THREE BITES to Premiere at STAGEfest at the Loew's, 3/22

On March 22, 68 Productions will present "Three Bites" by Summer Dawn Hortillosa. The romantic dramedy will premiere at the second annual STAGEfest at the Loew's (March 21-23) at the historic Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre.

The show follows the rise and fall of a relationship over the course of three meals-the first coffee date, a pivotal breakfast and a fateful dinner. With each bite, Drew (Rafael Cruz) and Adrienne (played by Hortillosa herself) struggle to get to know each other, and themselves. The play is an exploration of trust, power and love. Liliane Wolf also stars as Bettie, a waitress at a retro diner. Hortillosa directs.

"There's this insane power struggle between the two characters throughout the whole play, and you see it both when they're fighting and when they're flirting," said Hortillosa. "On one hand, it's that electric stuff that high-tension movie romances are made of, and on the other, it's a dark reality that people really do try to control their partners, often in unhealthy ways.

"Sometimes they might have good intentions, but they also sometimes use the wrong methods. 'Three Bites' tries to find where that typically healthy give-and-take ends and emotional abuse begins."

An excerpt of "Three Bites" was recently part of the Tachair One-Act Play Festival, also in Jersey City, where it received rave reviews.

Blogger Timothy Herrick of Dislocations said, "Three Bites showed a relationship at a point where everything that was is now the opposite of what was once hoped, where a once-shared dream...(is) now disconnected from the reality. The tension and sorrow boiled beneath a Seinfeld-like surface of a restaurant scenario, what to eat, whether to eat what you are served and interacting with a waitress (oblivious) to their plight."

This is Hortillosa's second piece in STAGEfest; her play "Before, After and Always" was a huge standing-room-only hit at the festival last year.

"Three Bites" premieres Saturday, March 22 at 3:30 pm and 7:30 pm at STAGEfest at the Loew's in the upstairs lobby of the Landmark Loew's Jersey Theatre, 54 Journal Square, Jersey City, NJ. Admission is $15 on Saturday, $12 for seniors/students, and gives you access to all stages. Saturday night passes for access from 6 pm to 11 pm are $10. All-festival passes are available online in advance for $25, $20 for students and seniors.

The entire festival runs March 21 to 23. Friday and Sunday all-stages passes are $10, $8 for students and seniors. Kids 12 to 17 get in free from 2 pm to 7 pm on Sunday. For more information, visit http://www.summerization.com or http://www.LoewsJersey.org.

STAGEfest at the Loew's is a vibrant and diverse weekend of 20 theater, music and dance performances. These acts will take advantage of many spaces in the Loew's-the mainstage, lobbies, salons, promenades and hallways. Refreshments by Gia Gelato will be available. There will also be a theatrical costume display by Leading Lady Costumes.

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