Oppressed in Heels & A Letter for You to Present THE TROJAN WOMEN, 10/23-11/1

Oppressed in Heels and A Letter for You presents THE TROJAN WOMEN, a new devised work pulled from interviews of women dealing with war in its many ravaging forms weaved into the narrative of Euripides' classic text. Nathaniel P. Claridad (the original company of Here Lies Love) directs and serves as head writer for the new investigative theatre piece that will play October 23rd through November 1 at the Access Theatre.

The diverse company of actors is made up of Tania Chelnov, Cherrye Davis, Brandon Garegnani (The Lennon Report), Eulone Gooding, Malloree Hill, Nilan Johnson, Nicole Kang, Daphne Lopez, and Lynnsey Ooten. The production team includes Justin Hart (Design), Amy Eingold (Producer), Rebekah Small (Stage Management), Charles Quittner (Assistant Director).

Using found, classical and devised text, the work aims to show the plight of millions of women lensed by Euripides' look at women in internment. "Our goal is to close the gap between antiquity and the present, and to illuminate how much and how little has changed for women of war"- Nathaniel P. Claridad

The piece recently had a week-long residency at The Dragon's Egg in Connecticut. Here, the piece was workshopped with an ensemble of actors for seven hours every day. Not only did the script undergo many changes during this time, but the team was able to explore how the piece moved as a whole, away from the many distractions of the city.

Founded in 2015, Oppressed In Heels is a three part series that uses the theatre of the past to illuminate the present. By creatively adapting traditional narratives exploring the role of a woman's voice, we aim to foster discussion in the here and now around what these stories can tell us about our world today. By creating a communal experience, and great art, we can empower our audience to question the forces that shape these stories, and examine their role in defining our beliefs.

'A Letter for You Project' collects anonymous handwritten letters of support and encouragement for survivors. These letters are read by survivors to give them something back that has been stolen from them. More information can be found here: aletterforyou.org/.

Nathaniel P. Claridad (Director/Head Writer): NYC: July House (NYC Fringe, 2015), Man. Kind (Working Theater), The Breasts of Tiresias (Peculiar Works Project); with Wagon Wheel Arts: Triassic Parq, Dustin Lance Black's "8" featuring Jose Llana and Gavin Creel (Co-producer/Assistant Director, PlayMakers Repertory Company/Department of Dramatic Art, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); the annual event Broadway Twisted, benefitting North Carolina AIDS Action Network & BC/EFA (Co-producer/Director). Regionally: Our Town (Assistant Director, Two River Theatre), It's A Wonderful Life (Assistant Director, PlayMakers Repertory Company). For UNC: Eurydice, Tender Napalm, Shakespeare's R & J. As actor: Off-Broadway/NYC include: Here Lies Love(The Public Theater), The Awesome 80's Prom, Titus Andronicus (NYShakespeare Exchange), as well as NYMF, PS122, and National Asian Artists Project. National Tour: Alice (The Kennedy Center); Regional includes The Kennedy Center, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Folger Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company of DC, Cape Fear Regional, Imagination Stage, Hangar Theatre, and Barrington Stage Company. Other: The Civilians Field and Research Team, 2014 - 2015. MFA: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

"I'm waiting for the day when it becomes something positive for someone else and this is hopefully a stepping stone to that...someone will hear something that I say, and I won't even know, but it will be helpful" - Anonymous. To support the project, please visit Oppressed in Heels's Indigogo page at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/oppressed-in-heels-presents-the-trojan-women#/story.

THE TROJAN WOMEN runs October 23rd - November 1, Monday's- Saturday's @ 8pm, Saturday & Sunday performances@ 3pm. Note: No show on October 27. The Access Theatre is located at 380 Broadway near the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets are 18$.