Theater Now New York to Premiere WELCOME TO PARADISE at 2015 Thespis Theater Festival

Theatre Now New York presents the world premier of Welcome to Paradise, an original play written by Julie Marino and selected for this summer's 2015 Thespis Theater Festival.

Performances for Welcome to Paradise are July 28th at 9pm, July 29th at 6:15pm, and August 1st at 6pm at the Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street in NYC. Directed by Clinton Turner Davis, the cast includes Barbara Farrar as Evelyn, Steven Petrillo as Greg, Andrea Miskow as Trish, and up-and-coming artists, Cenny Ray as Rory and Shannon Cabbell as Sidney. Tickets are $18 and available online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

"Welcome to Paradise is a compelling play that addresses issues and considerations of how we choose to live our lives and maintain our independence as we mature, in spite of familial concerns", said director, Clinton Turner Davis.

Set in the Caribbean, Welcome to Paradise centers around two people who find love and acceptance in each other despite their age difference. With a generation gap between them, they discover they have more in common than they thought. What started out as company on a plane ride quickly develops into a relationship that helps fill a void in both the lives of Evelyn and Rory.

When Evelyn returns to her paradise home in the Caribbean with Rory, a mysterious young man a third her age, her family questions her state of mind. Tensions build after Evelyn's estranged son arrives home unannounced with his family to find that someone's been sleeping in his bed, eating his food, and "there he is!" Rory's presence sheds a light on the family's dysfunction. Evelyn and Rory's refusal to conform to society's norm forces the family to examine their own state of mind. Has Evelyn found her true soulmate? Anything's possible in paradise.

Barbara Farrar (Evelyn) is a seasoned thespian who has graced the stage in over a hundred productions through the years, most recent Importance of Being Earnest at the Shuler Theatre. Steven Petrillo (Greg) has appeared in Broadway's Peter Pan and national tours of Man of La Mancha and Jesus Christ Superstar, as well as regional theatre. Andrea Miskow (Trish) has acted with many theatre companies including Hartford Stage Company, Pearl Theatre, Judith Shakespeare Company, and Tribeca Playhouse. Cenny Ray (Rory) is a recent graduate from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) where he majored in musical theatre, acting and dance. Shannon Cabbell (Sydney) hails from California and most recently starred in the production In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings at the Labyrinth NYNY Festival.

The playwright Julie Marino has worked with TNNY Artistic Director Tom Morrissey in various capacities since 2001, when he ran the Genesius Theatre Guild. Welcome to Paradise was chosen as a semi-finalist in the 2014 National Playwrights Conference, and Julie is thrilled to be able to stage it for the first time with TNNY at the Thespis Theater Festival. She is a co-writer of the musical Mondo Condo and is currently working on a new project, a trio of thematically linked one-act plays.

Clinton Turner Davis has directed productions Off-Broadway and at regional theatres in the United States. A noted interpreter of August Wilson's "20th Century Cycle of Plays," his numerous productions of the Wilson canon were critical successes, garnering multiple AUDELCO awards and regional commendations. Most recently he directed Gem of the Ocean for the 20th anniversary of the University of Louisville's African American Theatre Program, and Seven Guitars for Theatreworks-UCCS. A member of the Negro Ensemble Company for sixteen seasons, he served as associate artistic director, literary manager, dramaturge, casting director, director of playwriting and movement workshops, production supervisor, and director.

Theatre Now New York Artistic Director, Thomas Morrissey, has helped develop and produce new plays and musicals including the East Coast Premiere of Kingdom, the world premiere of The Last Sunday in June, and the East Coast Premiere of The Break-Up Notebook. Stephen Bishop Seely, Literary Manager of Theatre Now New York and Producer of Sound Bites, has helped develop several Off-Broadway and Broadway shows including Disney's Tarzan, Rock Wilk's Broke Wide Open, and 8 Million Protagonists.

Theatre Now New York is a professional theatre company whose history originates with two established companies - the Genesius Theatre Guild in NewYork City and ReVision Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ. Theatre Now New York brings together the founding principles of both these companies: developmental work and main stage theatrical productions. Theatre Now New York's mission is to facilitate the creation and development of new theatrical works, the re-imagining of previously produced known titles and the reinterpretation of classic works through readings, workshops, work-in-progress presentations and full productions, and to promote the understanding and appreciation of live theatre and its process by the general public. TNNY provides various opportunities for emerging, mid-career, and established theatre professionals in their ongoing creative process. TNNY produces the annual 10-minute musical theatre festival SOUND BITES to seek out and cultivate new writers and composers and develop new musicals. For more information on Theatre Now New York and to join its mailing list visit their website at www.tnny.org.

IF YOU GO:

Theatre NOW New York in conjunction with Thespis Theater Festival
presents
WELCOME TO PARADISE
a new play by Julie Marino

WHEN: 2015 - July 28 at 9pm, July 29 at 6:15pm, and August 1 at 6pm
WHERE: Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, New York, NY
TICKETS: Online through brownpapertickets.com INFO: www.tnny.org, www.juliemarino.nyc and www.thespisnytheaterfestival.com.