Ars Nova Presents ANT FEST 2009 10/19-11/21

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) announces the exciting lineup of new talent set to participate in ANT FEST 2009, an annual festival designed to give emerging talentartists an opportunity to bring innovative new material to life in front of a NYC audience! Ars Nova received hundreds of submissions and handpicked 302 diverse shows ranging from crypto-zoology horror showspectacles to spoken word prodigies, magic, vaudeville, dance squads and everything in between! These artists will take the ANT FEST challenge of bringing everything they've got to the Ars Nova stage for one night only!

Furthering Ars Nova's commitment to developing unique work that often challenges the boundaries of live entertainment, ANT FEST 2009 truly is The Cure for The Common Festival!

ANT FEST 2009 will run Monday-Saturday at 8pm, October 19-November 21 at Ars Nova (511 West 54th Street). Tickets are on sale today exclusively to Ars Nova's Super Nova members (see additional info below). Tickets go on sale to the general public on September 21, 2009 at 10am. Tickets ($10) may be purchased online at www.arsnovanyc.com or calling (212) 352-3101(212) 868-4444.

To take advantage of the ANT FEST presale, visit www.arsnovanyc.com and join Ars Nova's completely free, annual membership program, Super Nova today. Super Nova's receive a free drink at every Ars Nova show youthey attend as well as special members-only emails and offers. There's no catch, so sign up today and take advantage of the ANT FEST presaleto purchase ANT FEST tickets before anyone else can!

Tuesday, October 20
ANT FEST Double Bill
Socoe the Elemental Wizard
Created and Performed by Soce the Elemental Wizard
The Elemental Wizard is your guide on this hip-hop adventure through music, dance and 8-bit video games.

Elsie Jay's Improv Girl Smash
Created and Performed by Liz Haag, Jen Sanders &, Chet Seigel; Directed by Russ Armstrong
They may be short, but they're not sweet; Three women under 5'3 shatter your expectations with their self-proclaimed brand of "ugly improv."

Wednesday, October 21
The Mighty Third Rail
Performed by Ian Baggette, Darian Dauchan, & Curtis Stewart
Follow this talented trio down into their modern speakeasy featuring a mashup of slam poetry, beatboxing, violin and upright bass.

Thursday, October 22
The Gay Agenda's Great Big Broadway Show!
Created and Performed by Micah Bucey & Nicholas Williams
Armed with a piano, and a trumpet and a satirical axe to grind, these two harmonizing homos concoct tuneful tales of phone-sex operators, sweatshop laborers and everything in between.

Friday, October 23
A Trail to Lions
Created and Performed by Kit Bihun & Jenny Gomez
The cutthroat world of competitive cat shows is exposed in this live mockumentary featuring catnip addicts, feline fetishists and Vegas-style showmanship.

Saturday, October 24
The Defibulators in Total Ree-Haw
Performed by The Defibulators
Hillbillies and hipsters will do-si-do to the rowdy songs and big-rig tales of these seven homespun rockers. Grab some moonshine and celebrate Yankeetown's favorite rockabilly outfit.

Monday, October 26
Hinterland
Written by Benjamin Adair Murphy; Directed by Amanda Friou
Journey to the Hinterland-a world of creepy witches, over-confident heroes and ill-fated promises-in this frenzied night of original fairytales.

Tuesday, October 27
William and the Tradesmen
Created and Performed by Eli James
British punk and post-punk-o-philes get the night they've been dreaming of when rock icons give out advice for living in this new one-man musical.

Wednesday, October 28
One Night with Rael
Created by Snehal Desai
Meet Rael, racecar driver-turned-cult leader, in this unauthorized intro to the Raelian movement: America's fastest growing sex-positive, alien-seeking religion.

Thursday, October 29
Rites of Enchantment
Written and Performed by Maritess Zurbano
Weaving illusions and narrative, professional magician Maritess Zurbano tells the story of her greatest feat of all: overcoming a troubled childhood to rise to the top of the male-dominated world of magic.
**Rites of Enchantment is not appropriate for children.**

Friday, October 30
The Academics in Chaos Theory
Created and Performed by The Academics
Post-punk foursome The Academics explore the meaning of life, love, and the consequences of one dangerously overdue library book in this uniquely theatrical concert.

Saturday, October 31
Sci Fi Bandits
Created and Performed by Chappo; Directed by Wes Grantom
Indie-space rock band Chappo takes us on an action-packed journey of heroes, love, and intergalactic piracy.

Monday, November 2
What Not to Say, and Other Disturbing Tales
Written and Performed by Rachel Hardin & and Sonya Lee
This pair of classically-trained indie songstresses reveal absurd, dark and oft-embarrassing tales of city life in these gothic story-songs.

Tuesday, November 3
ANT FEST Double Bill
This American Strife
Created and Performed by Dave Haffner & Joshua Kohler
America's finest absurdities are skewered in this night of sketch inspired by life, liberty and Sarah Palin's twitter account.

An Evening With Confidence and Youth
Created and Performed by Ellis Bahl & Alessandro Tabora
This sketch duo turned indie folk band proves that, with a bit of youth and confidence, absurd lyrics and quality songwriting can magically coexist.

Wednesday, November 4
Righteous Money
Written and Performed by Michael Crowley; Directed by Michael Rau
Dishing out advice on deal-making, portfolio management and sleeping with assistants, this faux-TV talk show host takes on the tanking economy.

Thursday, November 5
Loveology
Created and Performed by Eddie Gutierrez
Loveology (inspired by the Regina Spektor song) is a seminar on how to do love "the right way. Teaching tools include equations, model skeletons and awesome dance moves.

Friday, November 6
Endurance
Created and Performed by Split Knuckle Theatre
Antarctica, 1914: Sir Ernest Shackleton keeps 27 stranded men alive. Hartford, present: insurance man Walter Spivey struggles to keep his company afloat. Two survival stories collide in this imaginative ensemble piece.

Saturday, November 7
Cudzoo & The Faggettes
Performed by Cudzoo & The Faggettes
The foul-mouthed debutantes of Cudzoo & The Faggettes present a shoo boppin' examination of love, sex, heartache, and whiskey-soaked bad decisions.

Monday, November 9
Robert Saietta is a Liar (And So Can You!)
Created and Performed by Robert Saietta; Directed by Deborah Wallace
Wish you were a better liar? Let Mr. Saietta, the world-renowned professional prevaricator, teach you the tricks of the trade.

Tuesday, November 10
Jessie Kilguss and the Steves
Performed by Jessie Kilguss
This chanteuse melds folk, electropop and cinematic lyrics into a cabaret-style concert, featuring new material from her latest album, Nocturnal Drifter.

Wednesday, November 11
Uncanny Valley
Created and Performed by Andrew Lynch & Katie Melby
Welcome to Uncanny Valley! A quirky new musical featuring aour dreaming protagonist, Hugo, a one-man rock band, and a mannequin love triangle.

Thursday, November 12
Jessica Delfino's Dirty Folk Rock
Written and Performed by Jessica Delfino
With her lewd songs and unconventional instruments (rape whistle!), Jessica Delfino is a self-described brunette Britney Spears--with balls.

Friday, November 13
Songs of a Night Owl
Created and Performed by Nikos Tsakalakos
Nikos Tsakalakos and his band perform indie rock musical songs about insomnia, pool boys and the big city.

Saturday, November 14
The Jersey Devil
Created and Performed by Justin Jain, David Johnson & Brad Wrenn; Directed by Dan Rothenberg
A band of traveling sideshow barkers claim to have caught the mythical New Jersey Devil and attempt to tell its story in this crypto-zoology-horror-comedy.

Monday, November 16
Q&A: Songs of Alex LeFevre
Created and Performed by Alex LeFevre
Craziest break-up? Mortifying childhood memory? Composer Alex LeFevre has turned responses to all the tough questions into musical masterpieces, performed by Broadway favorites.

Tuesday, November 17
Jack Perry is Alive (And Dating)
Written by Harrison Rivers & Daniella Shoshan
Barhop with Jack Perry as he pursues the source of a late night text message in this day-in-the-life alterna-rock musical.

Wednesday, November 18
The Byung Sisters' American Vaudeville Tryout
Created and Performed by Nancy Kim, Tina Lee, & Christine Simpson
The Byung Sisters have arrived on US shores and are determined to make it. All they have to do is give the audition of a lifetime with their vaudeville act!

Thursday, November 19
Samuel and Alasdair: A Personal History of the Robot War
Written by Marc Bovino & Joe Curnutte; Directed by Lila Neugebauer
1950s radio drama, live music and Soviet sci-fi effects blend together as two brothers brace themselves for the impending robot war.

Friday, November 20
ANT FEST Double Bill
Love Song in Two Voices
Written and Performed by Amy Herzog; Directed by Portia Krieger
In the wake of a whitewater rafting accident, a mother and daughter redefine their relationship in Amy Herzog's poignant solo piece.

Seven Minutes in Heaven
Written by Steven Levenson; Directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt
Relive all the party games you loved/loathed from middle school in this manic, hyper-charged, genre-blurring comedy.

Saturday, November 21
Varsity Interpretive Dance Squad in Faster Than the Speed of Night
Created by Richard DiBella
Can the world be changed by dances choreographed in your childhood basement? Yes. Stretch, hydrate, prepare for Whole World Dance, a concept so revolutionary, it's stupid.

ARS NOVA As New York's premier hub for emerging artists and new work, Ars Nova is committed to developing and producing eclectic theatre, comedy and music to feed today's popular culture. To that end, Ars Nova strives to create daring collaborations, meld disciplines and give voIce To a new generation of artists.

Past productions include Sax & Dixon: We Thee Wed, Mel & El: Show & Tell, Two Girls for Five Bucks and the Ten Dollar Heartbreakers, Playlist, Jollyship the Whiz-Bang, Boom, From Up Here, Dixie's Tupperware Party, The Wikipedia Plays, At Least It's Pink, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Holy Cross Sucks!, Freestyle Love Supreme and The Wau Wau Sisters.

In addition to its featured productions, Ars Nova supports and develops new work from the most promising emerging artists through its alternative comedy series (Tragedy Tomorrow), music series (Uncharted), public play-reading series (Out Loud), writer's group (Play Group), artist-in-residence program, and ANT FEST, a five-week festival of craziness showcasing fresh material from today's most exciting new talent. Ars Nova was founded in memory of Gabe Wiener.

www.arsnovanyc.com