Girl Be Heard to Present 9MM AMERICA 6/1 at Robert Moss Theatre; Lynn Nottage, Nigel Barker and More to Guest

Girl Be Heard (www.girlbeheard.org) premieres 9mm America, starting June 1 at the Robert Moss Theatre.

This show presents true stories from the front lines of gun violence written and performed by ten girls, ages 14 to 23, that live in NYC neighborhoods where gun violence is a daily threat. Girl Be Heard Company Member Naeemah Cooks-Faulk, Age 18, from East New York says, "No one knows Linden Projects in Brooklyn. They only know my neighborhood as "4CD" which stands for the Four Corners of Death since so many people die on these streets from gun violence." The stories shared in this live theatrical production are told through spoken word, dance and original songs, with each performance talk back led by one of our celebrity supporters.

Girl Be Heard's youth-led activism inspires every production and this new show raises awareness about gun violence. From New York stages to the White House, productions of Girl Be Heard inspire audiences to become change-makers in their communities under leadership of Artistic Director Ashley Marinaccio. Marinaccio is the recipient of the League of Professional Theatre Women's 2013 Lucille Lortel Women's Visionary Award.

Gloria Steinem, a long time supporter of Girl Be Heard, invites audiences to "join in the truth-telling as told by clear voices of girls before pretense or pressure have quieted them." Huffington Post calls Girl Be Heard "fearless, political theatre," Ebony Magazine lauds their "can't miss" productions and The New Yorker praises Girl Be Heard's "bright, confident young women holding forth on stage."

Girl Be Heard Presents the World Premiere of: 9mm America, a theatrical uprising against gun violence, as part of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity at the Robert Moss Theatre, 440 Lafayette Street - 3rd Floor. 6 to Astor Place/ R to 8th Street.

Performances run: Saturday 6/1 at 6:30pm (Special Guest: tba); Sunday 6/2 at 6:30pm (Special Guest: Kathy Najimy); Tuesday 6/4 at 8:00pm (Special Guest: tba); Friday 6/7 at 4:30pm (Special Guest: Lynn Nottage); Sunday 6/9 at 5:00pm (Special Guest: tba); and Wednesday 6/19 at 8:00pm (Special Guest: Nigel Barker). For tickets visit: http://planetconnections.org/9mm-america.

Featuring work by: Aya Abdelaziz, Naeemah Cooks-Faulk, Dominique Fishback, Monica Furman, Melanie Martins, Breani Michele, Betsy Perez, Jai Raphael, Tiff Roma, Karen Vigo, Nykemah Warren

CREATIVE TEAM: Directed by Ashley Marinaccio. Produced by Jessica Greer Morris. Associate Produced by Barbara Dobkin and Abby Disney. Stage Managed by Tiffany de Bruyn. Assistant Stage Managed by Desiree Monae. Dramaturgy by Sydney Arndt. Assistant Directed by Dominique Fishback. Projection, Media and Sound Design by Gil Sperling. Choreography by Karen Vigo. Postcard Design by Ileany Fields. Program Design by MeLinda Lee. Lighting Design by Mitch Ost. Prop Design by Tiff Roma. Set Design by Sparks Grassoy. Costume Design by Liene Dobraja. Public Relations by One Potata Productions and Andrea Levitt. Branding & Marketing by Grey Advertising & A&M Octone Records.

ASHLEY MARINACCIO (Director) is an activist and artist dedicated to creating theatre that challenges the status quo. Her work has been seen at two TED conferences (where she's also been a featured speaker), The White House, United Nations, and on tour across the United States. New York: Culture Project, Brecht Forum, NY International Fringe Festival and Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (2012 - Outstanding Director). She has received critical acclaim for her work from the New Yorker, NY Times, Backstage, Huffington Post. She is the recipient of the 2013 League of Professional Theatre Women's Lucille Lortel Women's Visionary Award. Ashley is the Founder/Artistic Director of Girl Be Heard and a founding member of Co-Op Theatre East. Additionally, she's a performer, published playwright, blogger at The Green Room Blog and contributing photographer to The Indypendent. She is alumna of the Hemispheric Institute for Performance and Politics - EMERGENYC, American Theatre Wing's - SpringboardNYC and member of both the Lincoln Center Directors Lab and Old Vic/New Voices. She holds her MA in Performance Studies from NYU - Tisch and degrees in theatre and anthropology from Pace University. www.ashley-marinaccio.com.

JESSICA GREER MORRIS (Producer) is a published playwright who wrote and starred in a New York Times-acclaimed one-woman show and has produced work for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women conference, Samuel French One-Act Competition, NYC Fringe Festival, and the Estrogenius Festival. Jessica is also a principal at Man Up, a global youth-led campaign to stop violence against women that she helped launch in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup with 100 young activists from twenty-five countries. In 2012, Jessica was listed in Newsweek at one of the 150 Fearless Women Who "Shake Up the World" with Oprah, Lady Gaga and Hillary Clinton.

GIRL BE HEARD uses theatre as a vehicle to empower young women to become brave, confident, socially conscious leaders while exploring their own challenging circumstances. Girl Be Heard provides a safe environment to write, direct and perform theatre productions under the guidance of professional directors, playwrights, actors, activists and intellectuals. Girl Be Heard's performances have received critical acclaim from The White House, United Nations, New Yorker, NY Times, Huffington Post, Ebony Magazine, NPR, WBAI, NY1 NBC and outlets across the glove. Join the movement at www.girlbeheard.org.

THE PLANET CONNECTIONS THEATRE FESTIVITY is New York's premiere eco-friendly theatre festival. Fostering a diverse cross-section of performances, the festival seeks to inspire artists and audiences both creatively and fundamentally, in a festive atmosphere. At the heart of the festivity are like-minded individuals striving to create professional, meaningful theatre, while supporting organizations, which give back to the community at large.

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