Matthew Gasda's new play, ARDOR, Opens this Weekend at Serpent Club Theatre

Serpent Club Theatre showcases Matthew Gasda's newest play, Ardor, at St. Mary Magdalene Church. Ardor is an powerful contemplation about the love, lust, beauty, friendship, and the awkwardness of life and death.

Opening Weekend, from Sunday November 5th to Monday November 7th, will be celebrated with complimentary drinks for attendees.

Veteran character actor Greg Petroff* joins the cast to play Andre, a wise and observant painter who opens his home to the friends of his niece and nephew every summer. "Ardor is a good script with multiple levels," Petroff says, "It is very different from what you usually expect to see from a young playwright. Which is usually either a social awareness play or some aspect of their fantasy life on stage."

Ardor is the fourth play by Matthew Gasda to make its debut in New York in 2016, following his original dramas Messages and Denmark, and his award-winning adaptation of The Bacchae. Gasda also directed Howard Brenton's 1983 drama, Bloody Poetry, this past August at The Brooklyn Art Library, and is the author of two well-received novels: Moon on Water and Sonata for Piano and Violin.

"I didn't want to write a play that will be useless in ten years: this is not a blog article about young people or contemporary art - it's about the chaos that underlies human nature; a chaos that can be painted with different colors and associations," Gasda says.

Ardor runs for sixteen shows between Nov 5 to Dec 3rd.

Credits: Written and Directed by: Matthew Gasda, Set Design by: Jacqueline Brockel, Lighting Design by: Joseph Magnus, Costume Design by: Ashley Owens, Stage Managed by Alison Boenig, Produced by: Di Di Chan & Browny Kelley.

Cast: Anamari Mesa; Greg Petroff *; Xavier Clark; Vincent Santvoord; Melissa Nelson; Ladi Akinwande; Tad D'Agostino; Makaela Shealy; Kim Sweet *
*these actors are appearing courtesy of Actor's Equity Association approved showcase

Ardor: a new play by Matthew Gasda
Location: St. Mary Magdalene Church at 70 W. 107th St
(Cross streets: 107th Street and Columbus Ave)
Performance Schedule:
November 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11,12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 30
December 1, 3 at 8:00pm
Cost/Admission: $18
Ticket Information*: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2697606
Website: ardortheplay.wordpress.com