'Romania. Kiss Me!' Offers Short Plays from Eastern Europe

A post show panel discussion with the contributing playwrights of The Play Company's current offering, Romania. Kiss Me!, six short plays from Romania's New Wave, will take place following the 7:30 PM performance on Tuesday, November 21 at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street). 

Entitled "Romania at the Crossroads: The Future of Romanian Theatre in a New Europe," this talkback was arranged through the Romanian Cultural Institute.  Saviana Stanescu, (artistic coordinator of the Institute's New Drama Program), and Randy Gener (senior editor of American Theater) will moderate.

The plays and playwrights are:
·      BUS by Cristian Panaite, directed by Liesl Tommy
"Passengers on a bus to the West conspire to dupe the customs official."
·      RED BULL by Vera Ion, directed by Marcy Arlin
"Two young people struggle to keep their heads above water in the new economy."
·      DIAGNOSIS by Ioana Moldovan, directed by Tom Caruso
"A mysterious innkeeper magically teaches a lesson."
·      ROMANIA. KISS ME! by Bogdan Georgescu, directed by Kaipo Schwab
"Three strangers forced to share a train compartment realize they are
fatally incompatible."
·      F*CK YOU, Eu.ro.Pa! by Nicoleta Esinencu, directed by Jackson Gay
"A young woman accuses her family and country of betrayal."
·      OUR CHILDREN by Cristian Panaite, directed by Liesl Tommy
"Three family members vie for a visa for the United States."

The ensemble cast for the six plays is: Nadia Bowers, John Boyd, Chris De Oni, Robert Hogan, Julie Jesneck and Rosemary Prinz.

"Romania's vibrant new writing movement is forging a compelling body of work for the stage.  As the kick off to its 2006-2007 season, The Play Company proudly introduces the plays of Nicoleta Esinencu, Bogdan Georgescu, Vera Ion, Ioana Moldovan and Cristian Panaite to the U.S. Six short plays in one evening, Romania. Kiss Me! offers an intimate look at a country undergoing radical transformation through the eyes of a new generation of artists," as press notes state.

The Play Company, a New York City not-for-profit theatre, is an international theatre for new writing that develops and produces adventurous new plays from the U.S. and all over the world.  Its work links American theatre with world theatre, American artists with the global community of artists and American audiences with a whole world of plays.

As an introduction to Romania. Kiss Me!, Founding Producer of The Play Company Kate Loewald explains, "I first discovered new Romanian theatre last summer, when the Immigrants Theatre Project and Roberta Levitow collaborated with the Romanian Cultural Institute to bring a group of playwrights to New York."  She continues, "Hearing the plays read aloud and talking with the playwrights, I was struck by the vitality of this work and the explosion of artistic energy in Romania right now.  We're producing this work to spotlight not only these plays and writers, but also a moment of real transformation in a place we in the U.S. know very little about.  This production fits perfectly with our mission as a company to explore theater in an international context, and to provide a home for writers and artists from around the world."

Romania. Kiss Me! is a production of The Play Company presented at 59E59 Theaters, with the support of The Romanian Cultural Institute.

The show plays Tuesday – Saturday at 7:30 PM, with matinees on Saturday & Sunday at 2:30 PM at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street between Park & Madison) through December 3. Tickets are $20.00. Tickets can be purchased through Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, www.TicketCentral.com, or the Ticket Central Box Office (416 West 42nd Street, 12–8 PM daily), or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. Student rush tickets are $5.00 (cash only, 2 hours before each performance at box office).

For more information, visit www.playco.org or www.icrny.org.

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