NAKED IN ALASKA Extends Through 3/1 at The COW

Legendary Hearts Productions and The Celebration of Whimsy announces the extension of Valerie Hager's award-winning hit NAKED IN ALASKA. Written by and starring Hager and directed by Scott Wesley Slavin, performances will now run through March 1 at The COW.

NAKED IN ALASKA follows Valerie Hager through her 10-year career working as an exotic dancer in strip clubs from Mexico to Alaska as she strives to redeem the outcast and addict she had become during adolescence. At 21, newly sober and recently evicted, Valerie is invited by her best friend Raven to work at a strip club in Tijuana, Mexico. An evening that begins in innocence and excitement over making some easy cash seduces her into a 10-year career that tests the limits of friendship and her will to survive. In this solo work, Hager portrays more than a dozen characters that danced in and frequented the clubs.

Hager began crafting NAKED IN ALASKA in 2005. "I was at a place in my life where I was looking back the experiences I had as a meth-addicted teenager and exotic dancer. As I began to share my story, I saw how it impacted and connected with people. I realized I had to develop this part of my life into a performance piece because I believed it could inspire and empower others who have felt different or on the fringe."

NAKED IN ALASKA has been performed at numerous festivals nationally, including The New York International Fringe Festival (winner of Overall Excellence in Solo Performance) and the Chicago Fringe Festival (Audience Favorite winner). Most recently, Valerie returned from performing a sold out run in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

NAKED IN ALASKA runs February 7 - 22, Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30PM; Monday, Feb. 17 at 8:00PM; and Fri. Feb. 28 and Sat. March 1 at 10:00PM. The COW is located at 21-A Clinton Street, accessible from the F train at 2nd Ave or the B/D at Essex. Tickets are $20. For tickets or more information: www.nakedinalaska.com or www.thecownyc.com.