Rising Sun Performance Company Presents RITES OF SPRING

Founding Artistic Director Akia Squitieri announced today that Rising Sun Performance Company will be presenting a new live virtual event "Rites of Spring".

Streaming Live exactly one year after theaters have been closed, this virtual play festival will offer eight original plays focused on spring's renewal, hope, and various traditions. Through Rites of Spring, we continue our exploration of this ever-changing and growing New Medium, and expand on how we foster theatrical creativity.

Rising Sun Performance Company has assembled 60 artists from around the country in this hybrid festival of new spring-themed works. Each team was divided and assigned randomly, our playwrights were given 48 hours to write brand new work created for their assigned director and actors. The festival will present the world premiere of eight new plays, each running 10 minutes in length.

The plays will be performed for two performances on Saturday, March 13th at 8 PM & Sunday, March 14th at 5 PM.

This experience, spanning 3 weeks from prompt/team assignments to performance, adapts to the virtual age by equipping teams with spring-themed prompts and virtual theatre-inspired parameters. In addition to the performance, audiences will enjoy behind-the-scenes sneak peeks at prompt & team assignments, the rehearsal process, and more via social media and Patreon!

This event is suitable for most audiences, and is recommended for 12 years and older. Performances will be Closed Captioned.

"Rites of Spring" was co-conceived by the staff and creatives of Rising Sun Performance Company, featuring the talents of 60 Artists. These talents come from Indie, Regional, and Off-Broadway theatre and will be presented as LIVE virtual performances on Saturday, March 13th at 8 PM and Sunday, March 14th at 5 PM.

The Creative Team:

The Playwrights: Anel Carmona, Becky Saunders, Ben Dworken, Donna Latham, Kati Frazier, Molly Kirschner, Orlando F. Rodriguez, & Susan Goodell

The Directors: Antonio Miniño, Brock Hill, Chelsey Smith, Crystal Ramirez, Lanise Antoine Shelley, Mia Y. Anderson, Paige Washington & Paul Andrews

The Actors: Anel Carmona, Chris Jumper, Ellie Mae Miller, Isabelle Barany, Ita Korenzecher, Jennifer Atkinson, Jennifer Iris Rivera, Jo Walker, Johnny Blaze Leavitt, Jonathan Wong Frye, Josephine Pizzino, Judd Silverman, Lluvia Almanza, Luana Seu, Maggie Kissinger, Mary Sheridan, Mateo Moreno, Maya Schnaider, Natalie Osborne, Orlando F. Rodriguez, Raiane Cantisano, Raul Chavez, Rick Benson, Samantha Simone, Samuel Neagley, Sean Phillips, Stephanie D. Barney, & Zarra Kaahn

The Production Team Is Comprised Of:

Founding Artistic Director: Akia Squitieri

Associate Artistic Director: Anna Hogan

Marketing & New Media Manager: Rachael Langton

Literary Manager Rick Benson

Social Media Manager: Jennifer Iris Rivera

Technical Director/Production Manager: Laura Krouch*

Production Stage Managers: Sally Burgos & Addison Herndon

Production Coordinator: Justin Hsu

Accessibility Coordinator Rebecca Kane

Writing Prompts: Rick Benson, Rebecca Kane, Mateo Moreno & Antonio Miniño

Production Assistants: Colby Ourand, Chloe Green, Ivan McGill, Jemma Harris, & Rosanna Naples

Tickets start in tiers at $5 and a pay what you model can to ensure that financial barrier is not an issue for audiences.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite and via Rising Sun's Website For additional information: http://risingsunnyc.com/rites-of-spring-virtual-festival.html