Encore Presentation of IT OR HER Set for Kraine Theatre, 3/13

After a sold-out run and receiving the AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD at the FRIGID NY Festival, Horse Trade Theater Group has moved IT OR HER to the 99-seat Kraine Theater for a one-night-only "HANGOVER" performance this SATURDAY March 13th @ 8:30 The Kraine Theater 85 East 4th Street, New York, NY. Tickets $15.00 may be purchased online at www.FRIGIDnewyork.info or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444.

Somewhere between Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and The Tell-Tale Heart, Alena Smith's provocative dark comedy IT OR HER explores the basement of a suburban home where Andrew has devoted himself unconditionally to his incredible collection of figurines. Suffering the loss of The Red One, he seeks to uncover The Ultimate Arrangement before his hideout is invaded, and his dark secret is revealed.

CAST: Brian McManamon* STAFF: Alena Smith (Playwright), Jessi D. Hill (Director), Carolynn Richer (Production Manager), Jennifer Moeller (Set and Costume Designer), Gina Scherr (Lighting Designer), David A. Thomas (Sound Designer), Alison D'Amato (Movement Director).

*Appearing courtesy of The Actors' Equity Association

Alena Smith (Playwright) plays include THE SACRIFICES (Summer Play Festival), THE PIVEN MONOLOGUES (Joe's Pub) and THE LACY PROJECT (A.R.T.; Ohio Theatre). Her work has also been produced and/or developed at the Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Soho Think Tank, the Yale Cabaret, the Philadelphia Live Arts Festival, Chashama, the Strand Theater, and a number of colleges and universities. Alena is a member of the 2009 Emerging Writers Group at the Public Theater, a 2008-09 Artists Fellow in Playwriting with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), and has been a finalist for the Princess Grace Award and the O'Neill Playwrights Conference. MFA, Yale School of Drama, ASCAP Cole Porter Prize in Playwriting.

Jessi D. Hill (Director) Latest credits include: Mia McCullough's LUCINDA'S BED for Chicago Dramatists, Jeff Grow's CREATING ILLUSION for terraNOVA Collective (2 New York Innovative Theatre Awards), Johnna Adams' ANGEL EATERS for Flux Theatre Ensemble (6 New York Innovative Theatre Award Nominations), and THE CHILDREN'S HOUR for Astoria Performing Arts Center. Hill recently relocated to NYC from Chicago where she was a freelance director and Artistic Director of Stage Left Theatre Company. Hill is a returning guest director at Fordham University, and completed a four-month national tour as Staff Repertory Director with The Acting Company as well as a Directing Residency at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. She serves as the Groundbreakers New Play Development Program Director for terraNOVA Collective. Hill is the recipient of the 2008-09 Denham Fellowship from the Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation and was recently named a finalist for the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors. MFA: Yale School of Drama.

Brian McManamon (Performer) In New York, Brian has worked with MCC Theater, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Youngblood, P.S. 122, Target Margin Theater, the BE Company and many others. He is a company member of the Lynx Theater and The Lark Theatre's Playground. Regional credits include the title role in HAMLET at Burning Coal, AMERICAN BUFFALO and SKYLIGHT at The New Repertory Theater, SINGLE LIVES at Boston Playwrights' Theater, the world premiere of Sinan Unel's play THE THREE OF CUPS at the Provincetown Theater Company, STELLYY at the Berkshire Fringe and SHAKESPEARE: THE REMIX at Capital Rep among others. Internationally, Brian performed in the world premiere of Pulitzer prize nominee Rolin Jones' play THE JAMMER which received the Edinburgh Fringe First Award. Brian also toured to Zagreb, Croatia with the critically acclaimed New York based company Theater Breaking Through Barriers. Brian attended the British American Drama Academy (B.A.D.A.) at Oxford where he worked with Caryl Churchill on her play's HOTEL and SHE BIT HER TONGUE both directed by Mark Wing-Davey. He serves on the acting faculties of the National Theater Institute (NTI) at The O'Neill Center and Vassar College's Powerhouse Apprentice Training Program. He has a BFA in acting from Boston University and an MFA in acting from the Yale School of Drama.

Carolynn Richer (Production Manager) recently relocated to New York after graduating from the University of Notre Dame this past May with a B.A. in Theatre. She worked on the stage management team at the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival serving as the Stage Manager for the Young Company production of THE DECEIVED and the Assistant Stage Manger for David Bell's production of TWELFTH NIGHT. In New York, Carolynn was the Assistant Stage Manger for ACADEMY at the New York Musical Theatre Festival and interned for the ABroad Stage Company.

The FRIGID New York Festival was founded by Horse Trade and EXIT Theatre in 2007. Since founding The San Francisco Fringe Festival - the 2nd oldest fringe in the United States - nearly 17 years ago, EXIT has learned a thing or two about festival running. They introduced Horse Trade to the Canadian Association of Fringe Festivals (CAFF) in mid-2006. Besides feedback from dozens of thrilled CAFF participants and artists, Horse Trade was drawn to its main principle: "...to provide all artists, emerging and established, with the opportunity to produce their play no matter the content, form or style and to make the event as affordable and accessible as possible for the members of the community," Horse Trade is proud to sign on to the tradition and chill out the New York independent theater scene's ideas of what a theatre festival can be. In true support of theatre on the fringe of the mainstream, the artists take home 100% of their box office, and the festival producers do not receive royalties from future performances. The festival's producers are proud to support self-producing artists' growth and future success. New York City is an indisputable hotbed of groundbreaking talent and we're proud to once again invite artists to take advantage of this opportunity to let their ingenuity thrive in a venue that values freedom of expression and artistic determination.

Photo Credit: Cathryn Lynne