Nicu's Spoon Presents W;T, 4/7-4/25

NICU?S SPOON is pleased to announce their production of Pulitzer Prize winning, Margaret Edison?s W;T, directed by Alvaro Sena. W;T will play a three-week limited engagement at the Spoon Theater (38 West 38th Street, 5th Fl.) Performances begin Wednesday, April 7th and continue through Sunday, April 25th. Opening Night is Wednesday, April 7th(8 p.m.).

Press Performances: Wed., April 7th at 8 p.m., Thurs., April 8th at 8 p.m., & Fri., April 9 at 8 p.m.

Starring
STEPHANIE BARTON-FARCAS*, SAMMY MENA, REBECCA CHALLIS*,
OLIVER CONANT*, WYNNE ANDERS*, PHRANNIE LYONS
MICHAEL ABOURIZK, ANOUK DUTRUIT, ROGER YEH

*Performing courtesy of Actors? Equity Association. AEA approved Showcase.

Margaret Edson?s W;t is a play that asks us to question the way we live our lives, the choices we make and the relationships we form. It presents us with Vivian, a woman forced to evaluate her life as she faces her death. Having focused her whole life on the academic analysis of the poetry of John Donne, Vivian realizes that she has not achieved in her life what Donne has accomplished in his poetry; the harmonious unification of ?wit? (intelligence) and emotion. In the final stages of her life, Vivian begins to realize that having lived her life focused on the intellect, emotional and meaningful connections with others is what she now longs for to provide her with the comfort her ?wit? cannot.

* * *

The production features set design by John Trevellini and lighting design by Steven Wolfe. Phillip Chavira is the stage manager.

* * *

W;T plays the following regular schedule through Sunday, April 25:

Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Fridays at 8 p.m.
Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Performances on Sunday April 18th and 25th will be accompanied by ASL interpretation for deaf patrons.

Tickets are $18 and are now available online at www.spoontheater.org or by calling 866-811-4111. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Spoon Theater Box Office, 1 hour prior to performance.

www.spoontheatre.org

95 minutes, no intermission.

BIOGRAPHIES

MARGARET EDSON (Playwright) (born 4 July 1961, Washington, D.C.) is an American playwright. Edson graduated with a B.A. in Renaissance History from Smith College, and received a master's in English literature from Georgetown University. Her jobs have included being a bicycle shop sales clerk and a volunteer ESL teacher.

Edson's first play was Wit, produced in 1995 at South Coast Repertory in California, about a John Donne scholar who is hospitalized for and dying of ovarian cancer. Edson did use her work experience in a hospital as part of the background in writing Wit. At the time of the first New York production of Wit in late 1998, Edson was a kindergarten teacher at Centennial Place Elementary School (Atlanta, Georgia). In 1999 she won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Wit. After she won the Pulitzer Prize, Edson received a large amount of publicity, including an interview on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. Edson has written a second play, Satisfied, whose subject is "country-gospel radio in Kentucky". As of April 2008, this second play has not received a production.

Edson gave the commencement address during the commencement ceremony of 2008 at Smith College. Edson currently teaches kindergarten at John Hope Elementary in Atlanta, where she is chair of the kindergarten team.

ALVARO SENA (Director) made his first main stage appearance with Nicu?s Spoon in The Little Prince. He is a Brazilian actor who moved to NY with the intention of expending his career. His professional training started in Brazil when he was a student at the University Of Arts of Parana where he studied History of Theater, Acting, Literature, Makeup, Costume and Scenic Design. His acting credits include Garcia Lorca, Shakespeare, Eugene Ionesco and others like Brazilian authors Maria Clara Machado and Nelson Rodrigues. He has worked as an intern for Cultural Foundation of Curitiba, a program where he traveled to poor areas bringing the magic of art and teaching Literature and Acting to kids who did not have access to the arts. He also has worked as a production assistant and booked commercials. In NY he has attended acting classes at Michael Howard?s, SFT and Theatre Dance at The Broadway dance center and recently at Atlantic Acting School?s 3 year program. He?s thrilled to be a member of Nicu?s Spoon, excited to be involved with such people and already thinking about projects with them. Recently he was named Associate Administrative Director by the Artistic Director of Nicus Spoon Theater Company.

NICU?S SPOON launched into the New York Indie Theatre scene in 2001 with their first play, Displaced, a new play written by five women, based on the stories, testimonies, songs, and poetry of women and children refugees, which was submitted for the 2001 Pulitzer Prize. Their 2002 multi-racial production of To Kill a Mockingbird was hailed by Back Stage as ?nothing short of inspiring!? In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe, a story of a woman who is a ghostwriter for hate books completed the 2002 season, and was a Village Voice ?Voice Choice?. In 2002 special performances with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation were added to the productions. In 2003, Nicu?s Spoon presented two pieces focusing on individuality: George Orwell?s 1984 and A Murder of Crows by OBIE Award winner Mac Wellman. Inclusion of handicapped actors was an important element in both shows. 2004 brought the production of SubUrbia by Eric Bogosian and was awarded the OOBR award for best production and an additional nomination for the Alliance of NY Arts Organizations? Advancing Cultural Development Award. In 2005 United Stages profiled them in their ?Seeing Stars? series and nytheatre. com picked them as an Editors Choice for The Swan, as well as Stumps, which introduced a new kind of performance for Deaf and hearing audiences, called ?co-playing.? 2006 produced a hit: the US premiere of Skin Tight, named the High5 pick of the week, as well as Buried Child, which challenged the stereotype that a Deaf actor could not speak on stage. In 2006, they were recognized by the Thom Fluellen Award by the NYU Community Fund for excellence in service to the diverse New York community. Time Warner Corporation was a 2007 season sponsor in their Diverse Voices program.

During the 2007 season, while producing Tales of the Last Formicans in a theater not their own, they searched for a home; not only to use as a company but also to rent to other artists at reasonable prices. For the second Nicu?s Spoon production in 2007 they debuted Richard lll (the lead actor was differently abled from polio) in their very own theater - a home, located at 38 West 38th Street, 5th Floor! Following that with the U.S. premiere of Kosher Harry (co-played with hearing and non hearing/speaking artists) to round out the 7th season. Celebrating the First Anniversary in the new space with Elizabeth Rex started the 8th season in NYC. The show garnered 2 Innovative Theatre Awards and an Off-Broadway run at Center Stage. In between, building and developing a space that pops with creativity for other artists and companies to come enjoy and work. The 2008 season addressed women and identity issues. Also in 2008, Snapple awarded the company the ?Best People to work with in NY City? award. The 2010 season focuses on outcasts. Please come and support the theater in midtown where Nicu?s Spoon is changing the world one play at a time. www.spoontheater.org