5th Annual Naked Girls Reading A CHRISTMAS CAROL Set for 12/18

Naked Girls Reading NYC - New York's "Best Story Hour" (The Village Voice Best of NY 2010) - stuffs your stocking with an extra-hot winter treat: their fifth annual reading of Charles Dickens' holiday classic A Christmas Carol. On Wednesday, December 18th at 9:00pm host Nasty Canasta (declared by the New York Times to be "perhaps the loveliest and certainly the nudest Scrooge in history") leads an all-star cast of exhibitionists in an in-the-buff reading of this special version of A Christmas Carol, just as Dickens himself originally performed it - although perhaps a bit more naked. For December only Naked Girls Reading will move to the spacious Kraine Theater, where guests to the salon are invited to relax and raise a glass with the Naked Girls in celebration of the holidays.

"Dickens himself invented so many of our most cherished Christmas traditions," says Canasta, "and I'm sure he'd want to be part of this newest one. I'm certain he'll be standing in spirit right at our ... elbows." Join Nasty Canasta, Anja Keister, Hazel Honeysuckle and Aria Vines in a celebration of the true meaning of the holidays: give the gift of full-frontal literature to a loved one - or yourself! - and don't miss out on any of the joys of the season.

Naked Girls Reading NYC is the perfect intimate live event: a monthly nude literary salon featuring in-the-buff readings by local burlesque luminaries, professional librarians, authors and other Naked Girls. Past themes have included Banned Books, Science Fiction and Tween Lit, as well as their annual holiday presentation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Guests to the salon are invited to sip a drink and listen with their eyes wide open as full-frontal literature meets fine art in this intimate theatrical setting.

Naked Girls Reading NYC is on the third Wednesday of every month at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st Ave and Ave A) at 9pm. Tickets ($20; 2 for $35) may be purchased online at www.NakedGirlsReadingNYC.com or by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444. Seating is limited to 45; advance tickets are strongly recommended.

NAKED GIRLS READING began in Chicago in March 2009 as the creation of international showgirl Michelle L'Amour and Franky Vivid. The idea had rolled around in their heads for a few years in different formats, but with the opening of Studio L'Amour in 2008 it materialized as the perfect intimate live event. Naked Girls Reading now has branches across the country and around the world; the New York chapter, produced by Nasty Canasta, was opened in October 2009 to great acclaim ("Great literature stripped bare" -Entertainment Weekly; "It was a remarkable experience." -Tor.com) and was named "New York's Best Story Hour" by the Village Voice in 2010.

HORSE TRADE THEATER GROUP is a self-sustaining theater development group; with a focus on new work, it has produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. Horse Trade's Resident Artist Program offers a home to a select group of Independent Theater artists, pooling together a great deal of talent and energy. It is also the home of FRIGID New York - the first and only festival of its kind in New York City.