Abingdon Theatre Company to Present Screenings of Short Films APART & AS APPLE PIE This Week

Abingdon Theatre Company will present the screening of Abingdon Virtual's premiere short films, "Apart" and "As Apple Pie." Celebrating the work of current Artist-in-Residence, Pierre Marais, the screening is set to take place at Soho House on February 16, 2023. After originating in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abingdon Virtual and Executive Producer Chad Austin are thrilled to be showcasing their work.

In Abingdon's newest short film, "Apart," after many years apart, two siblings, now strangers, take a road trip and navigate what it means to share the same blood.

"Apart" was produced by Abingdon Virtual, with Executive Producer Chad Austin, writer and director, Pierre Marais, and cinematography by Matthew Tomkins. The short film stars Nasia Thomas (Caroline, or Change, Six) and De'Lon Grant (Come From Away, Jersey Boys).

"As Apple Pie" is an immigrant's observation of an American conversation. Two old friends meet and discover that not communicating seems to be as American as apple pie. The short film was shot in New York and stars Josh Breckenridge (Come From Away, The Scottsboro Boys), Ilda Mason (Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story") and Justin Sargent (Rock of Ages, Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark).

"As Apple Pie" garnered 6 wins at various festivals, most notably Winner of Best Indie Short at the New York International Film Awards; the film also received 16 selections from various film festivals, most notably Finalist at Cannes World Film Festival for Best Young Filmmaker and Semi-Finalist at Dumbo Film Festival.

Pierre Marais states, "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to screen these films in a cinema with Abingdon. Executive Producer Chad Austin's commitment to independent filmmaking has brought these projects to life in the most beautiful way. As a director and writer, it is a gift to create with such support. Having been unable to attend their screenings and successes at film festivals all over the world, I'm looking forward to celebrating past and new work together in the format for which they were created: the big screen."

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Pierre Marais is an award-winning short film director and cinematographer based out of NYC. As a Broadway performer himself, dance has been a cornerstone of his work and he has defined his style largely through movement. Over the pandemic alone, Pierre's films have garnered over 50 selections from different film festivals across the globe; gathering several notable selections for his work at the San Francisco Dance Festival, Cannes Indie Shorts Film Festival and New York Short Film Festival. Most notably, his short films, It Cries Too Loudly and Lady Be Good, have both earned him Best Cinematography awards at the Eastern Europe Film Festival and Experimental Dance and Music Film Festival respectively. Narratively, Pierre serves as a director and cinematographer for For The Boys, a popular and award-winning web-series streaming on SlayTV. He also works as a director for Broadstream, a new online streaming platform. In the first quarter of 2022, Pierre's documentary, 'Ensemble' will be released; a reframing of the recorded sessions that created the musical "A Chorus Line" through the lens of the pandemic.

Abingdon Theatre Company was established over 30 years ago and has since collaborated with over 200 playwrights including Tony Award Winner, V (Formerly Eve Ensler), Philip Dawkins, David Greenspan, Anne Bogart, James Lecesne, Michael Weller, Dominique Fishback, Charles Mee, and many more. Most recently, Abingdon Theatre Company completed their critically acclaimed run of Queens Girl in the World that was nominated for Outstanding Solo Performance for the Vivian Robinson Audelco Recognition Awards for Excellence in Black Theatre. Other recent productions include the NYT Critics' Pick, Get on Your Knees, written and performed by Jacqueline Novak, nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Shedding a light on Just for Us, which was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award and Drama Desk Award, ATC produced Alex Edelman's one man play as part of their One Night Only Series.

For more information visit: www.abingdontheatre.org