May/June Schedule for 365 Days/365 Plays Announced

The Public Theater, in association with Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks' and Producer Bonnie Metzgar's 365 National Festival, have announced the May / June schedule of the New York presentations of Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Days/365 Plays.  Eight theaters - Intar Theatre, Atlantic Theater Company, SITI Company, New Dance Group Arts Center, Hip Hop Theater Festival, Desipina & Company, Alec Duffy, and Duende Arts - will offer a variety of presentations of weeks 26-33 of this year-long play cycle. Highlights of 365 NYC in May and June include:

Diverse Collaborations

*       INTAR Theatre, a major producer of work by Latino playwrights, will present 365 through its Actors' Collective.
*       Atlantic Theater Company will produce 365 using student actors and directors from Atlantic Acting School.
*       Desipina & Company promises to "add their own special brand of Asian-American flavor" to their 365 presentation.

 Presentations With Music and Dance

 *       SITI Company will collaborate with music group "The Rachels" for an evening of ensemble-created work that fuses music, movement, and text.
*       New Dance Group Arts Center will use 365 to further its mission of promoting the cultural significance of the art of dancing.
*       Hip Hop Theater Festival will perform 365 using hip-hop aesthetics and a diverse community of artists.

365 In All Five Boroughs

*       Alec Duffy will present 365 in parks and gardens located in all five boroughs of New York City

In November 2002, the Pulitzer prize-winning Suzan-Lori Parks sat down and committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days.  This play cycle is called 365 Days/365 Plays.  Over 600 theaters have joined a grassroots premiere of the plays in Atlanta, Austin,  Chicago, Colorado, Greater Texas, Los Angeles, Minnesota, New York, The Northeast, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, The Southeast, Universities (365U), Washington D.C. and the Western U.S. The 365 National Festival is produced by Suzan-Lori Parks and Bonnie Metzgar.  For information on the 365 National Festival, visit www.365days365plays.com.

Spearheading the New York component of 365 Days/365 Plays, The Public has gathered together a diverse cross-section of New York City's theater companies to participate in this project. Sixty-five theaters - selected by The Public and the 365 Days/365 Plays National Festival - will perform these brief, brilliant snapshots from the imagination of one of America's leading playwrights in numerous locations throughout the city.

Each week one participating theater will produce one week (seven plays) in the 365 Days/365 Plays cycle. Participants will produce their work in traditional theater spaces or site-specific locations. They may be staged readings or fully produced - but all will be in the spirit of celebrating the vibrancy of New York's theater tradition with audiences and artists from every corner of the city.  Each month, participants will be invited to share their work at First Sundays, a free public performance series at The Public the first Sunday of every month that will showcase the previous month of the play cycle. For the month of July only, each week of the month's plays will be performed by up to five theaters in The July Festival, which will spotlight on over 20 up-and-coming theater companies and artists.

For the full performance schedule, visit www.publictheater.org/365/schedule4.php

'365 First Sundays Series at The Public' will take place on May 27th and July 1st.  Tickets are free and available by reservation at 212-967 7555 or at The Public Theater Box Office.

Photo - Suzan-Lori Parks