Queens Theatre to Bring Ten Stories to Life in PARK PLAYS This Summer

By: Jun. 28, 2017
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Ten stories about Flushing Meadows Corona Park will come to life in one production, Park Plays, performed from July 28 to August 6 at Queens Theatre, located in Queens' most iconic park.

"There is no better place to people-watch. The diversity of the communities who have integrated this Park into their lives - who celebrate birthdays, play soccer games, practice yoga, restore life to the New York State Pavilion Towers, and much, much, more - is really extraordinary. I see it daily - it is one of the privileges of working at Queens Theatre, and it always sparks my imagination. If we put this Park, in all of its richness - its place in history and its place in New York City today -in the hands of great playwrights, what stories would they tell? That is how Park Plays started. In some ways, it's a follow up to our successful World's Fair Play Festival in 2014, and in other ways the beginning of a larger project which we'll look forward to sharing with our community soon!" said Queens Theatre Executive Director Taryn Sacramone.

Playwrights Ngozi Anyanwu, Jenny Lyn Bader, Jess Barbagallo, Gracie Gardner, Richard Hinojosa, MJ Kaufman, Rex McGregor, Don Nguyen, Frank Paiva, and Lauren Yee wrote the short works included in Park Plays.

"Six of the plays are commissioned and four of the plays were chosen from open submissions. We chose playwrights who either have a connection with Flushing Meadows Corona Park, or whose work captures the spirit of inclusivity and diversity that the park represents. These writers are at the absolute top of their game - they have work produced around the world. The plays we chose from submissions come from all corners of the globe as well - one is from New Zealand! - and they are true representations of the people and events that populate the park," said Park Plays Festival Director Brant Russell.

The plays are directed by Evan Cummings, Candis Jones, Nico Grelli, Emma Miller and Marilee Talkington, and will be performed by an ensemble of eleven actors. Park Plays will be performed in Queens Theatre's intimate Studio Theater.

THE PLAYS:

G.O.A.T. by Ngozi Anyanwu
Three women bring tailgating to a new level in order to help their favorite athlete win the ultimate prize.

Care by Jess Barbagallo
A play about the romance of friendship.

The Tennis Climb by Frank Paiva
Nothing brings mother and daughter together like potential alien invasion.

Race Day by Don Nguyen
Three sisters discover their own path to victory at the annual dragon boat festival.

What Once We Were by Lauren Yee
A trio of museum curators recalls memories of the city big and small.

Afternoon Prayers by Jenny Lyn Bader
The intersecting dreams of three passersby in the park. Inspired by a moment in Marina Budhos' novel Watched.

Ruthie at the Fair by MJ Kaufman
The 1939 World's Fair was a place of mystery and discovery - and it's where Ruthie grew up.

Amazons of Tomorrow by Rex McGregor
Eleanor Roosevelt was tougher than you think.

Time Away by Richard Hinojosa
A grandmother and a little girl - both runaways - find common ground.

Ballgirl by Gracie Gardner
The kid who collects errant balls on the court may run the world tomorrow.

Park Plays is supported, in part, by an Art Works award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

A total of nine performances will run from July 28 to August 6, 2017: Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. There will be an additional performance Thursday, August 3rd at 7:30pm. All tickets are $18 ($15 for students and seniors) and are available at www.queenstheatre.org or at the Queens Theatre Box Office (718) 760.0064 - Open Tuesday to Friday from 12pm to 6pm). Queens Theatre is located at 14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, NY 11368.

The theater offers free parking and also provides a free shuttle bus from the Mets-Willets Point station on the #7 Subway line, starting one hour before show times.
ABOUT Queens Theatre Queens Theatre is an independent performing arts center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Its mission is to provide high quality, diverse performances and programs that are accessible to the borough's 2.2 million residents. Having begun as the Theaterama, one of three structures designed by renowned modernist architect Phillip Johnson to comprise the New York State Pavilion at the 1964 World's Fair, the building was converted to a live entertainment venue and in 1993 officially opened as the Queens Theatre. The theatre is committed to presenting world-class theatre, music and dance as well as unique education programs on site, in schools and senior centers, and at branches of the Queens Library. Visit www.queenstheatre.org.

Born in a community where 167 different languages are spoken, Theatre 167 creates, cultivates, and supports new work by artists of wide-ranging backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs. Our process is deeply collaborative, and we are particularly interested in investigating intersections, boundaries and borders-both cultural and artistic-and exploring how the telling of our individual and collective stories inspires us to appreciate a multiplicity of voices. We bring our community together to share innovative, generous and entertaining theatrical events-events that deepen and enhance our understanding of one another and of the role of theater in our civic dialogue. Go to www.theatre167.org.



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