MITF Presents THE ROYAL WEIGHT WATCHER July 15-25

The Midtown International Theatre Festival is pleased to present The Royal Weight Watcher - Sarah Ferguson: A Duchess Hungry for Love, a look inside the strange and wonderful life of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York. World-renowned acting guru, author (Truth), and producer ("A Raisin in the Sun"), Susan Batson directs rising star Franziska Huber in this unique biographical drama. The Royal Weight Watcher will play at The Jewel Box Theatre, 312 West 36th Street in New York City for five performances from July 15-25, 2011.

Leading a life that most of us could only dream of, the charismatic but troubled Duchess of York is lonely. Chocolates and late night phone calls are her only companions at heart. More like a post-modern fable than the stuff of tabloids, The Royal Weight Watcher is an anti fairy tale about how the need for approval can weigh one down and make body image a compulsive obsession.

"While developing my show I immediately fell in love with Sarah's character," stated Franziska Huber. "I learned about her complicated family issues, eating disorder and financial problems, and Sarah Ferguson became my passion and my inspiration; a candid, hard working and resistant leader who speaks from her heart and through personal experience rather than lecturing..."

The Royal Weight Watcher is presented by Slices of Lives Productions in association with The Midtown International Theatre Festival. Graphic and Media Designer: Oriel Pe'er­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

The Royal Weight Watcher plays for five performances on the following schedule: Friday, July 15th @ 7pm; Sunday, July 17th @ 2pm; Friday, July 22nd @ 8pm; Saturday, July 23rd @ 5.30pm; Monday, July 25th @ 8pm.

Director Susan Batson is an award-winning actress (NY and LA Drama Critics, Obie) who has earned international acclaim as one of today's foremost acting coaches. The founding Artistic Director of the Susan Batson Studio (formerly Black Nexxus), Ms. Batson includes among her students Nicole Kidman, Juliette Binoche, Sean Combs, Jennifer Connelly, Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Chris Rock, and Liv Tyler. In 2006, Ms. Batson published her first book, Truth, an innovative text for experienced as well as aspiring actors. She co-produced the successful Broadway revival of "A Raisin in the Sun" in 2004. Ms. Batson also currently directs the seasonal productions in the acclaimed Slices of Lives series of one-person biographical dramas written by and featuring actors who are Batson Studio alumni. www.slicesoflivesproductions.com

Playwright and Performer Franziska Huber was born and raised in Bavaria, Germany. She is an alumnus of The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in NYC. Her NYC stage performances include Anfisa in Anton Chekhov's "The Three Sisters," Officer Welch in Neil Simon's "Rumors" and The Actress in Arthur Schnitzler's "La Ronde." She just finished working with "The Internationalists" on the ensemble project "Which Direction Home?" at the La Guardia Performing Arts Center. Her latest film appearance was in the Indian feature film "Love, Lies and Seeta." She has been part of Slices of Lives Productions and working with Susan Batson since November 2009.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors and can be purchased by visiting http://www.midtownfestival.org

The run time for The Royal Weight Watcher is 60 minutes with no intermission.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival's 2011 Season runs from July 11 - 31 at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor. Tickets are $18-15 and are available at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.

The Midtown International Theatre Festival, now in its twelfth year, celebrates the diversity of theatre. The MITF welcomes theatrical storytelling across a broad spectrum of genres, forms, identities, cultures, and appetites. The MITF seeks to nurture these new ideas, perspectives, and stories on its stages, with an eye set on guiding these productions toward future success and longevity. The festival, traditionally held in summer, represents a fantastic, often paradoxical, adventurous and intriguing cross-section of the forefront of the Theatre World. The MITF proudly hosts production companies from across the country and around the globe, uniting talent in one of the biggest theatre capitals in the world.

John Chatterton created the MITF in 2000, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, as a way to present the finest off-off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. In 2008, the Festival added two 99-seat theatres and inaugurated the Commercial Division for upwardly mobile shows with commercial ambitions.

For more information, visit www.midtownfestival.org.