WE LIVE BY THE SEA Kicks Off 2018 Brits Off Broadway Season at 59E59

The 2018 Brits Off Broadway season launches at 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) with WE LIVE BY THE SEA, devised by Patch of Blue and directed by Alex Howarth. Produced by Patch of Blue and The Hartshorn-Hook Foundation, WE LIVE BY THE SEA begins performances on Wednesday, April 11 for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 6. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). The single ticket prices range from $25 - $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.

Katy wears orange on Thursdays and purple on Sundays. She eats three fish fingers for tea every day. She lives with her sister Hannah and her imaginary dog Paul Williams, and she'll ask to tap your shoes before she can say hello. When the new boy in town breaks her routine, their lives are changed in unexpected ways. Katy wants to tell you their story. Visual storytelling blends with a live electronic score in this play about autism, friendship, and a very big wave.

This compelling piece of theater gives audience members a unique look at the world experienced through the eyes of a teenager on the spectrum. The Guardian advises theater-goers to "bring tissues" to this unforgettable experience that is "by turns playful, funny and deeply moving."

The cast features Alexandra Brain, Tom Coliandris, Lizzie Grace, and Alexandra Simonet.

The production design features lighting by Rachel Sampley. The music is composed by The Mason Brothers and is performed live by Joshua Flowers and Julianna Zachariou.

Alex Howarth (director) is an Off West End Award-nominated theater director and writer based in London. His company's devised play We Live By the Sea will open the Brits Off Broadway season at 59E59 Theaters in New York in 2018, after returning from Adelaide Festival, Australia. The show was nominated for a Fringe First and Off West End Awards for Best Ensemble and Best Production, transferred to the SoHo Playhouse Off Broadway, and won Best Theatre, Critics Choice, and Peace Foundation Awards and was in the Top 6 Shows To See in the Guardian at Adelaide Festival 2017. He regularly leads research and development periods for new writing and recently workshopped new play with music When We Ranwhich opened at the Pleasance. He co-directed pantomime Snow White at the 1200 seat Hexagon Theatre in Reading, and adapted and directed the World Stage Premiere of What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He regularly directs at drama schools including Mountview, Liverpool Theatre School, and Identity School of Acting. He has worked across the UK in venues including The Arcola, Salisbury Playhouse, The Cheltenham Everyman, Theatre 503, The New Wimbledon Theatre, and The Pleasance, and also works as an assistant director, most recently to Olivier Award winner David Thacker at The Octagon Theatre, Bolton. He is the Artistic Director of Patch of Blue, who create devised theater pieces with live music for festivals and touring. He has worked extensively in disabilities theater, having created performances with deafblind adults for the charity Sense.

Patch of Blue (creator) is a multi-award winning company creating fresh, exciting and touching devised theater with live music that allows an audience to see the world through different eyes. They are the recipients of the prestigious Grahame F. Smith Peace Foundation Award for promoting human rights through theater, as well as the 'Best Theatre' and 'Critics Choice' awards at the Adelaide Festival. Based in London, they have performed across the world in theaters and festivals, and offer workshops for schools and groups. Their current play with music We Live By the Sea has just enjoyed runs at the SoHo Playhouse Off Broadway, the Arts Theatre West End, and the Royal Croquet Club Australia. The show was nominated for a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival, chosen as 'Pick of the Fringe' in The Times, and picked as 'Top Theatre of 2016' in the New York Times. In Adelaide, it was chosen as one of the Top 6 shows to see at the festival by the Guardian. Having toured China in September 2017 it returned to the Adelaide Festival in 2018, before opening the prestigious Brits Off Broadway season in New York. Patchof Blue won the IdeasTap Edinburgh Previews Award, was shortlisted for the NSDF Emerging Artist Award, and have received Fringe Sell Out Show awards and a Musical Theatre Network Award nomination as well as five-star reviews in many national publications such as The Scotsman, The Heraldand The Stage.

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