PLAYWRIGHTS FOR A CAUSE Finds New Venue

Playwrights for a Cause has announced that the show will go on as planned at the New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street, on Sunday, June 14 at 7:30 pm. However, in light of The Sheen Center's cancellation of Playwrights for a Cause benefiting the National Coalition Against Censorship and the resulting recent media reports, playwright Neil LaBute has decided to pull his one-act play from the event.

"Unfortunately the event was starting to become all about my play and its title and not about the fine work that Erik Ehn, Halley Feiffer and Israel Horovitz were also presenting that evening, along with the accompanying speeches and the cause of the evening itself," said Neil LaBute. "I had hoped my work would be viewed on its own merits rather than overshadow our message or become a beacon of controversy. I am honestly not interested in stirring hatred or merely being offensive; I wanted my play to provoke real thought and debate and I now feel like that opportunity has been lost and, therefore, it is best that I withdraw the play from Playwrights For A Cause."

"This event was always supposed to be about building bridges, sharing points of view and trying to ease tensions rather than create them," said Glory Kadigan, PFAC Producing Artistic Curator and founder of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. "Talking about the issues is always the first step to finding solutions. Although we are disappointed that the Sheen Center, and the Church, was not supportive of First Amendment values which encompass the right to free speech and freedom to exercise religion, we are moving forward with the event, and the three world premiere works to be presented that night, as well as a talkback with the NCAC, a panel discussion on various facets of censorship - including race, religion, gender and sexual preference - and also an opening night party for Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, which begins on June 15."

The evening, which will benefit the non-profit National Coalition Against Censorship, will showcase three world premiere one-act plays: Israel Horovitz's Breaking Phillip Glass and Erik Ehn's Her Speech, both directed by Planet Connections Theatre Festivity founder and PFAC Producing Artistic Curator Glory Kadigan; and Halley Feiffer's A Play About New Mexico, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch.

The Planet Connections Opening Night Celebration, Playwrights For A Cause, is all about building bridges between artists of different religions, races, genders, sexual orientation and politics. The event will be emceed by Planet Connections Literary Manager David Stallings and Planet Connections Music Festival Director Candice Fortin.

The panel discussion is expected to be a lively debate in which the artists attempt to build bridges despite different religions, races, genders and sexual orientations as we all attempt to understand the perspectives of others. Speakers include this season's Planet Connections playwrights Cecilia Copeland, speaking on the history of censorship of women in the arts; Kaela Mei-Shing Garvin, speaking on the censorship of environmentalists; Michael Hagins, speaking on the history of censorship of minorities in the arts; and Mark Jason Williams, speaking on the history of censorship of LGBT artists.

The evening's diverse panel of speakers will also include: Erik Ehn (a devout Catholic and presenting playwright), Israel Horovitz (a Jewish playwright also presenting), and presenting playwright Halley Feiffer.

All proceeds from ticket sales for Playwrights for a Cause will benefit The National Coalition Against Censorship, a non-profit advocacy organization, whose mission is to promote freedom of thought, inquiry and expression and oppose censorship in all its forms. The Coalition formed in response to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in Miller v. California, which narrowed First Amendment protections for sexual expression and opened the door to obscenity prosecutions. Over 40 years, as an alliance of more than 50 national non-profits, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups, The Coalition has engaged in direct advocacy and education to support First Amendment principles. The Coalition is unique in that they are national in scope, but often local in approach, and works with community members to resolve censorship controversies without the need for litigation. www.ncac.org

Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premiere socially-conscious theatre, music and film festival. The entire festival is aligned to help artist shine a light on the issues facing our society and support the organizations working to make a difference. The 2015 Theatre Festivity will run from June 15-July 12 at the Paradise Factory (located at 64 East 4th Street between the Bowery and 2nd Avenue), and will also play host to special events at various locations in New York City's East Village. For more information on Planet Connections visit: planetconnections.org.