World Premiere Botanical Gardens Opens September 9
78th Street Theatre Lab, which recently presented an acclaimed production of Arlene Hutton's The Nibroc Triology this spring, will open its 2007-08 season this fall with the world premiere of Botanical Gardens by Chicago playwright Todd Logan. Previews will begin August 31, prior to an official press opening of September 9 at the 78th Street Theatre Lab (236 West 78th Street) in Manhattan. Rob Urbinati (Border/Clash) directs.
"Botanical Gardens is a two-character play about a middle-aged woman, Kate, preparing for her first date in 30 years, following the death of her husband. Observing Kate's panic as she waits with dread for the doorbell to ring, Botanical Gardens offers a funny and refreshingly unsentimental look at loss, questioning our collective belief that "moving on" is the best medicine," state press notes.
Todd Logan's plays include Tops or Bottoms, Persistence of Vision and Fallout, which have been given professional productions in Chicago over the past several years. He wrote the indie film "With a Family Like Mine," and as a humor writer has been published in The New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Writer's Digest.
Rob Urbinati most notably directed Staceyann Chinn's Border/Clash at The Culture Project. He has staged over 100 plays with companies including The Pearl Theater, Abingdon Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, Vital Theatre, and Queens Theater in the Park, where he serves as Director of New Play Development. Other notable credits include Week 5 of Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Days/365 Plays at The Public Theater, James Armstrong's Foggy Bottom, and Jessica Grace Wing and Kirk Bromley's FringeNYC hit Lost, which transferred to an Off-Broadway run.
"78th Street Theatre Lab was established by Mark Zeller and Dana Zeller-Alexis in 1978 to provide artists with a supportive workplace to create and develop unique, thought-provoking theatre. Under current Artistic Director Eric Nightengale and General Manager Ruth Nightengale, The Lab concluded its 2006-07 season with Arlene Hutton's critically acclaimed plays The Nibroc Triology, which followed Catherine Filloux's Lemkin's House, a play that later transferred to an Off-Broadway run. Previous works of the 78th Street Theatre Lab also include the highly successful The Chinese Art of Placement, Inside a Bigger Box, Straight on 'Til Morning, Jeffrey Sweet's Bluff, I Will Come Like a Thief, and the acclaimed Dawn Powell festival Permanent Visitor."
Scheduled August 31-September 30, Performances of Botanical Gardens will run at 78th Street Theatre Lab (236 West 78th Street) from August 31st-September 30th. The playing schedule for Botanical Gardens will be: Thursday-Saturday at 8:00pm and Sunday at 3:00pm. Tickets are $18 and can be reserved by calling 212-352-3101 or visiting www.theatermania.com.
For additional information, visit www.78thstreetheatrelab.org.
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