Doug DeVita's FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW Set for Fresh Fruit Festival

The 2016 Fresh Fruit Festival will certainly be FIERCE this year ... thanks to celebrated playwright Doug DeVita.

Mr. DeVita has been a major member in the Independent Theater Scene for decades as a prominent reviewer, celebrated playwright, and distinguished producer. Now he lends his name and exciting play to Louis Lopardi's Fresh Fruit Festival this July.

THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW is a fast-moving caustic comedy about Kyle, an art director in a high-powered New York ad agency, who tries to discover his real self amid power struggles and stereotypes. He finds an ally in Dodo, who understands his plight, being that she became a lady-living-legend in an era of "Mad Men."

FIERCE has a distinguished past itself:

FIERCE's premiere was a celebrated run in Seattle, Washington before moving to NYC. The Abingdon Theatre premiered this semi-autobiographical piece in staged reading as part of the acclaimed Page2Stage series. That presentation was directed by Adam Fitzgerald, and featured a cast that included A.J. Shively (Bright Star), Robert Cuccioli (Jekyll & Hyde, Spiderman), Meredith Forlenza (Noises Off), Teresa Kelsey as Kate, and featuring Carole Monferdini as Dodo. Ms. Monferdini's long, distinguished career includes earning OBIE [and other] awards; serving as Dame Diana Rigg's understudy at the National Theatre of Great Britain; and being an original rep member of Charles Busch's Theatre in Limbo. It makes sense to have one legend play another.

Ms. Monferdini returns for this first New York production. Directing the play will be Dennis Corsi, currently working on the Ruins of Civilization at Manhattan Theater Club.

THE FIERCE URGENCY OF NOW by Doug DeVita
performing Friday 22 @ 7pm; Saturday 23 @ 6:30 pm; Sunday 24 @ 3:30 pm
The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street, NYC

A FIERCE former ad-man himself, Mr. DeVita is looking forward to a very busy summer:

FIERCE tops a list of upcoming works that include The Gruesomely Merry Adventures of NELL DASH, An Irrepressibly Sensible Capitalist With A Vengeance, receiving a special presentation this Monday, May 23 at 7:00 pm, at TheaterLab (357 W. 36th St.) and The Phillie Trilogy, Sunday June 5 at 4:00 pm at TAI (150 W. 30th St., 14th Fl.) Both of these readings are being directed by Adam Fitzgerald. The Phillie Trilogy will The Phillie Trilogy will also be excerpted at Scrap Mettle Arts, (the play was a finalist for the theatre's TOP TEN Emerging Playwrights Program) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn on Thursday, May 26.