Plays by Howe, Reddin, Etc. Part of Summer Shorts Festival

John McCormack and J.J. Kandel in association with The Open Book will present "Summer Shorts," a festival of new American short plays, at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street).  Performances begin Thursday August 2nd, and continue through Thursday August 30th.

"Summer Shorts" offers nine one-act plays, eight having their world premieres, in two separate evenings. The two series will run in rotating repertory (a detailed description and schedule follows below). "Summer Shorts" "represents some of the country's best writing, directing and acting talents coming together to celebrate theatre, summer and the short form. In one evening of theatre, audiences will be able to sample a diverse range of voices and styles in an elegant and straightforward presentation," state press notes.

The playwrights contributing to "Summer Shorts" include John Augustine, Michael Domitrovich, Tina Howe, Skip Kennon, Warren Leight, Leslie Lyles, Eduardo Machado, Tom O'Brien, Keith Reddin, and Randee Smith. Maruti Evans will provide scenic and lighting design.

"The Open Book was founded by Bill Bonham and Marvin Kaye in 1975, and has been continuously operating ever since. The company was formed to develop a streamlined alternative to America's overproduced traditional theatre. Its mission is to present the best of all worlds of literature -- prose, poetry, drama, even nonfiction -- to our culturally diverse tri-state audience, with emphasis on new under-appreciated literature of excellence that is likely to be bypassed by traditional theatre companies."

59E59 Theaters is the state-of-the-art theater complex in a spectacular location on 59th Street between Park and Madison Avenues in Manhattan. Owned and operated by the Elysabeth Kleinhans Theatrical Foundation, a not-for profit operating foundation, 59E59 Theaters has set an invigorating policy of bringing new, challenging and experimental work to a new neighborhood.

The schedule follows:

Series A

AMICI, ASCOLTAT By Warren Leight
Directed by TBA  
"A son's imminent departure for Iraq prompts his father to examine the fate of men in his family when sent to war."
AFTERNOON TEA
Book and Lyrics by Eduardo Machado, Music by Skip Kennon
Directed by Billy Hopkins  
"A two-character musical about the power of reconciliation.  The play tells a story of the later years of the author J.M. Barrie's life.  After twenty years of being apart, Barrie's wife comes back to reconcile their marriage…but he is still lost in the world of fantasy, youth, and Peter Pan."    
RAIN, HEAVY AT TIMES By Leslie Lyles
Directed by Billy Hopkins  
"A woman and a wealthy aunt pass a rainy afternoon in a Red Bank New Jersey restaurant, one eye on recently purchased undergarments the other on the bartender."
REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE By Michael Domitrovich
Directed by Eduardo Machado  
"After splitting up with his girlfriend Roxanne, Jeff is looking for a role he can sink his teeth into. When Jeff's meeting with Eli, an emerging playwright, starts to go sour, he learns just how flexible the meaning of 'reality' can be. "

Series B
SKIN DEEP By Tina Howe
Directed by TBA  
"A fleeing nymph with a greenish cast to her skin dashes into the R train late at night. The only other rider is a celebrated dermatologist who happens to be sitting under his own ad. Can he save her?"
MERWINS LANE By Keith Reddin
Directed by Billy Hopkins  
"A three character play set in a bus station, strangers meet and find they're much less strangers than they thought."
FATHER'S DAY By John Augustine
Directed by Daniel Winerman  
"Augustine takes a look at murder, justice, gun control, and whether or not it is wise for the privileged to volunteer -- knowing all the while they could be sued. With the help of the actual transcript from the confession of the man who murdered Augustine's father... the author attempts to make some sense of murder. Then and Now."
THE P.A. Written and Directed by Tom O'Brien  
"A comic look at the day in the life of a production assistant on a movie set in the streets of New York City. With Ean Sheehy"
WINDOWSHINE By Randee Smith
Directed by TBA 
"Two estranged siblings come together over the impending death of their father, each on their own separate journey, and find that they don't know how to communicate."

Performances will be Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8:15pm, with matinees Saturdays at 2:15 and Sundays at 3:15.  Tickets are $18 each (59E59 members $12.60). Tickets can be purchased from the Box Office (Monday 12pm-6pm, Tuesday-Saturday 12pm-9pm, Sunday 12pm-7pm), by phone through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.ticketcentral.com. Service fees apply to phone and web purchases.

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