MITF Presents Commercial Division Shows

In the last week of its ninth annual successful smash season, the Midtown International Theatre Festival extends you one last invitation to see its Commercial Division shows with an eye on transferring to a life elsewhere after their MITF runs end on August 10! Members of the press are cordially invited to any show of their choosing.
 
Through this week, you can catch a one-woman show about the joys and travails of motherhood, nannyhood and the children they both love (Exit Cuckoo); a joyous musical comedy about love and life on a forgotten Grecian Isle (OPA!); and a smart, contemporary tuner focusing on a successful career woman who comes up with a business plan to land the man of her dreams (Love, Incorporated).
 
"I'm very proud of our Commercial Division's inaugural run," noted MITF founder and executive producer John Chatterton. "We've been looking to do this for the past couple of years and circumstances (and product) finally came together this time to make it a reality. I'm hopeful that each of these shows has a life outside the Midtown International Theatre Festival." Chatterton also noted that he hopes to make offerings from the Commercial Division "an annual event at the MITF."
 
The 2009 MITF Commercial Division works consist of:

 
Exit Cuckoo
Written and Performed by Lisa Ramirez
Directed by May Adrales
Running time: 75 minutes
Produced by: Lotus Productions
Associate Producer: David Roberts
www.exitcuckoo.com

Exit Cuckoo is a one-woman show that explodes the myth of motherhood. How is a busy parent expected to produce offspring, rear young, build her nest, and still find time to forage for food and a decent living? In nature, the cuckoo bird solves this problem by leaving its egg in another bird's nest and the host bird then assumes responsibility for the unborn hatchling. Answers for the modern, diverse and driven women of New York City are more difficult to uncover…In the jungles of Manhattan, Ramirez takes us into the homes of, and sits us on park benches with, nannies, mothers, and the children they both love and care for. Exit Cuckoo is an incisive glimpse into the lives of drastically different women which challenges the viewer to never look at "that woman" with the stroller in the same way again.
Remaining schedule for Exit Cuckoo is as follows:

Friday, August 8th at 8pm         Saturday, August 9th at 8pm

Love, Incorporated
Book, music, & lyrics by Marc Castle
Directed by Igor Goldin
Musical direction by Phillip Kirchman
Presented by Tzipora Kaplan in association with Katherine Heberling
Featuring: Jennifer Blood, Jonathan Rayson, Hollis Scarborough, Tally Sessions
An Equity Approved Showcase
www.loveincmusical.com
Running Time: 2 hours with intermission
Faith Stillman is an average NYC businesswoman. Smart, sweet…and seriously single. So, she did what any ordinary gal would do: create a business plan and incorporate.

Phase 1:  "Research & Development." Rent a Midtown office. Hire assistants.

Phase 2:  "Determine strategic initiatives." Generate a dossier on Dream Man.

    Dye hair blonde & buy heels.

Phase 3:   "Dinner Date." Finesse the buyer. Sing a musical number.

To close the deal on Love, Faith can't leave anything to chance. But will the "Dream Girl" she transforms herself into land the one man she wants? After all, love is one emotion that never quite follows the rules.

Remaining schedule for Love, Incorporated is as follows:
 
Wednesday, August 6th at 2pm            Thursday, August 7th at 8pm

Friday, August 8th at 4pm                     Saturday, August 9th at 2pm
Sunday, August 10th at 2pm

OPA!
Book by Mari Carras & Laurel Ollstein
Lyrics by Mari Carras & Nick Kitsopoulos
Music by Nicholas Carras & Nick Kitsopoulos
Choreography by Wendy Waring
Assistant Choreographer: Margaret Liston
Greek dance consultant: Athan Karras
Directed by Spiro Veloudos
Musical Direction by Micah Young
Presented by Double Play Connections, LLC and Wild Bird Productions, Inc.
Featuring: Demetri Bonaros, Michael Dionissiou, Carolee Goodgold,  Abigail Hardin, Jan Leslie Harding, Michael Alan Jacobs, Costa Nicholas, Eric Ruben, Natasha Tabandera
An Equity Approved Showcase

http://www.OPAtheMusical.com

Running Time: 2 Hours

The tiny Greek island of Elia has been left off the national map since…forever. Costa, the newly elected mayor, tries to reinvigorate the dispassionate villagers by announcing his recent discovery of the island on a globe. When a cruise ship is spotted from a distance heading straight for the island, the villagers band together in a desperate attempt to gain recognition from the outside world, and from each other. The mayhem that ensues ends up helping the villagers "see" their hidden selves along the way - the main message being to never hide your true self and to always to live a life of "OPA!"  Let the singing and dancing begin!

Remaining schedule for OPA! is as follows:
 
Wednesday, August 6th at 8pm

Exit Cuckoo, OPA! and Love, Incorporated are all being performed at the TBG Theatre, located at 312 West 36th Streets (between 8th & 9th Avenues) on the 3rd Floor. Ticket for all shows are $18.00, $15.00 for students and seniors. Reservations: 212-279-4200 or www.ticketcentral.com. Please Note: the theatre is wheelchair accessible. Additional information in the Midtown International Theatre Festival can be found at www.midtownfestival.org

 

 

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