Island City Stage Opens New Season with a World Premiere, 10/23-25

"We discovered this play completely by accident", said Island City Stage Artistic Director Andy Rogow. "I was reading an article that had been shared by Tony Fintstrom in his daily emails. The article happened to mention a reading of a play that was taking place in NYC and it gave a description of the plot. I immediately knew we had to find this play. Island City Stage Associate Artistic Director Michael Leeds found playwright Michael Aman on Facebook and the script was sent to us. We loved it and we decided to produce it on the spot."

And so South Florida's Island City Stage - winner of six Carbonell Awards last season including Best Production of a Play - will kick off its third season with the world premiere of Michael Aman's new comedy POZ. The production will begin with previews on Thursday, October 23and open officially on Saturday, October 25.

POZ takes us back a decade to 2003. Edison is an attractive young man with leukemia who discovers he can only get insurance to cover his chemo if he's HIV+. Robert is an older man who is HIV+ and a self proclaimed "sex pig" trying to change his life. Each has what the other wants. But what will they do to get it? Along with their cohorts -an aging stage star, an old-school queen, an eccentric medium and a ghost - these two men create a totally unconventional love story that is extremely funny and thought provoking.

This production will be staged by last year's Carbonell Award-winning director Michael Leeds, and features Jeffrey Bruce, Larry Buzzeo, Jessica Peterson, Pierre Tannous, Christian Vandepas and Janet Weakley.

Island City Stage's award-winning design team - scenic designer Michael McClain, lighting designer Preston Bircher, sound designer David Hart and costume designer Peter Lovello - also return to lend their talents here.

Aman's other credits include The Unbleached American, which won best play for the African American Playwrights' Exchange (AAPEX) in 2012 and had its premiere at The Stoneham Theatre in Massachusetts in April, 2014. The play was then presented at The Kennedy Center as part of the Page to Stage Festival in 2014. He also co-wrote the book for The Piper (with Grammy winning songwriter Marcus Hummon), which premiered at the Actor's Bridge Ensemble in Nashville, 2010. His play POZ was commissioned by [Your Name Here] Queer Theatre Company,and he co-wrote the book and lyrics for The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde (2005 NYMF), as well as the book for Let Me Sing! A Musical Evolution (George Street Playhouse; Charlotte Repertory Theatre). He is currently working on Frida, a musical about Frida Kahlo (with Olivier Award nominee composer Dana P. Rowe), which was developed through Amas Musicals in New York City. Michael has a Ph.D. in Theatre History and Masters degree in Dramaturgy. He is married to director Michael Bush.

Performances of POZ run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM, and Sundays at 5:00 PM, through November 23 at Empire Stage, 1140 N. Flagler Drive in Fort Lauderdale. All tickets are $30.00 and can be purchased online at islandcitystage.org or by calling 954-519-2533.

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