DAY AFTERNOON, IT'S ONLY A PLAY, MACBETH, TRUE WEST she toured with Mickey Rooney in GEORGE M! with Chita Rivera in ANYTHING GOES and Alan Alda in LI'L ABNER she is also a Board Member of FACT and last seen at FACT as Gert in Uff'DA and Eve in In the Garden of... and reads at many WORDS & WINE events.

Reluctant Savior by Marjorie Conn, the story of two nuns and a woman on a Yoga retreat at a convent who encounter each other as well as a baby squirrel. Surrealism and whimsy collide in this real-life drama. Marjorie Conn made her acting debut with the late, greyt Ethyl Eichelberger as his leading man playing Aegisthus to his Klytemnestra with her lover, the late, incomparable Katy Dierlam as Electra. The play features Marjorie Conn as the First Sister, and Madalyn McKay as Second Sister she was last seen as Queen Alice in the staged reading of Duncan Pflaster’s new play “The Tragedy of Dandelion”. Other credits include “The Orange Person” (Aunt Joan), “Choreography of Cyn and Marta” (Cyn), and “Anais Nin Goes to Hell” (Queen Victoria) she has appeared in the films “Morgan” (Peg), “Taffy Was Born” (Aunt Min) and the upcoming “Public Hearing” (Jeni Weaver). Lynn Manuell portrays Mariam. Lynn has appeared in numerous FACT productions including Uff'Da, She has been seen as Mama in High Button Shoes and Hedy in How to Succeed and Celia in As You Like It at the Illinois Theatre Center. She has been a cabaret singer in London, New York and Chicago and has appeared in 120 productions. She is on the board of FACT.

Elaine by Julia Genoveva, about the unexpected reunion of Elaine and her daughter Vivian. This is anything but a happy reunion, things will get worse before there is any hope that they will ever get better. Julia Genoveva was last seen in the film,"Dream On" (Fireweavers Productions) as Maggie. And in the reading of the play Limbo Lounge by Marjorie Conn. Other credits include: The play Jade's Secret as Jade Black, which Julia also wrote, produced and directed. And in the television pilot “Employees Only.”The show features actors STEPHANIE SCHWARTZ who has performed on stage and in film and TV throughout the metro area portraying a range of characters from healthy young women to sick 85 year olds. She has played in FACT's Words and Wine Program, Instant Theatre 2011 and 2012, MTW's Newborn Festival, 2011 and 2012. She has just appreared in a reading at The Peekskill Playhouse, and is shooting an indie film (Group Therapy.) She is a member of F.A.C.T., MTW, New York Artists Unlimited, TRU, The Supporting Characters, The Scene Stealers and AFTRA. Also featured is Charles Moran who has a B.A. in theatre. He studied acting with Marjorie Ballentine. He's performed in the Estrogenious Festival twice, the title role in Making Light's The Overdevelopment of Scott, in Henry IV with Looking Glass Theatre, Jeff in The Curious Savage. Recently in F.A.C.T.'s Words and Wine, Instant Theatre and The Mermaid's Tale as Zog.

Treasure by Katie Labhan, about what happens when a time-traveling pirate, a scuba diver and a macaw bond over a special treasure buried on a deserted beach. Ms. Labhan said that she is "pleased and touched." Treasure has had such a journey from readings to a first production and now to this completely new production with other plays themed with Treasures. Treasure features Andrew Pollard who recently starred in All This Intimacy at City College, and he is currently collaborating and rehearsing daily with directors, professors, and talented students and professionals on a number of projects. Also featured is Vicki Oceguera most recently appeared in F.A.C.T.'s "The Mermaid's Tale". She can also currently be seen in the musical "Honestly Abe" at the Actors Temple. Some favorites: Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and Jan in Grease also in Treasure is Jillian Jacobs who appeared in the role of Sarah Palin in Jack Dyville's "Kiss Today Goodbye" as her NYC stage debut.

Director, Rodrigo Bolaños has been designing, directing and acting for the stage for some time, especially while studying Architecture and Theatre Arts at Cal Poly State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. There, he directed for their first annual Shakespeare Festival, in addition to several short plays. His theatre acting credits include the Narrator/Old Man in Into the Woods, Max/Richard in Harold Pinter's The Lover and Pfc. William Santiago in A Few Good Men. Last year he designed sets for the musical comedy The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota at La Guardia College and most recently for The Man Who Loved Islands and The Mermaids' Tale, both here at The Secret Theatre. Next month he'll be directing a reading of Mark-Eugene Garcia's short play (un)missed connections for the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity.

PAGE 2 STAGE will be presented POCO Stage at THE SECRET THEATRE, 4402 23rd St, Long Island City NYC 11101. The Repertory Schedule is Tuesday May 1 – 7:30pm (Umbrella), Wednesday May 2 – 3pm (Umbrella) 7:30pm (Treasure), Thursday May 3 – 7:30pm (Treasure), Friday May 4 – 7pm (Umbrella) 9pm (Treasure), Saturday May 5 – 7pm (Treasure) 9pm (Umbrella), Sunday May 6 – 3pm (Treasure) 5:30pm (Umbrella) Tickets are available through BROWN PAPER TICKETS http://www.brownpapertickets.com.