New Play, The Information She Carried, Opens March 25th

Written by Maya Cantu

David L. Williams' The Information She Carried, possibly the first in a new genre of conspiracy theory-baseball drama, will open at the off-off-Broadway Access Theatre (380 Broadway, 4th Floor) on March 25th, 2005. The world premiere production is directed by Carolyn Malone and features a strong cast of relative unknowns.

The play is based upon real events but imaginatively elaborates upon them. In 1920, Ray Chapman was killed when he was struck by a baseball. While Chapman remains the only Major League player to actually die in such a freak accident, a high school third baseman was injured years later when his coach, who owned the collectible cursed ball, gave it to him by mistake. In The Information She Carried, the story is taken to an unpredictable new level with the addition of fictional conspiracy theorist Sharon North. Sharon has already made her name in attempting to track down the truth behind the JFK, Roswell and Alien Autopsy cases, and she becomes convinced that the ball holds an unspeakably dark power. Only then does a mysterious encounter lead her down a whole new path to what may well be the truth, not mere conspiracy theory.

Williams considers the work a commentary on humanity's need to search for reasons and answers, even in the most baffling of times. "Within a few days of the Asian tsunami disaster, I was already reading postings on the internet of people who were blaming the Bush administration's environmental policies. People would rather believe that there is a powerful group of sinister people plotting to do them harm than have to hace the fact that we have no control."

Williams, a graduate of Cornell University and a member of the Dramatist Guild, has written more than 16 plays, including Ampersand at the Riverside Stage Company. For this play he received the Founder's Award, and has has won the Heerman's McCalmon Playwriting Contest four times for The Murder of Gonzago, Behind the Nine Ball, Near Tragedy and Ingulf. In 2003, he wrote the book to the Fringe Festival musical, Tess' Last Night.

Director Carolyn Malone has assembled a cast that includes Breanna Pine, Christine Carroll, Christopher Drescher, Judson Jones, Christa Kimlicko Jones and Matthew Morgan.

The Information She Carried will be produced by W and W Productions, and will play a preview performance on March 24th before opening the next night. The play will run until April 16th, 2005. Showtimes are Wednesday-Saturday at 8 PM with an added performance on Sunday, April 10th at 7 PM.

Tickets are $15, and can be reserved at 212-714-5363.