FringeNYC Delivers Picking Up the Baby, August 11-27

The world premiere of Picking Up the Baby by Ellen Margolis, directed by Teresa K. Pond, will run as part of the 10th annual New York International Fringe Festival - Fringe NYC, August 11th - 27th at the Flea Theatre.

Presented by magic portal productions, "this hour-long comedy riffs on race relations in America in ways that are sometimes delicate, sometimes brutal and often, painfully funny," according to notes on the show.

"Gretchen, a well-intentionEd White liberal, hits the road to meet the newborn African-American infant she plans to adopt.  En route from Los Angeles to Texas, she begins to question whether she has what it takes to parent a child of a different race.  As her fears find wildly theatrical expression, Gretchen reaches out to her beloved brother Nick for support.  Nick is discovering that his own interracial relationship with Daniel is more volatile than he could have imagined, while young Marla, the baby's mother, attempts both to bond with her baby son and to let him go.  Over the course of one very full day, Gretchen, Marla, Nick and Daniel each confront their capacity for acceptance and trust and find the strength to reach out across racial lines for the possibility of love."

Featured in the cast are Keith Arthur Bolden, Rob Cameron, Caroline Luft and Chandra Thomas. Lighting design is by Jason Byron Teague, costume design is by Mimi Maxim. 

The director and writer of Picking Up the Baby previous FringeNYC credentials:  director Pond helmed Half Life by Robert Moulthrop, winner of the Fringe Festival's "2005 Excellence in Playwriting Award," and playwright Ellen Margolis authored How to Draw Mystical Creatures, which received the same award in 2004.

The show will play: Sun. 8/13 at 2:15pm, Thurs. 8/17 at 9pm, Sun. 8/20 at 6:15pm, Thurs. 8/24 at 5pm and Sat. 8/26 at 7pm.

The Flea Theatre is located at 41 White Street.  Tickets are $15; visit www.FringeNYC.org or call (212) 279-4488, outside New York, (888)FringeNYC.