THE BIRTHDAY BOYS Closes At Access Theater 9/26

ArtEffects Theatre Company will present the New York premiere of The Birthday Boys, Aaron Kozak's darkly comic play, September 15 - 26, 2011 at the Access Theater (380 Broadway). The play scored at last year's Hollywood Fringe Festival, winning the Best World Premiere Award and the LA Theatre Review Critics Choice Award and receiving a five-week extension. Montserrat Mendez will direct the production.

Set in 2006 Iraq, three U.S. Marines are captured by insurgents during an unheard-of infiltration of the Al Asad Airbase, regarded as one of the safest bases in the country. At a remote warehouse, bound and blindfolded, the three soldiers must struggle with fear, betrayal and even boredom, leaving morale as their only ally against an uncertain fate. Alternately tense and hilarious, The Birthday Boys offers a riveting, non-partisan look at honor and redemption. LAist hailed the play "a high tension, clock-ticking-away dramatic thriller" while LA Weekly raved, "without being disrespectful to the gravity of military service or the war in Iraq, [Aaron] Kozak finds dark humor in the humanity of three Marines...Go!"

Aaron Kozak wrote The Birthday Boys after visiting Hoa Lo Prison (The Hanoi Hilton) while working on a movie in Vietnam. After its knockout debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival, the play received its regional premiere at the historic Texas Theatre (where Lee Harvey Oswald was captured) in May. Kozak's directing/editing credits include Ebay's Regifting Campaign with Andy Richter, Revelle Studios' "Star Mashers," MTV's "True Life," "The Night Audit," "Basketball Shorts," "The Chinnedy's," and "Savages." His play Goodbye, Love. Goodbye Joy. Hello, Travis McElroy was featured in the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, D.C.

The cast includes Lowell Byers, Walker Hare, Zach McCoy, Abraham Makany, Jevon McFerrin, Patrick Cann, and Roland Lane. The production team includes Jason Bolen (scenic design) and Mary Spadoni (stage manager).

ArtEffects Theatre Company strives to provide a positive environment where each artist can express themselves freely without judgment. The company focuses on creative processes that include equal appreciation and collaboration among all artists. For more information, visit http://www.arteffectstheatre.org/.

Performances of The Birthday Boys run September 15 through 25, Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm with two additional shows Sunday, September 18th at 8:00 pm and Wednesday, September 21 at 8:00 pm, at Access Theater (380 Broadway at White Street, Subway: N/R/Q/W at Canal St.). Tickets are $18 and may be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006.

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