Horse Trade Theater Group & LTR to Present BECKETT IN BENGHAZI, 7/25-8/10

Horse Trade Theater Group will present Less Than Rent Theatre's World Premiere of Ben Diserens' BECKETT IN BENGHAZI, July 25-August 10 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place). The production will be directed by James Presson (FringeNYC Award Winner for Directing in 2010) and feature Julie Voshell (Movin' Out; Pop), Becca Ballenger (American Stare), Adam Weppler (Waiting for Lefty with Roundabout; Puppet Hamlet), Rachel B. Joyce (Muskego Lake, Desire! A Varsouviana), Brendan McDonough (Three Sisters with The Assembly), and Patrick Dooley (Words, Razors, and the Wounded Heart). Designs will feature sets by Dan Geggatt (Asuncion; Billy Witch), costumes by Jenni Meador, sound by Emily Auciello (The Dance and the Railroad at Signature Center), choreography by Jennifer Delac, and fight design by Cory Asinofsky (Richard 3).

Only days away from opening downtown in Samuel Beckett's Endgame, a beleaguered theatre troupe gets sucked into the furor of the debate over the US of A's occupation of the Middle East. As their director whimsically shifts gears on the whole production, they are forced to confront big issues, political and personal, and ask big questions: Where does imperialism fit into the 21st century? How do we distinguish between sacred traditions and antiquated infringements of human rights? And when do we break for lunch? An irreverent satire of ideological, metaphysical, and theatrocological stagnation.

The production will run July 25-August 10 at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A); Thursday through Saturday at 7pm. Tickets ($18, $15 students & seniors) are available online at www.horseTRADE.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

BECKETT IN BENGHAZI is made possible in part with public funds from the Fund for Creative Communities, supported by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. The production is also supported by public funds from the Manhattan Community Arts Fund, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by Lower Manhattan Cultural CounciL. BeckETT IN BENGHAZI has been and continues to be developed with members and veterans of the US Armed Forces.

BEN DISERENS (Playwright) is an actor and playwright based in New York City. Ben is originally from San Francisco, but has lived in Australia, taught at the Australian Theatre for Young People and studied at the Moscow Art Theatre. His play, A Keltic Cross, was workshopped by Less Than Rent at the Wild Project in July 2011. He is also the founder and head writer of the web-based sketch comedy group Eclectic Boogaloo; they have been featured on College Humor and FunnyOrDie.com where they have received nearly 50,000 views. Acting credits include Words, Razors, and the Wounded Heart; John Proctor in The Crucible, Mrs. Packard (dir. May Adrales), The Marriage of Figaro (dir. Matthew Maguire), The Good Person of Szechwan, Sticks and Bones, Go Down into Silence (by Ariadne Blayde), and The Birthday Girl (dir. Dan Winerman). He is a graduate of the theatre department at Fordham University.

JAMES PRESSON (Director) is the founder and co-artistic director of Less Than Rent. His production of Richard 3 had a sold-out run in the 2010 New York Fringe Festival, and James was personally awarded for Excellence in Directing. The production also received the 'Outstanding Actor' award as well as citations as 'Best of the Fest' and 'Top Ten Musicals' from the official Fringe Guide. James was a co-writer and associate director of Voices in Conflict, which was performed at The Vineyard Theatre and Fairfield Theatre Company (in Connecticut) and presented as a one-night-only event at The Public Theater and the Culture Project. It was later published by Playscripts, adapted for television, and aired on PBS. Other directing credits include Little Town Blues at The Wild Project as well as productions of The Crucible and Poodle with Guitar and Dark Glasses at Fordham University. He has recently produced at Lincoln Center, Joe's Pub, Le Poisson Rouge, Theater 80, Soho Playhouse, and Dixon Place. James' honors include a Freedom Award from the National Coalition Against Censorship, the MTI 'Courage in Theatre' Award, the State of Connecticut Governor's Award for Artistic Achievemen.

LESS THAN RENT THEATRE is dedicated new work by new artists for new audiences. Beckett in Benghazi marks LTR's eighth full production since 2010. A recent profile by Martin Denton in The East Villager proclaimed, "I am already a lifelong fan of LTR. If you care about the future of the American Theater, you need to become one too." In addition, they have received two Fringe Excellence Awards, as well as the support of the New York State Council of the Arts.

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work that has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York - the first and only festival of its kind in New York City. In 2011 Horse Trade received the New York Innovative Theatre Ellen Stewart Stewardship Award for demonstrating a significant contribution to the Off-Off-Broadway community through service, support and leadership.