THE BRUTES Comes to Planet Connections Theatre Festivity

A feuding family's ideologies set the stage for a national tragedy in THE BRUTES. spit&vigor present a story of the Booth brothers, Junius, Edwin... and John Wilkes, part of the 10th anniversary season of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, at the Theaters of the Clemente, 107 Suffolk Street, New York City (btw Rivington & Delancey) running Wednesday 7/18 @7:30pm-9pm; Saturday 7/21 @4:30pm-6pm; Thursday 7/26 @6:15pm-7:45pm; Sunday 7/29 @9pm-10:30pm; Monday 7/30 @7:30pm-9pm; Wednesday 8/1 @9:30pm-11pm.

Casey Wimpee's gripping play, THE BRUTES, takes you backstage of an historic performance of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" featuring the renowned theatrical Booth family - brothers Edwin, Junius Jr. and John Wilkes. This was the first and only time that the three brothers shared a stage together. The backstage drama becomes the focus of this portrait of their tempestuous relationship fraught with political conflict ending in an American tragedy.

Humor peppers this historical drama depicting the Booth family and their staunch Union loyalty and what happens when loyal Confederate, John Wilkes Booth, joins them - on stage but not in belief - in New York City in November 1864 to do a play, ending with the burning of the original Winter Garden Theater in Manhattan 1864 and Booth's assassination of the President Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

Staged in the Round by Sara Fellini utilizing minimal set pieces serving as everything from a theatre to a dinner table, THE BRUTES serve up civil strife, family devolution, and a country sharply divided. Today or 150 years ago, the parable of this drama remains strong.

Tickets and further info: planetconnections.org/

This summer, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (PCTF), the brainchild of arts professional Glory Kadigan, turns 10 years old. In that decade, PCTF has successfully changed the landscape of the theatre festival and all of New York independent theatre. The multi-award-winning theatre festival will celebrate in a big way by premiering more than 50 timely and topical plays and musicals written by the next generation of playwrights. Each play contains a powerful message serving as a parable of various world themes. The Tenth Planet: Planet Connections Theatre Festivity will run from July 9 through August 5, 2018 at The Clemente, 107 Suffolk Street, NYC.www.planetconnections.org. Artists presenting works from all across America, including Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Providence and New York City; and from all over the planet, including Japan, Yugoslavia, Russia, Peru, France, Belarus, & Haiti are part of this year's festivity.

A defining facet of PCTF is its truly tangible connection to the world. Each artist within each season uses their work to shed light on causes that matter and inspire audiences to get involved. PCTF's artists raise awareness - and funds - for a charity of their own selection. Furthering its message, PCTF is the country's first eco-friendly arts festivity, providing green marketing and promotional materials and supporting sustainable design production practices.