ANAIS NIN GOES TO HELL Returns to the 14th Street Y Tonight

Manhattan Theatre Works and Goode Productions in association with The Theater at the 14th Street Y, present the return of Anais Nin Goes to Hell by David Stallings (Outstanding Original Full-Length Script, Dark Water - NY IT Awards), directed by Antonio Minino (Outstanding Director nominee,Scene/Unseen - PCTF Awards), as part of The Theater Series at The 14th Street Y.

Anais Nin Goes to Hell will play a three week limited engagement from tonight, October 14th through Saturday, October 29th, 2016 at The Theater at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street, New York, NY 10003). Opening Night isSaturday, October 15th at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $18.00 - $25.00 and can be purchased online by visiting www.14streety.org/anaisnin or by calling 646-395-4310.

Anais Nin Goes to Hell is an existential comedy centered around some of the most powerful and memorable women of history (Queen Victoria, Cleopatra, Andromeda, Heloise, Joan of Arc) as they wait on an island in the river Styx for the final leg of their soul's journey to eternal peace or damnation. Their monotonous afterlife is shaken up when women's lib icon and erotica writer Anais Nin arrives to the island planting seeds of change.

An earlier version of the play received a workshop production as part the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival. Winner of the 2nd Biennial Arthur W. Stone New Play Award - Louisiana Tech University; winner of the 1st Prize Boston Theatre Works - 2007 UnBound Festival; Semi-finalist 2008 Princess Grace Awards. Selected as Best Script, Best Leading Actress, and Best Supporting Actress in the 2008 Best of OffOffOff.com's Best of FringeNYC.

Starring James Edward Becton* (Playing with Fire - The Negro Ensemble Company; Macbeth - The Classic Theatre of Harlem), Mlé Chester (TV's Vinyl and Blue Bloods), Mel House* (Outstanding Actress, In the Bones - NY IT Awards), Amanda Jones* (Marie Antoinette: The Color of Flesh - 45th Street Theater and Caldwell Theatre; Walking Down Broadway - Mint Theater), Richard Lindenfelzer* (Anything Goes - National Tour), Nylda Mark* (Women of Troy - Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Madalyn McKay*, Hannah Seusy (Outstanding Actress, J Train - PCTF Awards), and Stephanie Willing (The Jade Bracelet, Peking Opera Festival, China).

Featuring scenic design by Blair Mielnik, lighting design by Dan Gallagher, costume design by Izzy Fields, and sound design by Martha Goode (Executive Producer). The production's line producer is Collin Bradley, and the production stage manager is Rachel Denise April.

Anais Nin Goes to Hell plays the following schedule through October 29: Tuesdays at 8:00 pm, Wednesdays at 8:00 pm, Thursdays at 8:00 pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $18.00 - $25.00 and can be purchased online by visiting www.14streety.org/anaisnin or by calling 646-395-4310. Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes. No intermission.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

David Stallings (Playwright) migrated from the South (Georgia, Texas and New Mexico) to NYC over ten years ago and has been working consistently as a playwright, actor, literary manager, artistic director and producer both in the city and regionally. The author of 15 full length plays and numerous shorts, David's plays have reached audiences across the US. Barrier Island, his play about the 2008 Hurricane Ike that hit his home-town of Galveston, TX., received its regional debut at Acadiana Repertory Theatre in Lafayette Louisiana. His play about the Louisiana oil spill, Dark Water, received its World Premiere in NYC in March 2014 with MTWorks at the 14th Street Y and David was the proud winner of the New York Innovative Theater Award for Best Original Full Length Script. His play, The Baby Monitor was a 2014 finalist for the National New Play Network. As a writer, David is influenced by his Southern roots and contemporary politics. For example, his play, The Re-Education of Arizona, deals explicitly with the effect of Arizona's brutal profiling policies and their immediate influence on the local Hispanic communities. As well as bringing an informed Southern voice to theater, David also focuses on female protagonists and relationships within family dynamics--with a dash of poetry and magical realism for good measure. He has worked with several theater companies including The Culture Project, Intravenous Theatre, Prospect Theater Company, Boo-Arts and Oberon Theater Company as well as having had readings of his work across the country from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Boston, Massachusetts. In 2006, he co-founded Maieutic Theatre Works (now Manhattan Theatre Works) with his play, Folie a Deux: Insanity in Pairs as their inaugural production. Brandon Voss of HX Magazine called the play, "Riveting" and named Stallings as the "playwright and actor to watch". Other plays include Ana?s Nin Goes to Hell (1st Prize Winner Boston Theatre Works Unbound Festival 2007, Winner of the Arthur W. Stone New Play Award Louisiana Tech University 2009, Semi Finalist for the Princess Grace Award 2008), Arpeggio (produced Fall '07 at the 45th Street Theater, NYC), The Stranger to Kindness (Winner of Planet Connections Playwriting Award Short Form and Best Production of a One Act Play for the 2011 production at The Robert Moss Theater), and The Family Shakespeare (produced Spring 2011 at the June Havoc Theater, NYC). On MTWorks' 2008 NYC Fringe production of Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell, the Village Voice said, "Thank the gods for David Stallings' 'Anaïs Nin Goes to Hell'... a uniquely polished presence at the Fringe", and The New York Press said, "For a play about women but written by a man, it captured the greater female psyche." David has a BFA in Theater from the College of Santa Fe, NM. He serves as the Associate Artistic Director and Theater Manager at the Theater at the 14th Street Y. www.stallingswrites.com

Antonio Minino (Director) an award-winning performing artist, Antonio is a proud native of the Dominican Republic where he studied theatre at the School of Dramatic Arts, co-hosted/produced and directed for the award-winning television show FashionTV, was a contributing writer for M.S. Magazine, an art director for various fashion campaigns, and a director/performer for various national productions. Favorite directing credits include Riti Sachdeva's Scene/Unseen (Nominated Outstanding Director PCTF Awards), David Stallings' The Family Shakespeare, The Shadow Project, Edward Albee's The Zoo Story, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, Rafael Morla's Joan. Favorite NYC acting credits include: Suddenly A Knock at the Door at Theater for the New City, The Colonel's Wife with ETdC Project (Outstanding Actor in a Play with Music - PCTF Awards), Macbeth with Fab Marquee Productions, A Midsummer Night's Dream with Original Binding Productions; Dark Water with Manhattan Theatre Works; Men in Towels, Adrift, Andy@62,Confessions of a Cuban Sex Addict, Triptych and All About Meat at the Duo Multicultural Arts Center; Limelight (Access Theater), The Other Day (Wild Project), Parts of Parts & Stitches (Theatre at the 14th St Y), The Stranger to Kindness (Robert Moss Theater; Nominated Best Actor - PCTF Awards), The Empress of Sex (Audience Favorite National NewBorn Festival), Arpeggio (45th St Theatre), Intermission (HERE), Trojan Women (MHS), Elevation (Payan Theatre), OOPS! (Manhattan Theatre Source), 4 Variations of Mee (Manhattan Children's Theatre), Ilka's Dream (Payan Theatre). Film and TV credits include Snuff the Movie, Open Mike, Destiny, The Amazing Spiderman 2, The Get Down, The Interestings, Madam Secretary, Person of Interest, and The Americans. As a singer he has performed at Lincoln Center (Mostly Mozart Festival), The Town Hall of NY, Symphony Space NY, The Time Out Lounge, The Triad NYC and The Nuyorican Poets Cafe. His photography has been featured in the NY Times, the NY Post, Backstage, Show Business Weekly, among others. He is the former Co-Artistic Director and a founding member of Manhattan Theatre Works (MTWorks). www.antoniominino.com

MANHATTAN THEATRE WORKS started producing thought-provoking new plays in the Fall of 2006 with Folie A Deux: Insanity in Pairs written by founder and Artistic Director David Stallings, directed by founder and former Executive Director Cristina Alicea, produced by founder Antonio Minino. What started as a trio of like-minded artists has grown into a family of over 50 talented MTWorkers dedicated to developing new ground-breaking diverse plays from around the world. MTWorks is dedicated to discovering new plays that challenge our perception of diversity (ethnic, economic, geographic, gender, sexuality or creed). We foster today's innovative playwrights who boldly take risks in theme, structure, time-period and location by collaborating with exceptional theatre artists to develop their plays through our Living Room Series, Newborn Festival and mainstage productions. www.mtworks.org

GOODE PRODUCTIONS has been producing New Works for over a decade. Led by Martha Goode, the company believes that the fostering of young artists is integral to the future of the arts in our country. Producer credits include Greencard Wedding (at Dixon Place), The Rime (at The Virginia Arts Festival), Wanda's Monster (with New York City Children's Theater), The Miracle Worker (Circle in the Square, associate producer), The Stranger to Kindness (Winner Best Production, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity), The Violet Hour (with Active Theater), Sweet, Sweet Spirit,Parts of Parts & Stitches, Costa Rehab, Barrier Island, A Home Across the Ocean and Good Lonely People (with Manhattan Theatre Works); To Barcelona!,The Riverside Symphony,Eli and Cheryl Jump (as Ignited States) and Training Wisteria (New York International Fringe Festival).

*Appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association.