AFTER ORLANDO One Night Only at Philadelphia Theatre Company

Philadelphia Theatre Company, in partnership with Missing Bolts Productions and University of the Arts, presents AFTER ORLANDO, a staged reading of short plays written in response to the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on Monday, November 21 at 7:00 PM at the SuzAnne Roberts Theatre (Broad and Lombard Streets). The evening of sixteen plays, each only 3-5 minutes, will include works by Matthew Alvarado, Jaisey Bates and The Peoplehood, Cecilia Copeland, Nathan Alan Davis, Jacqueline Goldfinger, MJ Kaufman, Zac Kline, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Ryan Oliveira, Paul Olmos, Katie Pearl, Brian Quijada, Sung Rno, Ian Rowlands, Caridad Svich, Arturo Soria, and Ken Urban. The plays will be directed by Deborah Block, KC MacMillan and Michael Osinski. Patience Carter, a survivor of the tragedy, will make a special appearance to read a poem she wrote about the experience. Following the staged reading PTC will host an open Community Conversation in which the audience will be encouraged to participate.

Admission is free but donations will be accepted at the door to benefit Pulse of Orlando, an Orlando-based non-profit created to provide immediate financial assistance to survivors and families. Reservations are required and are available by calling 215-985-0420 or online at philadelphiatheatrecompany.org.

After Orlando is an international playwright-driven theatre event involving playwrights from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Africa in readings across the country and in the UK throughout the fall. Some of the other participating venues include The Finborough Theatre (London), Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre and LGTB Center (New York City), Round House Theatre and Olney Theatre Center (Washington, DC), Boston Court Theatre and the University of Southern California (Los Angeles), The Inge Center (Independence, KS), Orlando Shakespeare Theater, San Diego Repertory Theatre, and Miami New Drama.

"We are thrilled to be taking the lead with this very important project as it speaks directly to our community engagement role and our responsibility to present socially significant and relevant work," said Sara Garonzik, PTC's Executive Producing Director. "It is a great testament to generosity of the theater community that everyone involved in this project is donating their time and resources."

"We are honored to stand with the Philadelphia community and its theatre artists as we all respond and heal from this tragedy," said Zac Kline from Missing Bolts Production. "We are inspired by the ability for art to move beyond anger and fear and find the greater good in our individual and collective voices. Together, we believe in the power of theatre to share our grief, our hope and our desire to combat the violence we are now living with on a daily basis."

Missing Bolts Production is an independent production group devoted to new works for theatre and film. Their work closely examines characters searching for the missing pieces in their lives and strives to show real people who are on the journey from lost to found, believing that the most fascinating aspects of life and art are the moments in-between the moments. Past work includes sold-out productions in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Figment Festival on Governors Island, and the award-winning short film Pauline. Co-artistic director Blair Baker understudies two principal roles in the Tony-Award winning play The Humans by Stephen Karam.

University of the Arts is one of the nation's only universities dedicated solely to educating students in the visual and performing arts and design. The innovative, flexible approach to developing artists and designers acts as a catalyst for their creativity - they connect, collaborate and create across disciplines and traditional boundaries.

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company is a leading regional theatre company that produces, develops and presents entertaining and imaginative Contemporary Theatre focused on the American experience. By developing new work through commissions, readings and workshops, PTC generates a national impact and reaches broad regional audiences. Under the guidance of PTC's Executive Producing Director, Sara Garonzik, since 1982 and Executive Managing Director Priscilla M. Luce, who joined the leadership team in early April of 2013, PTC supports the work of a growing body of diverse dramatists and takes pride in being a home to many nationally recognized artists who have participated in more than 140 world and Philadelphia premieres. PTC has received 57 Barrymore Awards and 180 nominations.

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