Ars Nova Announces Their Winter/Spring Lineup

Ars Nova (Jason Eagan, Artistic Director; Jon Steingart and Jenny Wiener Steingart, Executive Producers) announces an exciting and eclectic Winter/Spring lineup: two featured presentations; a new Residency Encores series; and the continuation of three successful ongoing series, Out Loud, Tragedy Tomorrow and Uncharted.

"The nature of Ars Nova's programming has always been unique in both its volume and scope. Our 2008 season (Jan - Dec) was certainly no exception as we strengthened our development programs and increased our level of producing. As we begin our 2009 season, we will be announcing our programming quarterly - allowing us the flexibility to remain spontaneous and most effectively continue to deliver vibrant, cutting edge material from New York's most exciting emerging artists." said Artistic Director Jason Eagan.

First up, Ars Nova's Play Group 08 puts the theater on party shuffle with song-inspired short plays in Playlist. Featuring plays by Annie Baker, Bekah Brunstetter, Evan Cabnet, Dylan Dawson, Liz Flahive, Sam Forman, Nick Jones, Steven Levenson, Barry Levey, Carly Mensch, Rachel Shukert, Mat Smart, Adam Szymkowicz and Samuel Brett Williams; direction by Evan Cabnet, Sam Gold, Shira Milikowsky, Meredith McDonough and Kerry Whigham; a killer live band led by Lucas Papaelias; and an exceptional cast featuring Christopher Abbott, Cassie Beck, Aya Cash, Dashiell Eaves, Isabel Keating, Sue Jean Kim, Zach Shaffer and Greg Stuhr, Playlist runs five performances only, January 22nd-25th. Tickets are only $15 and can be purchased at www.arsnovanyc.com.

Up next is Two Girls for Five Bucks, featuring dual dynamos Cathleen Carr and Daiva Deupree. Capping a year-long development process that began in Ars Nova's comedy series, Tragedy Tomorrow, Carr, Deupree, and their band The Ten Dollar Heartbreakers present their most ambitious show to date. This comedy bonanza of loneliness, insecurity and desperation weaves storytelling, rollicking songs, video alter egos, and anti-chick-flick wit into a cozy quilt of delightful shame. Directed by Andy Donald.

In addition to these featured presentations, Ars Nova has a jam-packed schedule of exciting series and special events scheduled. The newly created Residency Encores series will provide Ars Nova artists with in-house residencies that culminate in performances of newly-developed material. Eagan said, "In keeping with Ars Nova's mission, it was important to ensure that we were offering our artists ample resources to help them bridge the overwhelming gap between one-night presentations of new work and fully developed productions. It is our hope that this new Residency Encores series will provide artists with the necessary resources, artistic guidance and industry exposure that will allow them to make strides towards fully-realized productions in New York and across the country."

The new series will complement Ars Nova's existing series programming: Out Loud, Ars Nova's free play-reading series dedicated to developing new work by emerging playwrights; Tragedy Tomorrow, which brings the raw underbelly of New York's alternative comedy scene to the Ars Nova stage, encouraging creative risk-taking by showcasing a wide spectrum of emerging comedic talent; and Uncharted, which blasts through industry blockades, providing a forum for burgeoning composers, singer/songwriters and bands to perform original music in an eclectic range of styles, serving as an incubator for groundbreaking musical talent.

Ars Nova 2009 Winter/Spring Programming:
Featured Presentations:
Playlist
Written by the Ars Nova Play Group 08: Annie Baker, Bekah Brunstetter, Evan Cabnet, Dylan Dawson, Liz Flahive, Sam Forman, Nick Jones, Steven Levenson, Barry Levey, Carly Mensch, Rachel Shukert, Mat Smart, Adam Szymkowicz and Samuel Brett Williams

Directed by Evan Cabnet, Sam Gold, Shira Milikowsky, Meredith McDonough, and Kerry Whigham

Featuring: Christopher Abbott, Cassie Beck, Aya Cash, Dashiell Eaves, Isabel Keating, Sue Jean Kim, Zach Shaffer, and Greg Stuhr.

Thursday, January 22, 8pm
Friday, January 23, 8pm
Saturday, January 24, 2pm and 8pm
Sunday, January 25, 8pm

Ars Nova's Play Group puts the theater on party shuffle with song-inspired short plays that'll be stuck in your head for weeks. New York's hottest emerging playwrights join forces with a killer live band to shatter your memories of lame junior high mixes!

Two Girls for Five Bucks and the Ten Dollar Heartbreakers
Written and performed by Cathleen Carr and Daiva Deupree
Directed by Andy Donald
March 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28 at 8pm

Dual dynamos Cathleen Carr and Daiva Deupree power a comedy bonanza of loneliness, insecurity, and desperation. With help from their faithful band, The Ten Dollar Heartbreakers, these ladies weave rollicking songs, video alter egos, and anti-chick-flick wit into a cozy quilt of delightful shame. Directed by Andy Donald.

Series Events:
Out Loud
January 12: Putting the Days to Bed, by Deron Bos
February 2: Pure, by A. Rey Pamatmat
March 16: The Frat, by Samuel Brett Williams

Residency Encores
January 31 and February 7: Jeffery Self: People I Slept With Who Never Called Me Back
February 4 and 11: Adira Amram Is: An American Idol
February 6 and 13: Just Jump!

Tragedy Tomorrow
January 29: The Jingle Jangle Sisters
February 5: Brown Ambition
February 19: What Philosophy Majors Do After College

Uncharted
February 3: Tony Carnevale's Greatest Hits
February 10: Miracles of Modern Science
February 17: .357 Lover: An Evening of Unfinished Rock Operas and Concept Albums

Special Events:

January 8: A.N.T. FEST Audience Favorite: Goodbye Picasso's The Book of Aylene
January 9 and 10: Johnny Gallagher
January 30: Showgasm
February 14: Happy F***ing Valentines Day with TastiSkank
February 18: Our Lady J: Left to Her Own Devices
February 20 and 21: Radio Play

As New York's premiere hub for emerging artists and new work, Ars Nova is committed to developing and producing eclectic theatre, comedy and music to feed today's popular culture. To that end, Ars Nova strives to create daring collaborations, meld disciplines and give voice to a new generation of artists. Last season Ars Nova developed and produced critically acclaimed productions of Peter Sinn Nachtrieb's Boom, Liz Flahive's From Up Here (in a co-production with Manhattan Theatre Club), and Nick Jones and Raja Azar's Jollyship the Whiz-Bang. Past productions include Dixie's Tupperware Party, At Least It's Pink, 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, Holy Cross Sucks!, Freestyle Love Supreme and The Wau Wau Sisters. In addition to its featured productions, Ars Nova supports and develops new work from the most promising emerging artists through its alternative comedy series (Tragedy Tomorrow), music series (Uncharted), public play-reading series (Out Loud), developmental residency program (Residency Encores) writer's group (Play Group) and artist-in-residence program. Ars Nova was founded in memory of Gabe Wiener.

Ars Nova
511 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 489-9800
www.arsnovanyc.com

Tickets: (212) 352-3101 or www.arsnovanyc.com

Residency Encores, Tragedy Tomorrow, Uncharted: $15
Prices for Special Events and Featured Presentations vary.
For reservations to Out Loud readings, email reservations@arsnovanyc.com.

 

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