Final 'At War' Performance feat. Neuwirth, Cannavale & O'Hare Feb.4

The final performance of The Fire Dept Theatre Company's At War: American Playwrights Respond to Iraq is Monday, February 4 at The Bleeker Street Theatre, with special guests, Bebe Neuwirth, Bobby Cannavale, Denis O'Hare and more.

At War: American Playwrights Respond to Iraq, an evening of alternately moving, haunting, and funny material by noted and emerging American playwrights, woven together to present a kaleidoscope of views on the war. Staged as a single cohesive evening, the piece is crafted by Fire Dept Artistic Directors Erica Gould, Audrey Rosenberg and Jessica Blank from writing Blank and Erik Jensen (The Exonerated), Damon DiMarco, Cory Hinkle, Rajiv Joseph, Ryan Kelly, Peter Maloney, Obie winner and Oscar nominee Jose Rivera (Cloud Tectonics, References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot), Lynn Rosen, and Jonathan Schaefer. A portion of the proceeds from this benefit event will be donated to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the nation's first and largest group dedicated to the Troops and Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Joining Neuwirth, Cannavale and O'Hare is an ensemble featuring Jennifer Albano, Jessica Blank, Judith Hawking, Korey Jackson, Erik Jensen, Rock Kohli, Amanda Marikar, Steven Rattazzi, Jake Robards, Audrey Rosenberg, Jonathan Schaefer, Jeremy Schwartz, Jesse Teeters, Alok Tewari, Annie Torsiglieri, Michael Warner, and Jeremy Webb. At War is produced by Audrey Rosenberg and directed by Erica Gould, with set & lighting by Josh Iacovelli and sound by Jill BC DuBoff.

"Expanded and updated to reflect the ever-changing situation in Iraq, At War: American Playwrights Respond to Iraq explores how our artists are responding to the war, and how their work mirrors and reflects the consciousness of the country. This bold new work paints vivid portraits of diverse people at war, including a soldier in a VA clinic with post-Traumatic stress disorder, an Iraqi émigré professor, two soldiers lost in time on a nameless battlefield, a female suicide bomber, an angel, a 6000-year-old visitor from Mesopotamia, and a manic vet with shrapnel lodged in his head that picks up Al Jazeera," explain press notes.

The presentation will be followed by a discussion with the artists and a pair of noted speakers: writer/activist/Iraq war veteran Paul Rieckhoff and Iraqi poet/novelist/translator Sinan Antoon. Each night audiences will be given the opportunity to engage in a conversation about the theatrical presentation, the issues and perspectives presented by the work, and the speakers' personal experiences. For more information about The Fire Dept, visit www.thefiredept.org

At War: American Playwrights Respond to Iraq runs Monday, February 4 at 7:30PM. The Bleecker Street Theatre is located at 45 Bleecker at the corner of Bleecker and Lafayette Streets – accessible from the 6 train at Bleecker or the F,V, B,D trains at Broadway-Lafayette).

Tickets are $38.50 available at the theater box office Monday - Friday, noon-6pm. or through www.TeleCharge.com or 212-239-6200.

Bebe Neuwirth (photo by Linda Lenzi)

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