The World Premiere Of BRUISE & THORN Comes to A.R.T./New York Theatres in March

Pipeline Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Bruise & Thorn by C. Julian Jiménez (Bundle of Sticks), formerly known as J. Julian Christopher, and directed by Jesse Jou (Say You Heard My Echo). Bruise & Thorn begins previews in the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street) on March 4, 2022, and officially opens on March 13, for a limited run through March 27, 2022.

Bruise and Thorn are Nuyorican, queer, and tired af of their jobs at a busted-up laundromat in Jamaica, Queens. But not for long: Bruise is saving up to become a chef (like on "Chopped!"), and Thorn spits bars on street corners, one "America's Got Talent" audition away from becoming the Boricua Nikki Minaj. When the laundromat's basement turns out to be an illegal cockfighting ring, the cousins can't tell if this is an opportunity to cash out and become their most fabulous selves-or a trap to keep them locked into what everyone expects them to be.

"Back in 2017, I was toying around with the idea of examining Latiné Queerness through a live Halal food shop intersecting with a Laundromat as a cover for a cock-fighting ring in Jamaica, Queens, where I was living at the time," said C. Julian Jiménez. "It seemed outrageous, and completely unproducible. Then I came across Pipeline's call for submissions: 'We like big dreamers, working on something brand new they haven't quite figured out yet.' It was fate - and five years later, I'm in pre-production with them to put on the world premiere of that very play, Bruise & Thorn! Through my time at Pipeline and with their support I found the focus of my work: The Queer body and its place in a hetero-normative and binary society. They've opened the gates and provided a platform for me to tell my stories... not to tell it for me. That is the sign of true allyship. I am honored to be the first PlayLab member to be produced by Pipeline, who continues to prove the nurturing work they do for artists."

"Bruise & Thorn, the first play we will produce to come out of our PlayLab program, is a beautifully specific portrait of Jamaica, Queens, as well as a magical queer fantasy that is both sparkly and heart-wrenching," said Producing Artistic Director Natalie Gershtein. "Julian and his characters offer raw and painful truths without losing sight of their relentless hope and bigger-than-life dreams. I can't think of a better play for Pipeline to produce after the shutdown; this show reminds us that amid suffering, there is also the courage and tenacity to help us get to tomorrow. One of the stage directions that sticks with me from the play is, 'If Bruise & Thorn can achieve the impossible, then so should the production.' This community is so ready to achieve the impossible and to bring this show - with its laundromat, illegal cockfighting pit, and spectacular vogue dancers slaying the dance floor - to a real live audience. There will be feathers, there will be sex, and there will be, 'chickens, goats, lambs flooding out of the door.'"

The cast of Bruise & Thorn will include Jae W. Brown (Completely) as Thorn, Fernando Contreras (Ghost the Musical) as Bruise, Zuleyma Guevara ("Gotham") as Mrs. Gallo, Carson Fox Harvey ("FBI") as Lizard and Tony Award nominee Lou Liberatore ("The Good Wife") as Old Fart. Dancers Kevin Matthew Taylor (La Cage Aux Folles), Jason Ford (Freedom Writers), Ashton Muñiz (The Inheritance), Sijean Gonzalez (Julio Down by the Schoolyard) (u/s Bruise/Thorn/Mrs.Gallo), and Billy Nugent (Boeing Boeing) (u/s Lizard/Old Fart) will round out the cast.

Bruise & Thorn features scenic & props design by Sasha Schwartz (Terminer), lighting design by Harbour Edney (Meanwhile), costume design by Saawan Tiwari (Far From Canterbury), and sound design by Matt Otto (Macbeth). Cesar Valentino (I'm an Electric Lampshade) serves as Choreographer, with Richard Mosqueda (Love in The Time of Piñatas) as Associate Director, Billie Harmon (My Mother's Severed Head) as Assistant Costume Designer, Brian Quijada (Where Did We Sit on the Bus?) & Marvin Quijada (La Havana Madrid) as Rap Consultants and Denise Hurd (Richard III) as Fight Choreographer/Intimacy Director. Casting is by Gama Valle of Bass/Valle Casting.

The Bruise & Thorn team also includes Alejandra Maldonado Morales as Production Manager, with Allison Raynes as Production Stage Manager, Cara Kienitz as Assistant Stage Manager, Will Torruella as Production Assistant and Melissa Denize as House Manager.

Pipeline Theatre Company is committed to making their production of Bruise & Thorn affordable and accessible to everyone. Recognizing the economic strain that many have suffered under COVID, and in order to make sure that price is not a barrier to attendance, tickets are priced in three tiers. Starting at $5 for previews and $10 for performances (after March 13), and ranging up to $60 for premium seating, the new model allows patrons to choose the price they can afford. Additionally, a discount code will be made available to residents of Jamaica, Queens allowing them to purchase Tier 1 tickets at a reduced price point-$1 for previews and $5 for performances after March 13. Tickets are available now pipelinetheatre.org/tickets.

The performance schedule for Bruise & Thorn is as follows: Wednesday-Sunday at 7PM; Saturday at 2PM. Exceptions: there will be no 2PM performance on Saturday March 5. The performances on Sunday March 6 and Friday March 11 will be at 2PM, not 7PM.