Ruth Stage to Partner With Veterans Organizations for LONE STAR

Ruth Stage's upcoming off-Broadway premiere of James McLure's dark comedy Lone Star, will partner with non-profit organizations Warrior Rising and VetLinks.org to raise awareness and advocacy for veterans issues. Following Lone Star's Opening Night performance on Sunday, December 3rd, there will be a special talkback featuring Iraqi war veteran and advocate Magda Khalifa, Warrior Rising Chief of Staff Ken Vennera, and VetLinks President/CEO/Co-Founder Jessica Kavanagh, alongside members of the Lone Star team. Tickets, beginning at $49, are available at ruthstage.org/lonestar.

“Throughout our country's history, veterans have contributed greatly after serving in uniform, yet the struggle for so many continues for a variety of reasons. It is an honor to support Ruth Stage as they bring the veteran community to the forefront through their artistry, with this production of a classic Vietnam-era play,” said Magda Khalifa, Iraqi war veteran and advocate.

VetLinks.org President/CEO/Co-Founder Jessica Kavanagh commented: “I am so appreciative of Ruth Stage, and the entire creative team for bringing Lone Star off-Broadway. While this is indeed a play, this story is very real for so many veterans and their families struggling with the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress and communicates the impact it has on families, whether it be from wars decades ago to our most recent wars today. I know this firsthand because I lived it myself with my late husband, MAJ Brian Kavanagh, through his own battle with post-traumatic stress and the battles we shared getting access for help through the Veterans Affairs system. For these very reasons, Vetinks.org was created to help veterans and their families get the help they need, when they need it. Together with the Ruth Stage team, we can continue to have a widespread impact on so many lives.”

Warrior Rising's Chief of Staff, Ken Vennera, offered this acclamation, “Warrior Rising, and its founder, Jason Van Camp, himself a veteran, are very excited to be partnering with Ruth Stage for this heart-warming tribute to soldiers past and present, bringing light to the struggles that often result from war. We are grateful to its producers, writers, and directors, who recognize, respect, and value our veteran community and wish them much success.”

Magda Khalifa, Founder of Triangle Fragrance, is a 1st-generation American who grew up in North Jersey. After the September 11 attacks she joined the military and volunteered for two tours in Iraq. Post-service, she struggled with health issues stemming from toxic exposures in war. Magda dramatically improved her life over the course of a decade, and shared her success path, coined Freedom Triangle, in her 2019 memoir. Shortly after, she launched the clean beauty brand for men and women, Triangle Fragrance. The luxurious collection brings self-help to the beauty world, inspired by the power of Freedom Triangle.  

VetLinks.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bridging the VA mental health care gap for Veterans and their families with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorder. Founded by Co-Founder, Jessica Kavanagh, Vetlinks.org provides individualized support to combat veterans and their families getting them the help they need when they need it. We also bring awareness in hopes that families, caregivers, and veterans will not suffer in silence with PTS. We believe the value of our society is determined largely by the way we care for those who sacrifice on our behalf. It is therefore our responsibility to do what we can to support veterans, their loved ones, and their caregivers. Vetlinks.org provides personalized, tailored support to individual combat veterans and caregivers whether through financial means or connecting them to the resources they may need.

Warrior Rising is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded by retired U.S. Special Forces combat veteran, Jason Van Camp, that empowers U.S. veterans and their immediate families to find their purpose and sense of community by providing them opportunities to create sustainable businesses, perpetuate the hiring of fellow U.S. military veterans, and earn their future. Warrior Rising is dedicated to helping veterans achieve success in business through instruction, mentoring, funding access, and maintaining the veteran community. Since its inception, Warrior Rising has assisted more than 18,000 veterans to re-discover purpose post service through business ownership. Warrior Rising is also a U.S. Small Business Administration resource partner.

Lone Star takes place in the cluttered back yard of a small-town Texas bar. Roy (Matt de Rogatis), a brawny macho type, is back in town, battling symptoms of PTSD, after a hitch in Vietnam. Joined by his younger brother Ray (Barton Cowperthwaite), this hilarious and poignant study of a pair of Texas "good ole boys" explores the depths of brotherhood and the scars to be dealt with from battles fought at home and abroad.

Ruth Stage has been granted exclusive permission from the McLure Estate to combine elements of Lone Star's sister play, Laundry and Bourbon, to create a one-of-a-kind adaptation. Laundry and Bourbon's central character of Elizabeth enters this production with dialogue from both Laundry and Bourbon as well as an unpublished Lone Star screenplay which was set to be made into a film in the 1980's with Sigourney Weaver but never came to fruition. Live music from the Vietnam era will also be woven throughout this timely adaptation.

Starring in Lone Star are Barton Cowperthwaite (“Tiny Pretty Things”, The Outsiders, “Girls5eva”, An American in Paris National Tour), Ana Isabelle (‘Rosalia' in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story), Ryan McCartan (Wicked, Frozen, Heathers The Musical, Fox's The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and Matt de Rogatis (‘Brick' in Ruth Stage's off-Broadway premiere of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, opposite Courtney Henggeler).

The creative team of Lone Star features Joe Rosario (Director), Matthew Imhoff (Set Design), Christian Specht (Lighting Design), Tomas Correa (Sound & Projection Design), Legacy Comix (Comic Book Illustrations), Tollie Boone (Stage Manager), and Milton Elliott (Assistant Stage Manager). Casting is by Ruth Stage.

Lone Star is set to begin preview performances on Saturday, November 25th at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street), with an opening night set for Sunday, December 3rd. The strictly limited engagement is set to run through Saturday, December 23rd, 2023.

Tickets, beginning at $49, can be purchased at either www.ruthstage.org/lonestar or https://bfany.org/theatre-row/shows/lone-star-by-james-mclure/. Additionally, tickets can be purchased by calling the Theatre Row Box Office at 212-714-2442 x45 (https://bfany.org/theatre-row/). Theatre Row is located at 410 West 42nd Street. The Box Office is available by phone Monday – Friday from 12:00 pm – 5:00 pm.

Lone Star is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service imprint. (www.dramatists.com).

For more information, please visit www.ruthstage.org/lonestar.

ABOUT VETLINKS

VetLinks.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit bridging the VA mental health care gap for Veterans and their families with post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorder. Founded by Co-Founder, Jessica Kavanagh, Vetlinks.org provides individualized support to combat veterans and their families getting them the help they need when they need it. We also bring awareness in hopes that families, caregivers, and veterans will not suffer in silence with PTS. We believe the value of our society is determined largely by the way we care for those who sacrifice on our behalf. It is therefore our responsibility to do what we can to support veterans, their loved ones, and their caregivers. Vetlinks.org provides personalized, tailored support to individual combat veterans and caregivers whether through financial means or connecting them to the resources they may need.

ABOUT WARRIOR RISING

Warrior Rising is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded by retired U.S. Special Forces combat veteran, Jason Van Camp, that empowers U.S. veterans and their immediate families to find their purpose and sense of community by providing them opportunities to create sustainable businesses, perpetuate the hiring of fellow U.S. military veterans, and earn their future. Warrior Rising is dedicated to helping veterans achieve success in business through instruction, mentoring, funding access, and maintaining the veteran community. Since its inception, Warrior Rising has assisted more than 18,000 veterans to re-discover purpose post service through business ownership. Warrior Rising is also a U.S. Small Business Administration resource partner.

ABOUT MAGDA KHALIFA

Magda Khalifa, Founder of Triangle Fragrance, is a 1st-generation American who grew up in North Jersey. After the September 11 attacks she joined the military and volunteered for two tours in Iraq. Post-service, she struggled with health issues stemming from toxic exposures in war. Magda dramatically improved her life over the course of a decade, and shared her success path, coined Freedom Triangle, in her 2019 memoir. Shortly after, she launched the clean beauty brand for men and women, Triangle Fragrance. The luxurious collection brings self-help to the beauty world, inspired by the power of Freedom Triangle.

ABOUT RUTH STAGE

Ruth Stage is an edgy and innovative New Jersey based nonprofit multi media group, founded by the late Bob Lamb in 2017. Over the last several years, this maverick organization has inspired a generation to get involved in the arts. By re-introducing thought provoking, seminal playwrights to more audiences, Ruth Stage aims to keep the classics alive. Ruth Stage re-imagines, reinvents and accessibly presents must see, formative works to audiences of all ages. In the summer of 2022 and winter of 2023, Ruth Stage produced the first ever Off Broadway productions of the Pulitzer Prize winning play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams. This past June, Ruth Stage launched their first podcast, The Magnificent Bastards, which can be watched on their YouTube channel (@officialruthstage) and downloaded on all podcast platforms. Additionally, Ruth Stage is currently developing a dramatic television series for a major streaming service. For more information, please visit www.ruthstage.org.

ABOUT THEATRE ROW 


Theatre Row is an Off-Broadway multi-theater complex in the heart of NYC's Theater District that serves as an affordable home for performing artist organizations, and a lively, accessible venue for diverse audiences. Located just two blocks from Times Square, Theatre Row offers theater rentals, rehearsal studio rentals, office space, ticketing and box office, as well as tech support to actors, producers, dancers, and musicians. Theatre Row encourages its varied mix of nonprofit theater companies to share ideas and resources as they work in its intimate spaces. Over 160,000 patrons come to Theatre Row each year.

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