Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Terrence McNally, Theresa Rebeck and More Respond to the 2016 Election with MORNING IN AMERICA at Primary Stages

Primary Stages has announced MORNING IN AMERICA, NOVEMBER 9, 9:00 AM - a series of one-minute monologues created by the Primary Stages community of playwrights in response to the 2016 election. A presentation of the full series of monologues, performed by Primary Stages Artists, will be held February 18th and 19th on the set of FADE at the Cherry Lane Theatre as a benefit for The Actors' Fund.

Beginning one week after the election, Primary Stages commissioned a collection of over 70 pieces written by a diverse array of playwrights from their artistic community. Each artist crafted a short monologue from the perspective of a character in America on the morning of November 9th. Undertaking Morning in America acutely reflects the responsibility and capability of a non-profit, artist-focused organization to respond directly and rapidly to current events. Through readings, talk-backs and roundtable discussions, Primary Stages strives to create an accessible and energetic space where artists and audiences can come together as a community to share their stories and process their experiences.

"The recent election has brought to the forefront a deep divide in principles, as well as a startling amount of animosity and prejudice in our nation," said Primary Stages. "Along with our audience, we seek to support the voices of immigrants, members of the LGBTQ community, and people of color in hopes of creating a space of understanding, inspiration, and healing."

Playwrights for MORNING IN AMERICA include Dan Ahearn, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Courtney Baron, Alex Beech, Stephen Belber, Brooke Berman, Lee Blessing, Emily Bohannon, Stephen Brown, Bekah Brunstetter, Matthew Capodicasa, Jonathan Caren, Nat Cassidy, Kathleen Clark, Cynthia L. Cooper, Kate Cortesi, Cusi Cram, Emily Daly, David Davila, Eisa Davis, Richard Dresser, Laura Eason, Bruce Faulk, Shaun Bennet Fauntleroy, Kate Fodor, Daisy Foote, Julian Giat, Judy Gold, Jason Grote, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tina Howe, Rachael Jenison, Yanna Jurado, Russell Kaplan, Boo Killebrew, Alessandro King, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Brandon Marianne Lee, Rehana Lew Mirza, Michele Lowe, Jessica Luck, Mariah MacCarthy, Cheri Magid, Michael McKeever, Terrence McNally, Winter Miller, Leah Nanako Winkler, Dan O'Brien, Topher Payne, Mike Poblete, Brian Pracht, Kat Ramsburg, Theresa Rebeck, Janet Reed, Kristine M. Reyes, Karina Richardson, Edwin Sanchez, Julian Sheppard, Crystal Skillman, Mat Smart, Tommy Smith, Susan Soon He Stanton, Samantha Stone, Tatiana Suarez-Pico, Caridad Svich, Daniel Talbott, Jonathan Tolins, Ken Urban, Richard Vetere, Eljon Wardally, Jenny Rachel Weiner, Sheri Wilner, and Stefanie Zadravec.

Performances for MORNING IN AMERICA, NOVEMBER 9, 9:00AM will take place at 2PM on Saturday, February 18 and at 7PM on Sunday, February 19. Tickets, priced $10, are now on sale at PrimaryStages.org, CherryLaneTheatre.org, and by phone via OvationTix at 212.532.3101. All proceeds will benefit The Actors' Fund.

Primary Stages' 2016/17 season includes the New York premiere of FADE, written by Tanya Saracho (Mala Hierba) and directed by Jerry Ruiz (Basilica). FADE begins performances on January 25, 2017 and will run through March 5, 2017. The season opened with THE ROADS TO HOME, written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Horton Foote and directed by Michael Wilson. The season will conclude with the New York Premiere of DANIEL'S HUSBAND, presented by Primary Stages & Ted Snowdon. Written by Michael McKeever (Moscow) and directed by Joe Brancato (Miracle on South Division Street), DANIEL'S HUSBAND will run from March-April 2017. Additional casting & creative team will be announced at a later date.

Primary Stages is an Off-Broadway not-for-profit theater company dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and sharing the art of playwriting. We operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater relies on nurturing playwrights and giving them the artistic support needed to create new work. Since our founding in 1984, we have produced more than 130 new plays, including In Transit by James Allen-Ford, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Russ Kaplan, and Sara Wordsworth (on Broadway this season); Horton Foote's The Roads to Home, The Day Emily Married, Harrison, TX, and Dividing the Estate (two 2009 Tony Award nominations); David Ives' All in the Timing (original 1993 production and 2013 revival) and Lives of the Saints; Donald Margulies' The Model Apartment (1995 premiere and 2013 revival); Billy Porter's While I Yet Live; Deborah Zoe Laufer's Informed Consent; Charles Busch's The Tribute Artist and Olive and the Bitter Herbs; Ike Holter's Exit Strategy; A.R. Gurney's Black Tie; Daisy Foote's When They Speak of Rita and Him; Theresa Rebeck's Poor Behavior; Tanya Barfield's The Call; Brooke Berman's Hunting and Gathering; Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams and The Stendhal Syndrome; Dan O'Brien's The Body of an American; Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter's In the Continuum (which went on to tour the U.S., Africa, and Scotland); and Conor McPherson's St. Nicholas (which marked the playwright's U.S. debut).

Our productions and artists have received critical acclaim, including numerous Tony, Obie, Lortel, Off-Broadway Alliance, AUDELCO, Outer Critics' Circle, Drama League, and Drama Desk awards and nominations. Primary Stages supports playwrights and develops new works through commissions, workshops, readings, and our education, access, and training programs: The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group, the Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA), the Fordham/Primary Stages MFA in Playwriting, Teenwrights, the Free Student Matinee Program, the Internship Program, TixTeen, PS35, and the newly launched Primary Stages Off-Broadway Oral History Project. Through these programs, Primary Stages advocates for our artists, helping them make important-and often transformative-connections within the theater community.

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