La Strada Ensemble Theater to Present Works by New Jersey Students This Weekend

"The theater wasn't created by a bunch of older artists," says artistic director A.J. Ciccotelli. "It starts with the young with big ideas and big thoughts. Give them a space to create and watch the future of the American theater and film start to come to fruition."

On Saturday May 16th at 2pm, La Strada Ensemble Theater presents six short works by students from New Jersey. A Q&A to Follow.

Birthday a play by Joy Ann Chanik deals with a man in his mid twenties learning the challenges of becoming the "man of the house" after the death of his father. Taking care of his younger sister is a lot harder than he expected it to be. Joy is from Lacey, and studies under A.J. Ciccotelli at the Performing Arts Academy. Other plays include: Two Sides of a Story, On the Brink, and Unspoken Words.

Run a screenplay by Antonio Dasti is about when a kid is put in a bad situation that he handles in the worst way he possibly could. Antonio is from Barnegat township and he attends the Performing Arts Academy at Navy Lakehurst. This is his first screenplay

Converse a play by Griffin Holland is about a man who has a conversation with the person he's closest to about their strange past. Griffin lives in Toms River, NJ. While this is not his first foray into playwriting, this is the first time one of his original works will be read for the public.

Euphoria a screenplay by Daniel Chase is about a man asking his brother for help to get out of a sticky situation involving a girl. Daniel is a resident of Lakewood New Jersey and attends the Performing Arts Academy with a major in Acting.

God Pulls Foresight a play by Clarissa Shirley is about two teens that meet at a rehabilitation center after both attempt to commit suicide. One was admitted recently and the other is leaving the next day. Clarissa is from Brick Township and is a freshman at the performing arts academy in Lakehurst, NJ.

Guardian Devil a play by Jakob Walsh deals with an enigmatic string of murders attributed to a folk character called The Tarot Man leads two morally-ambiguous detectives on a violent and complex scheme rooted in psychological intrigue. Jakob, who hails from New Egypt, is a junior acting major at the Performing Arts Academy, Guardian Devil is Jakob's first original work.

For more information about LaStrada Ensemble Theater please visit us at www.lastradaensemble.org, send an email to Lastradaensembletheater @gmail.com or call 732-455-2748. $5 suggested donation at the door.

Photo Credit: Jakob Walsh, Joy Ann Chanik, Clarissa Shirley (top row), Griffin Holland, Antonio Dasti and Daniel Chase (Bottom Row)

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