'The Small of Her Back' opens 5/9 at the 411 Theatre

On the heels of the success of their inaugural production, SERENADE, by Nils Olaf Dolven and Tony Award-winner Rachel Sheinkin, Jaradoa Theater will present THE SMALL OF HER BACK, a new play by Russell Leigh Sharman, directed by April Nickell. THE SMALL OF HER BACK will begin Friday, May 9 and play Fridays-Mondays through May 19 at The 411 Theater (300 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor, between 8th and 9th Aves.).  

THE SMALL OF HER BACK introduces us to Piper, a self-diagnosed bi-polar shut-in with OCD who spends much of her time in Internet chat rooms.  Six months ago, Piper met Mollie online, and Mollie changed everything.  Now, a knock on the door jolts Piper into the world of flesh and bone.  John Sharp, Mollie's brother, was sent to talk Piper out of the things she is threatening.  But John may not be who he claims to be...

Eileen Rivera and Jeremy O'Grady will play the roles of Piper and John, respectively.  The scenic design for THE SMALL OF HER BACK is by Brandon Giles, with costume design by Andrea Varga, lighting design by Zack Tinkelman and sound design by Pea-Jae Stasuk. John Martinez is production manager with Robert E. Schneider producing.

Playwright Russell Leigh Sharman is a writer and anthropologist. He received his PhD in cultural anthropology from Oxford University in 1999, and now teaches at Brooklyn College. Eileen Rivera's Off-Broadway credits include Jaradoa's production of Serenade as well as Sides: The Fear is Real (Culture Project), Dogeaters (Public/NYSF),  Shanghai Lil's and Cambodia Agonistes (Pan Asian Rep).  Jeremy O'Grady's credits include The Subject Was Roses, All My Sons, and Haven's "The Mercy Plays." April Nickell directed Serenade and has directed in New York City for the Neva Theater Company and Haven Productions, and she collaborated on Anika Larsen's solo show Shafrika, the White Girl. 

Jaradoa Theater is a company of professional theater artists - actors, directors, designers, writers - who serve through performance. Jaradoa's members are equally devoted to productions and to performance-based outreach.  They do theater that promotes mercy, beauty and truth in an environment where artists thrive, and use storytelling to address brokenness in their community. Jaradoa (Just A Roomful of Artists Doing Outreach And) Theater works with public school students, the elderly, and at-risk youth, providing opportunities for theater artists to serve that accommodate their crazy lives and use their greatest assets.
 
The playing schedule for THE SMALL OF HER BACK will be Fri 5/9, Sat 5/10, Sun 5/11, Mon 5/12, Fri 5/16, Sat 5/17, Sun 5/18, and Mon 5/19. All performances are at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $18 and are available through Smartix.com (www.SmartTix.com or 212-868-4444). For more information, visit www.jaradoatheater.org.