2019 BYOV Fringe Festival Now Playing At The Chain Theatre

10 Productions. 50 Performances. Musicals, live-action neon animations, solo performances, comedies, and political satire at the Chain Theatre Oct. 1st - Nov. 3rd. www.chaintheatre.org

The Chain Theatre is the official Midtown venue for the 2019 BYOV Fringe Festival. Throughout the month of October, the Chain will be hosting new original works in their newly renovated Studio Theatre and Main Stage Theatrical space. The Chain Theatre is located at 312 W. 36th Street between 8th and 9th Ave in the Theatre Building-also home of the Tank and Barrow Group Theatre. Tickets can be found at www.chaintheatre.org ($15-$25.)

The Chain is proud to be part of the 2019 BYOV Fringe Festival providing an affordable theatrical space for artists to create new original work. The Chain Theatre is a 501c3 not for profit arts organization and has worked with literary giants such as Tony Award Winning David Rabe (Hurlyburly, Streamers, Sticks and Bones) and the Broadway playwright and Emmy Nominated writer Keith Huff (A Steady Rain, Mad Men, House of Cards.) Throughout their history, they have received numerous nominations and awards for Best Revivals, Best Directing, and Best Cast by the New York Innovative Theatre Awards and Queens Kudos Awards.

Opening the 2019 BYOV Fringe Festival at the Chain will be Reeking of INDISCRETION: Madam X's Allerton by Patrick Thomas McCarthy and directed by Patrick Aran. The Chicago Tribune's Madame X, society doyenne Caroline Kirkland (1865-1930) declared Robert Allerton (1873-1964) Chicago's most eligible bachelor in 1906. His personal relationship with Caroline Kirkland, both in high society & everyday life, & his intimate relationship with John Wyatt Gregg (1899-1986), his longtime companion, adopted-as-an-adult son, are best imagined by inventing what their correspondence might have been. Readers' theatre with a twist. An epistolary intrigue of historical truth, fiction & LGBTQ issues. Playing: 10/7/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/9/19 @8:30PM, 10/12/19 @8:30PM, 10/13/19 @1PM, 10/14/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/16/19 @8:30PM, 10/18/19 @8:30PM, 10/19/19 @ 1PM, and 10/21/19 @ 8:30PM in the Studio Theatre at the Chain.

Fifty Shades of Melania written and performed by Liana Mesaikou Also opening the month of October is Fifty Shades of Melania a political romp written and performed by Liana Mesaikou and directed by Chelsea Sutton. Victim or accomplice? Trapped or willing agent? Melania Trump is an enigma. This one-woman comedy show aims to explore the various faces of FLOTUS, who really doesn't care. Or does she? Do you? What are some of the stereotypes women exploit or fight to reverse? What is our complicity as the audience? Limited Engagement! 10/10/19 @ 6:30PM, 10/11/19 @6:30PM and 10/12/19 @5PM in the Studio Theatre.

Nothing Human by Duncan Pflaster In 2011, the day after Bin Laden is killed, a computer engineer named Alberto reveals to a actress/waitress who he meets in a bar that he's been in hiding in Boca Raton since getting a call the night before 9/11 telling him not to go into work at the towers the next day; the two begin an affair complicated by the presence of ALBA, the Artificial Intelligence which Alberto took from his company and which may soon be becoming sentient. Meanwhile, back in New York, Alejandro, a playwright, is working on his first screenplay, a science fiction piece about The Singularity, and having trouble dealing with executive meddling. Playing 10/15/19 @ 7PM, 10/16/19 @7PM, 10/18/19 @7PM, 10/19/19 @7PM, 10/24/19 @7PM, 10/25/19 @7PM, AND 10/26/10 @7PM on the Main Stage at the Chain.

Benny and Griff: Best Friends Forever returns to the Chain for a very special limited engagement. Written by Griffin Hennelly and Michael Benjamin Bunin, Directed by Miranda Luango. Benny and Griff are musicians and comedians but most importantly they are best friends. Known for their high energy live shows and mind-bending surrealism, Benny and Griff are sure to put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Playing: 10/19/19 @ 8PM, 10/25/19 @8PM, and 10/26/19 @8PM in the Studio Theatre.

Bootstraps by Katherine Funkhouser Continuing the laughs is the dark comedy Bootstraps written by Katherine Funkhouser and directed by Chris Morrissey. The reality show Bootstraps was cancelled weeks ago, and nobody told the cast. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to be gained - and after all, chaos is easier to edit. "Everyone is equal. No one is safe." How many lies are in that tagline? A dark comedy about performance and power. Playing: 10/22/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/23/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/26/19 @2PM, 10/27/19 @5PM, and 10/28/19 @ 6PM on the Main Stage.

Both Sides of a Famous Love Affair: Jackie Mason the Musical Book, Music, Lyrics, and Direction by Ginger Reiter This true story, couched in Miami Beach nostalgia, opens at The Rascal House, a popular deli where Jackie - a renown 46 year old comic (played by Marco Matute) spots the much younger Ginger (played by Jackie's own daughter - comedian Sheba Mason). Along for the ride is her glamorous, overbearing mom, Mrs. Olivier (determined to finagle a wedding) and a hilarious cast of offbeat characters. Soon Jackie is wooing her every winter season whenever he's in South Florida churning up laughs with the South Beach set. The trouble is, Jackie is also wooing Trixie - a ravishing young Rascal House waitress and Rosa - a senior Rascal House waitress with attitude - a fact that sends Ginger into romantic distress. After ten years, she becomes pregnant, Jackie denies paternity just as stardom re-emerges while still yearning to be with her, and a complicated relationship begins, including Sheba's own love for the man she knows is her father and whom she wishes she knew. The original score includes "Ode to The Early Bird Special" and "I Never Met This Yenta", with book and music written by Ginger Reiter (the girl in the eye of the comedic storm -Sheba Mason's mom). Playing 10/23/19 @ 3:30PM, 10/24/19 @2PM, 10/25/19 @ 3PM, 10/26/19 @ 5PM, 10/27/19 @1PM in the Main Stage Theatre.

David's Play Presenting the World Premiere of David's Play by Express Lanes Production Written by Tom Rowan, Directed by Greg Praguel A group of college friends reunite in New York City ten years after graduation to celebrate a milestone. Can a recently discovered manuscript get their lives back on track? A serious comedy about love, loss, musical theatre, and the power of friendship. Playing: 10/27/19 @ 8PM, 10/29/19 @ 6PM, 10/31/19 @8:30PM, 11/2/19 @2PM, AND 11/3/19 @ 4PM on the Main Stage.

CARNIVAL OF SOULS: neon animation + live action En Avant Productions Written by Jack Feldstein. Script edited by Pussy Willow and Annemarie Hagenaars. Directed by Jack Feldstein Pussy Willow takes us on a hilarious adventure to the CARNIVAL OF SOULS. A modern take on a brilliant cult film that's been neon animated by Jack Feldstein. Playing: 10/28/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/29/19 @8:30PM, 10/30/19 @8:30PM, 11/1/19 @ 6:30PM, and 11/2/19 @ 8PM on the Main Stage.

No Hablo Espanol: Mixtape of a Mexican't Written and Performed by Mateo Moreno. Directed by David Rey A new original work and one-man show by Mateo Moreno. Understand the culture of me, not the culture of what you expect me to be. My story is the story of one Mexican, in a sea of Americans, and they all speak better Spanish than me. Welcome to my Mixtape. Playing: 10/29/19 @ 8:30PM, 10/20/19 @ 8:30PM, 11/1/19 @ 8:30PM, 11/2/19 @ 5PM, 11/3/19 @ 2PM in the Studio Theatre.

Jules Verne's From The Earth to The Moon Prime Number Productions Written by Sean David DeMers. Directed by Ariel Francoeur Following the Civil War, The Baltimore Gun Club turns their considerable artillery know how to sending a projectile to the moon. From The Earth to The Moon explores this largely forgotten historic event in a steampunk, revisionist, spectacularly epic fantasy. Playing: 10/30/19 @ 6:30PM, 10/31/19 @ 6:30PM, 11/1/19 @8:30PM, and 11/2/19 @ 5PM in the Main Stage.

For tickets visit: www.chaintheatre.org Directions: Chain Theatre is located at 312 W. 36th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue. Take the 1, 2, 3. Or A, C,E to 34th Street PennStation or the N, R, Q and 7 to Times Square and walk down to 36th Street. The Chain Theatre is located on the 4th floor.

Mission: The Chain Theatre is a production company whose goal is to create artistic work that is accessible, relatable, and invokes a visceral response in the audience through the mediums of theatre and film. We provide opportunities for New York based artists to experience challenging subject matters and universal themes. A deep respect for the narrative is the driving force behind the cultivation of original texts, the further investigation of recently produced work, and the reclaiming of existing classics for a modern audience. The material chosen focuses on the cyclical nature of history and complexity of the human spirit. The Chain provides professional platforms for new artists and true independent filmmakers to showcase their work and to share their personal stories and original ideas in our communities.

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