Disconnect Begins Perfomances at East 13th Street Theater May 27

The Working Theater, celebrating it's 20th Anniversary, is proud to present the World Premiere of Disconnect by Rob Ackerman, directed by Connie Grappo at the Classic Stage Company's East 13th Street Theatre (136 East 13th Street). The Working Theater last brought Connie Grappo and Rob Ackerman together for the Off Broadway hit, Tabletop. That show moved to The American Place Theater, won a Drama Desk Award for Best Ensemble Performance, and now they are back together for another drama about a worker in crisis. Disconnect begins previews Friday May 27th with an official opening, and first press performance, slated for Tuesday, May 31st. Performances are Monday - Saturday at 8pm and Saturday at 2pm. Tickets are $27 ($30 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM), and $25 for students/ seniors and union members for all performances. Tuesdays are "Pay-What-You-Can". For tickets call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200/ www.ticketcentral.com or at the Ticket Central Box office at 416 West 42nd St, btwn. 9th & 10th.

Disconnect is a new play about married men at moral crossroads. By inviting near strangers to dinner, Steve, a telecommunications consultant, tries to avoid the lies of his life and his work. As the hastily arranged party takes one wrong turn after another, Steve begins to reveal a series of shocking events in his life, and the safe shell that protects both hosts and guests begins to crumble. Told with the humor and insight of Tabletop, Disconnect is about love, friendship and telecommunications. We all have newer faster, flashier ways to communicate – but are we really getting any better at it?

The Working Theater is dedicated to producing culturally diverse plays that explore the lives of working people and the issues they confront in an increasingly complex world. Their mission is twofold: to create theater about and for working people. They strive to expose labor and traditional audiences to some of the best theater being created while making it financially accessible. In its nineteen year history, the Company has garnered 6 Drama Desk nominations (one for the recent production of Hold Please by Annie Weisman) a Drama Desk award for Rob Ackerman's Tabletop, 6 Audelco nominations and two AUDELCO awards for OyamO's Let Me Live.

Rob Ackerman (Playwright) has worked as Prop Master for films, commercials and Saturday Night Live. His first play, Origin of the Species, began Off-Off Broadway in Manhattan and became an award-winning independent film starring Amanda Peet. His second play, The Working Theater's Tabletop, has been produced at resident theatre around the country. Disconnect, had a workshop production at The Lark Theater and was selected by The Working Theater for their 20th Anniversary Season. Other plays include Bait and Tackle (Access Theater), Airborn and Loon Island Picnic.

Connie Grappo directed Off-Broadway The Mystery Plays (Second Stage) and Decoding the Tablecloth (NYC Fringe '04 winner of Best Solo Performance Show); at the Working Theater: Hold Please (Drama Desk nomination), Tabletop (Drama Desk winner), and Belmont Avenue Social Club; WPA: On House, Spread Eagle, and Century City and numerous regional productions including Andrea's Got Two Boyfriends (Drama-Logue Awards, LA Drama Critics Circle Award, and Governor's Media Access Award) in LA and at San Diego Rep, and premieres of Little Shop Of Horrors in Canada, Australia and South Africa. The rest of the artistic team includes Jim Youmans (Sets) and Jack Mehler (lights).