Passage Theatre Company Announces its 8th Annual Solo Flights Festival, 3/5-4/3

Passage Theatre, Trenton's premiere professional theater company, will present its 8th annual Solo Flights Festival March 5 through April 3, featuring one-person plays, music and dance at Trenton's historic Mill Hill Playhouse (205 East Front Street, at the corner of Montgomery Street in historic downtown Trenton).

Bringing a brand new show to Passage Theatre, actress and comedian extraordinaire Lauren Weedman returns in a double-bill offering of two of her most painfully funny - and painfully honest - autobiographical shows: BUST and No...You Shut UP! A hit from last year's festival, virtuoso ragtime/stride/blues pianist Terry Waldo will return to tell the story of Ragtime!

The 8th Annual Solo Flights Festival will also present Emmy-nominated writer-performer Jeffrey Solomon in MotherSON, a one-man show in which he depicts his mother's poignant, and often hilarious, journey out of the closet as the parent of a gay son; and The Reluctant Optimist, written and performed by Princeton resident (and a Philadelphia favorite!) Mary Martello, explores the elation and disappointment that come with being a cockeyed optimist in the modern world through music of composers such as Rogers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter and George and Ira Gershwin.

In the category of unique theatrical experiences will be Hurrican Season: the hidden messages in water, a two-women show that interweaves spoken word poetry, sound collage, shadow art, dance, film and animation to explore critical issues facing humanity through the kaleidoscope of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath; and Mo Beasley, an award-winning performance poet and spoken word artist, who puts a whole new spin on the urban male coming of age story in You a Man Now?

According to Artistic Director June Ballinger, "Solo shows are no longer indulgent personal confessions or docudramas anymore. The solo shows we're presenting in our festival are more theatrical, more adventurous. They have universal themes, but the characters in these shows also speak to specific social and political points of view. The festival has always been an opportunity for us to test waters with adventurous new work. It's an opportunity also for us to challenge our audiences."

Passage Theatre performs in the historic Mill Hill Playhouse an intimate 115-seat theater in the heart of downtown Trenton adjacent to the beautiful Mill Hill district. Security-guarded on-street parking is available on S. Montgomery St., Ernie Kovacs St., E. Front Street and in the Artworks parking lot.

The 2010 Solo Flights Festival returns with 7 events for the month of March! Regular admission: general, $20; students, $10; groups of 10 or more, $15; seniors, 10% off. Tickets for Hurricane Season are $30; student tickets are $10 (no senior or group discounts).

To reserve tickets, please call (609) 392-0766 or visit online at www.passagetheatre.org

Tickets can also be purchased at the Passage Theatre Office: 219 East Hanover Street in Trenton, Monday through Friday from 12:00 pm -5:30 pm or at the box office, one hour before each performance at the Mill Hill Playhouse.

For over 20 years, Passage Theatre has developed and showcased new work by emerging and established playwrights. As a key participant in the revitalization of urban Trenton, Passage presents outstanding plays that celebrate experiences common to all and transcend culture and race.

Passage Theatre is committed to ensuring that all individuals have access to the joy of the performing arts. Passage is dedicated to being a leader in the education and assistance of all organizations, working towards making our programs and services accessible to people with disabilities. For more information, please call (609) 392-0766.

Passage Theatre's mainstage season is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts; New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts; the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; the Princeton Area Community Foundation; The Times of Trenton; Trenton Marriott at Lafayette Yard; the City of Trenton, Department of Recreation, Natural Resources and Culture; WIMG 1300; the Curtis McGraw Foundation; Rose and Louis H. Linowitz Charitable Foundation; The James Kerney Foundation; PNC Bank; and The Garfield Foundation.