GARBAGE PERSON KARAOKE to Receive World Premiere at Manhattan Repertory's Fall Play Spectacular

Rejection, depression, recovery, victory and all-girl karaoke combine in startling, sweet and funny ways in the world premiere of playwright Caroline Bennett's Garbage Person Karaoke, onstage for two performances December 9-10 in the Fall Play Spectacular at Manhattan Repertory Theatre's new space (17 W. 45th St 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10046).

Bennett's play, written this fall, explores one woman's unusual healing process after the end of an abusive relationship. Obscene ballerinas, cartoon noises with an understanding therapist, a flashback to a 1950s housewife and several rounds of competitive karaoke are part of the journey.

"What started as a scream at a failed relationship developed into a play about a woman finding her voice again after a break-up," says 30-year-old Bennett, who is based in Washington, D.C. "Using karaoke as a metaphor was a natural. Singing in public, if you're not really a singer, is about taking risks and facing fear - and ultimately gaining confidence at something you didn't think you could do. That's true for getting over a break-up, too. Especially one in which you were made to feel inferior."

Manhattan Rep's Fall Spectacular is a festival of new works in which the playwright/producers receive 100 percent of the box office receipts. The theater company, founded and run by Jennifer Pierro and Ken Wolf, supports small-company productions, especially new plays. "Manhattan Rep celebrates unbridled creativity, no judgment, and we believe that a script is not a play, just the map for a creative team to bring it to life," says the theater's mission statement.

The fall festival of short plays (none longer than 90 minutes) runs November 8-December 21 in Manhattan Rep's 52-seat space near Times Square.

Garbage Person Karaoke performance details:

WHAT: In Caroline Bennett's new one-act comedy, recently dumped and devastated Grace works through the stages of grief with therapy, cherry pie, Wonder Woman and competitive karaoke.

WHEN: Friday, December 9, 9 p.m. & Saturday, December 10, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Manhattan Repertory Theatre, 17 West 45th Street Third Floor, New York, New York 10046