8th Annual Midtown International Theatre Fest Begins 7/16

The Midtown International Theatre Festival will kick off its eighth annual presentation of performances, staged readings, talkbacks, dancing girls (well, maybe not dancing girls) and a selection of shows which include: 

o       A musical about immigrants seeking asylum in America
o       A gay musical romp based on Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist
o       Revivals of John Guare's House of Blue Leaves and George Axelrod's Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
o       A look at the land of the living dead, with three separate entries exploring that shadowy realm and running the gamut from comedy to outright horror
o       A series of short pieces and monologues based on works in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
o       A pair of short comedies that examine the civil liberties of Americans in the post-9/11 world
o       A look at unfair labor conditions in the coal mines of 1869 Pennsylvania and the secret society formed in retaliation by Irish immigrants working there
o       A documentary-style play about the Columbine High School shootings
o       A film-noir tale about a long-lost movie and the "curse" it supposedly carries
o       A black comedy about a group of people doomed to celebrate Christmas every day
o       The story of Elvis Presley as told through the women in his life

There are also "stories about dismembered corpses, people searching for the meaning of life, dramas, solo shows, multi-media presentations and more!," state press notes. 

Beginning on July 16th and running through August 5th, MITF8 will take place at the MainStage and Jewel Box spaces at the WorkShop Theater, located at 312 West 36th Street (on the 4th floor), the Where Eagles Dare Theatre, located at 347 West 36th Street (also between 8th & 9th Avenues) on the ground floor, and Stage Left Studio, located at 348 West 37th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), on the 5th floor.

"It's always exciting when we prepare for the Festival," noted MITF executive producer John Chatterton. "We always have a wide-ranging and eclectic line-up to pick from. We naturally hope each of them will strike a chord with the audience, and each year more than a few do just that."

Inaugurated in 2000, the Midtown International Theatre Festival was created to offer an opportunity for productions and performances that might otherwise not be seen by as broad an audience as possible. Since its inception, the MITF has presented over 300 different works.

For a full listing of MITF productions, visit www.midtownfestival.org.