Red Lab Productions to Present American Premiere of Tamar Bartaia's A TOY GUN

Red Lab Productions (Boris Akunin's Hamlet. A Version) will present the American Premiere of Tamar Bartaia's A Toy Gun, directed by Becky Baumwoll (See Reverse with Broken Box Mime) as part of the Georgian-American Theatrical Feast, a festival of new works written by playwrights from the Republic of Georgia translated into English, July 13-August 6 at Teatro Circulo (64 East 4th Street between 2nd Avenue and Bowery) with performances on Thu 7/20, Fri 7/21, Sat 7/29, Wed 8/2 & Thu 8/3 @ 8pm and Sun 7/30 @ 3pm. Tickets ($18) are available in advance at toygun.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

Two lives, one encounter that changes both irrevocably. An intimately theatrical tale of a famous actor and a promising singer as they grow up and grow old in a country haunted by a war and held down by history. A story of parallel lives - and of an attraction that transcends time and space.

A Toy Gun will feature Tara Giordana (Serious Money with Potomoc Theatre Project) and Luke Younger (A Kid Like Jake with YOLO! Productions) with Lighting Design by Lauren Duffie (In the Room with Slant Theatre Project) and Stage Manager Esti Bernstein.

Tamar Bartaia (Playwright) is a playwright and screenwriter living in Tbilisi, Georgia. She co-wrote the documentary Prime Meridian of Wine, about Georgian viniculture, which won numerous awards and citations in 2016. Her play Diary of a Dress was performed in London, Edinburgh, Kiev, Baku, and Moscow. Her plays have been part of numerous international theatre festivals and have been translated into English, Russian, German, Armenian, Lithuanian, Turkish, and Italian. A Toy Gun was performed in London, Lithuania, and Tbilisi, and will receive its American premiere as part of this festival.

Becky Baumwoll (Director) is an NYC-based theater artist originally from the Boston area. After studying International Relations with a Peace & Justice Studies focus and a Studio Art minor at Tufts University, she founded Broken Box Mime Theater (BKBX) in 2011; a non-profit theater company that creates contemporary original plays through mime. Along with developing curricula through BKBX to teach methods of silent storytelling and devised process to children and professionals of all ages, Becky has been a teaching artist throughout NYC and in greater New England, as well as abroad in Switzerland and Ethiopia. She has appeared on stage in NYC and regionally, directed various Shotz plays with Amios Theatre Company, and continues to act as Artistic Director of BKBX. www.brokenboxmime.com

The Georgian-American Theatrical Feast aims to introduce American audiences to nine playwrights from Georgia (the country, not the state), a small Republic on the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Already becoming known in America for its culinary delights, Georgia is also home to a thriving and innovative theatre community. Featuring two full productions and seven free readings, all never-before-seen in America, along with special events, wine, and music, this festival promises rich, intense, funny, and strikingly relevant flavors to spice up the theatrical summer.

Red Lab Productions is an international collective dedicated to cultural diplomacy through art and performance. Led by Artistic Director Irina Gachechiladze, Red Lab has performed in four countries in traditional and non-traditional venues, driven by a commitment to cultural cross-pollination of artists and audience. NYC productions include the World Premiere of Boris Akunin's Hamlet. A Version (Theatre at St. Clements) and Chekhov's The Seagull (TheatreLab). International productions include: Don Giovanni (National Armenian Opera); Eugene Onegin (Marjanishvili Theater, Tbilisi, Georgia); The Telephone (Salon Opera, London). www.redlabproductions.org