Juggerknot Theatre to Bring THE CROCODILE'S BITE to 2015 Samuel French OOB Festival, 8/6

The theatre company known for bringing Miami's stories to NYC will be producing "The Crocodile's Bite" by local playwright Vanessa Garcia, who has been selected from nearly 1,500 submissions to be a finalist in the Samuel French's 40h Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (OOB) in New York City this summer. Juggerknot Theater Company is staying true to its mission facilitating a talent exchange between Miami and New York City talent.

"Miami is in the middle of a cultural renaissance. The city has evolved and matured into a true metropolis. People outside Miami want to hear our stories; we have a distinct voice that needs to be heard socially, politically and artistically. Vanessa Garcia's Crocodile's Bite does just that," says Juggerknot's Artistic Director Tanya Bravo.

"The Crocodile's Bite" will be directed by FIU graduate, Victoria Collado, who currently lives in NYC, and will be performed by Miami natives Tanya Bravo, Lorenzo Gutierrez, David Perez-Ribada along with Reza Salazar(NYC) on August 6, 2015. The play is one of 30 presented during the weeklong event; at the end of which, Samuel French's editorial staff will select six titles for publication and licensing.

"Sam French's OOB festival is an amazing festival - always supporting and discovering new work and publishing awesome anthologies every year. When "The Crocodile's Bite" made the final 30, I did a little dance -- I'm super honored. I'm also really crazy-happy to be amid such great company! The other writers are pretty darn stellar," says Vanessa Garcia.

About the Play - Four strangers meet in Miami. An American girl from New York meets an Argentine who fled a deep, dark recession; a Cuban balsero picks up a Salvadorian refugee who cannot escape his past - and their lives are changed forever. Their histories interlace until the knot they make threatens to choke them instead of hold them together. In a city where Buenos Aires, Manhattan, El Salvador, and La Habana collide, The Crocodile's Bite opens its mouth to reveal that the heart of a "melting pot" is a dangerous place.

IF YOU GO:

THE CROCODILE'S BITE

Written by Vanessa Garcia

Directed by Victoria Collado

Performed by Tanya Bravo, Lorenzo Gutierrez, David Perez-Ribada and Reza Salazar

Thursday August 6, @ 6:30 p.m.

@ East 13th Street Theatre (136 E 13th St.)

Tickets: OOB.Samuelfrench.com | www.JuggerknotTheatreCompany.com

For details, follow Juggerknot at: www.JuggerknotTheatreCompany.com | Instagram and Twitter: @JuggerknotCo

About the Playwright - Vanessa was born in the Cuban satellite city of Miami, to Cuban parents. Her plays have been produced in Edinburgh, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles, among other global cities. Most recently, her play The Cuban Spring, premiered in the Fall of 2014 at New Theatre, in Miami, FL and was nominated for a Carbonell Award for Best New Play. Currently, her newest play Grace, Sponsored by Monteverde is being developed for production by Ruddy Productions in New York City, and will have its world premiere in Los Angeles in 2015, produced by JustA Theater & Production Company. As a journalist, feature writer, and essayist, her pieces have appeared in the LA Times, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, The Southern Humanities Review, The Art Basel Magazine, The Rumpus, and numerous other publications. She's also a Huffington Post Blogger. Her first novel, White Light, will be released in September 2015. For more, please visit her website: www.vanessagarcia.org

About Juggerknot Theatre Company - Juggerknot Theatre Company was founded in Miami, FL in 1998. The company helped redefine the burgeoning theatre scene emerging from Miami's Urban Core, showcasing and developing works from local and national playwrights. In 2001 Juggerknot, began to establish closer ties with writers and directors in NYC, making it part of their mission to bridge energy and talent between both cities. Today Juggerknot continues to push the boundaries and expectations of its audience by delivering alternative, experimental, and non-traditional theatre works to audiences in Miami and New York City. Juggerknot is committed to the Cross pollination of talent and energy from the sunlit pavement of MIA to the gritty streets of NYC. www.JuggerknotTheatreCompany.com

About The 40th Annual Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival - Originating in 1975, the Festival is New York's oldest, continuous short play festival and has attracted submissions from not only the U.S., but international dramatists as well (Canada, Singapore, the United Kingdom, etc.). The OOB Festival is unique in that it requires applicants to collaborate with a producing organizing or to self-produce their work. Additionally, the winning plays are published in Samuel French's acclaimed OFF OFF BROADWAY FESTIVAL PLAYS series and licensed to theatre producers around the world. www.oob.samuelfrench.com