THE HOUSE OF CHARITY to Premiere at Theater for a New City's Dream Up Festival

Theater for the New City (TNC), under the artistic direction of Crystal Field, is thrilled to announce that The House of Charity, a new play from filmmaker and theater director Andre Faud Degas, will make its world premiere as part of Theater for the New City's eighth annual Dream Up Festival.

The production will play a strictly limited engagement beginning Sunday, August 27, 2017, according to the following schedule:

Sunday, August 27 at 2:00pm

Monday, August 28 at 9:00pm

Wednesday, August 30 at 9:00pm

Saturday, September 2 at 8:00pm

Sunday, September 3 at 2:00pm

Monday, September 4 at 6:30pm

Wednesday, September 13 at 9:00pm

With its Dream Up Festival, Theater for the New City, which customarily presents new work by local artists, opens itself up to theater from the country at large and to artists from overseas. Its founders, Crystal Field and Michael Scott-Price, feel this is especially needed now in a time of declining donations to the arts, grants not being awarded due to market conditions, and arts funding cuts on almost every level all across the country and abroad.

In The House of Charity, six residents of an all-male halfway house prepare a meal for the homeless. As food flies and tempers rise, crucial donors are scheduled to arrive. The seductive female counselor advises the men not to take life too seriously. Seriously?

"The House of Charity speaks to the present moment regarding issues of addiction and recovery," says playwright Andre Faud Degas. "One only needs to read the news to understand how relevant this topic is today."

Andre Faud Degas started his journey of recovery twenty seven years ago. He waited a long time to tell this personal story. He is using the vantage of time and the wisdom of experience to offer hope to all who are experiencing the dire affliction of addiction. This dark comedy addresses serious issues about addiction and recovery. It is dedicated to the men and women who are healing their lives with faith, service, and love. Step-by-Step and Day-by-Day, the characters at The House Of Charity show that helping others is the key to helping themselves. The healing process that comes from charity work is without parallel. When we see others who are worse off than we are, we desire to help them with something of our own. We call it the law of existence.

The House of Charity features an ensemble cast that includes Brendan Ryan, Nixon Cesar, Jaleesa Capri, Ivan Goris, Peter Halpin, Andrew Oakes, and Patrick Faerber.

Tickets for the world premiere of The House of Charity are $18 each and are available for purchase from Smart Tix online at www.smarttix.com and by phone at (212) 868-4444.

For more information about the production, visit www.TheHouseOfCharity.com and for more information about The Dream Up Festival visit www.DreamUpFestival.org.

ANDRE FAUD DEGAS (Director & Playwright) began his career in theater, performing with the National Shakespeare Company and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival after graduating the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Degas then turned to screenwriting and directing. His debut film, First Coda, based on a short story by Samuel Beckett, won festival awards in Seville, London, Florence, and Munich. Degas' screenplay Condition Red, directed by renowned Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismaki, aired on HBO. Degas then wrote and directed The Kitchen, a one-hour TV drama about his Egyptian roots. Shown on American Playhouse and Reel New York, The Kitchen garnered 9 million viewers on PBS. Crossing The Line (currently in production) received an ITVS Diversity Development fund and a grant from The New York State Council On The Arts. Degas' films will be featured in an upcoming MoMA retrospective beginning October 2017.