La Strada to Celebrate LGBT Theater in RAINBOW FESTIVAL 2015, 6/4-14

La Strada Ensemble Theater presents Rainbow Festival 2015: A Celebration of LGBT Theater, six programs of one act plays, readings and a workshop production of a new musical by various playwrights from across the United States beginning June 4-14 at Pub & Vine (formerly Bank on Mattison), 649 Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park. Stayed tuned for a possible Program Yellow coming this summer.

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Program Red:

Family Discussion by New York City resident W. Allen Wrede: coming out to your mom and dad isn't so easy especially with distracted parents such as his.

Crush by local NJ Somerset resident Jennifer L. DiOrio: Troubled by romantic feelings for her neighbor, the married Amelia turns to Dr. Kushner for a solution that turns out to be more trouble than it's worth.

Not Exactly Strangers by artistic director and local NJ Toms River resident A.J. Ciccotelli: From a skipping record on an old victrola, two men come forward to tell their story of meeting, falling in love and how it all feel apart. In its 2002 premiere production the play was called "poetic" by the N.Y. Times.

Buddies by New York City resident W. Allen Wrede: In one word exchanges Michael and Bobby meet in a bar and begin to move towards a hot night in bed or do they?

Happy Wanderer by Los Angeles resident Nancy Beverly : Gillian and Carol are grad school lovers facing an important crossroads: to move to the big city where there are expansive opportunities... or to settle down in a smaller town with a beloved woods nearby that affords a quieter, more introspective journey.

This program plays Thurs. June 4 @7pm, Sat. 6 @2pm, Fri. 12 @7pm and Sat. 13 @7pm.

Program Orange:

Queer Assumption by local NJ Glen Rock resident Brad Baron: Concerned her ten year-old son is starting to exhibit certain "signs," Betsy looks to hire a specific brand of baby-sitter.

Sleepover by local NJ Point Pleasant resident Doug Bollinger: Hope and Carolyn have been best friends forever but Carolyn has come out and has failed to tell Hope. Why is the best friend always the last to know?

For Unto Us by local NJ Bogota resident and the New Jersey Regional Representative for The Dramatists Guild Stephen Kaplan: Mary and Joseph, two 5-year-olds, discuss religion, different kinds of families and gender roles as they play with Mary's new Christmas present, a doll.

Stacked: A Deviant Doctoral Dissertation by New York City resident Lisa Haas: Sylvia, a Ph.D. student with a crackpot theory about the correlation between breast size and industrial deep-frying equipment, is on the verge of completing her dissertation after 15 years of research.

History of Us by artistic director and local NJ Toms River resident A.J. Ciccotelli: Red and Carlos are a typical couple who meet, fall in love, battle it out and make it all work. Now let's see how it happened, in reverse order.

This program plays Friday June 5 @7pm, Sat. 6 @7pm, Thurs. 11 @7pm and Sat. 13 @2pm.

Program Blue: New Musical Workshop:

Rippled Reflections: Book by local NJ Brick resident Nicholas Ryan and music and lyrics by local NJ Brick resident Julie Murtha: Hal and Tom, are in love, but a dark secret from the past threatens to tear their relationship and lives apart. The story asks the question: Will Tom and Hal have the courage to be who they are in a world that can be brutally intolerant?

This program plays Sunday June 14 at 2 & 6pm with a Q&A after the performance.

Reading Series: Program Violet:

Women's Stories: An Evening of One Acts by New York City residents Pennell Somsen & Barbara Kahn: Lesbian seagulls trying to hatch eggs, a cat with gender identity issues, new beginnings of love and a Russian immigrant who flees her home country to make a life in the states are featured in an engrossing compilation of one acts .

This program plays Sunday June 7 at 1pm.

Reading Series: Program Green:

Killing Kittens by Chicago resident Mark A. Ridge: A lonely gay man, who suffers from a borderline personality disorder; his best friend, who truly loves him and the hustler from upstairs in need of an escape from an abusive relationship come together on an unforgettable and touching New Year's Eve.

This program plays Sunday June 7 at 3pm.

Reading Series: Program Indigo:

TBD - To Be Determined by Los Angeles resident Paul Elliot: Dottie and Ruth Hamilton have always kept their lives in order, living each day in isolated contentment. All of that changes when the Sheriff drops a battered teenage girl on their doorstep and asks them to keep her safe. Neither is prepared for the role of savior and they are less inclined when they find out the girl is really a boy and the one who has almost killed her is her father, one of the most respected members of their small community.

This program plays Tuesday June 9th at 7pm.

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Tickets are$15/$10 for students & senior citizens and can be purchased online. Reading are a suggested $5 at the door. For more information and to purchase tickets please visit us at www.lastradaensemble.org or email us at lastradaensembletheater@gmail.com or call at (732) 455-2748.