Phoenix Theatre Ensemble Presents New Contemporary Play from Turkey, PERSONA NON GRATA

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble, now in its 11th season, will present a new contemporary play from Turkey, Persona non Grata by Ceren Ercan and Gulce Urgurlu, on Saturday, April 25 @ 2:00 pm as part of the company's 3rd Annual First Stories Festival at The Wild Project in the East Village.

Persona non Grata is a political-social drama by Ceren Ercan and Gulce Urgurlu, two up and coming women playwrights from Turkey. Persona non Grata concerns an Egyptian pilot and a young Turkish woman, raised on Western values and her brother who has studied at New York University and has recently returned to Istanbul. The couple tries to find a way to maintain their love through cross-cultural prejudice, changing political climates, and find themselves in an identity crisis. The script-in-hand production is directed by noted New York-Turkish director Handan Ozbilgin.

Craig Smith, Producing Artistic Director states "This is the second year that the First Stories Festival has presented a new play from the Middle East. The need for culture exchange is greater now than ever. Through the arts we can see that people are people with dreams, struggles, relationship challenges and desires for a better life -this is universal without geographical or geopolitical boundaries. First Stories Festivals strives to bridge perceived differences and an opportunity to provide a unique insight into old-new cultures."

Tickets are $15, TDF Vouchers are welcome, Group discounts available. Pay-what-you-can tickets available at the box office. To order tickets call 212-352-3101 or visit PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org

For more information and tickets, visit: http://www.phoenixtheatreensemble.org/;info@PhoenixTheatreEnsemble.org

The Wild Project @ 195 East 3rd Street (Avenue A and Avenue B)