WOMEN AT WORK FESTIVAL Held At Stage Left Studio, Ends 10/9

Stage Left Studio (Cheryl King, Artistic Director) announces the line-up for the 5th annual Women at Work Festival. This festival features work by and/or about women, and is a benefit for The Girl Effect, which works with girls around the world to help them attain self-sufficiency.

Eighteen performers will participate in the festival, presenting the work of thirteen writers. The festival runs from September 12 through October 9, 2011, at Stage Left Studio, in Chelsea. Two nights of the festival are devoted to short plays, or segments of longer works, and running times are 55-75 minutes total.

The performances will be presented at Stage Left Studio, at 214 West 30th Street, 6th floor. There are matinee and evening performances scheduled (see below) Tickets are $20 and available at www.stageleftstudio.net

The 5th Annual Women at Work Festival Line-up is as follows:
Mon and Tue, September 12 & 13, 7:30 PM
The Apple Tree, or Penis no. 7 written and performed by Regina Gibson
A young woman's poetical foray into the world of the penis, asking... Why is it that once I put the dick in my mouth we don't talk anymore?
... is it my mouth stuffed with c*ckthat cuts off communication?

Wednesdays, September 14 & 21, 7:30 PM
The Vegas Project - written and performed by Theresa Gambacorta, directed by Cheryl King
Joanne is flying to Sin City for her annual vacation with her husband- only this time he is traveling via US Postal Express Service in his funeral urn. She enlists the support of her daughter Theresa in this hilarious story of what it means to love our "baggage". www.theresagambacorta.com

Saturday, September 17, 3:00 PM
As Directed, written and performed by Dawn Sofia, directed by Michael Beckett
Sandi Sabattini, obedient executive secretary and divorced menopausal mom, gets entangled in an office crisis with her philandering boss. Sandi is forced to confront her guilty conscience and choose which path to follow.

Sunday, September 18 5:30 PM & Friday, October 7, 7:30 PM
Am I Blue, written and performed by Elizabeth Blue, directed by Maia Garrison
Am I Blue takes you on the hilarious journey of what "finding yourself" actually looks like.

"Go see this show." The Rover, Montreal.
"Blue is a criminally funny performer who is almost certainly the lovechild of Kristen Schaal and Tina Fey." Charlebois Post, Montreal.
www.elizabethblue.net

Monday and Tuesday, September 19 & 20, 7:30 PM
Can I Get A Smile, written and performed by Leah King, directed by Jessica Creane
What if street harassment was illegal? With live music, dance, and spoken word, find out what a burlesque-dancing sex blogger, gay bike mechanic, overly-self-aware yoga teacher and indie-rock feminist have to say about The Holla. More info at http://canigetasmile.tumblr.com

Sunday, September 25, 12:00 PM & Monday, October 3, 7:30 PM
Selected Shorts
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, written by Bara Swain, performed by Jenny Zerke and Nick DeSimone, directed by Bara Swain
Why are Munch and Tutuola at the Sunbright Hotel in Chinatown? Were they invited to the wedding?

Goodnight, Sweet Prince, written by Barbara Bleier, performed by Dara O'Brien and Tom Lacey, directed by Cheryl King
A fractured fairy tale that riffs on how romantic love has been defined through the ages.

Miss Bert Whitman, written by Margaret Morrison, directed by Cheryl King

Mud Offerings, written and performed by Natalie Goodnow, directed by Dino Foxx and kt shorb (September 25 only)
A Chicanita has it out with the Virgen de Guadalupe. This piece is a solo play unraveling the culturally complicated truths, lies and mythologies of women's spirituality and sexuality in contexts of violence and betrayal. Winner of the 2011 Jane Chambers Playwriting Contest.

Experimenting with American Faucets & The Placebo Boyfriend, written & performed by Ella Veres, directed by Cheryl King & Ella Veres
A Transylvanian offers outlandish solutions to women's chronic tribulations

Wednesdays, September 28 & October 5, 7:30 PM
Grapefruit, written by Sally Lambert, performed by Cheryl King, directed by Theresa Gambacorta
Diagnosis: Your life is on the line, and your only hope is--are you ready?--the American Medical Industrial Complex.

Treatment: See Grapefruit, and laugh your poor ass off.
www.cherylkingproductions.com

Monday and Tuesday, September 26 & 27, 7:30 PM
Breakers, written and directed by Katrina Pallop, performed by Jamie Bock, Mike Cannon, and Katrina Pallop, co-directed by Phil Polefrone
A full-length, free verse play of poetry, myth, and the psychic danger that comes along with telling a story to strangers.

Tuesday and Thursday, October 4 & 6, 7:30 PM
Wonder Woman: A How-To Guide for Little Jewish Girls, written and performed by Cyndi Freeman, directed by David Drake
Two time FringeNYC award-winning writer/performer Cyndi Freeman's latest solo show traces her journey - little suburban Jewish girl obsessed with Wonder Woman to fabulous burlesque Queen in NYC. Join her on a crusade to right wrongs while wearing fabulous outfits.

Saturday and Sunday, October 8 & 9, 7:30 PM
Burst, written and performed by Gray, directed by Tanya Taylor Rubenstein
Set against the background of our multi-tasking, prescription-popping culture, "BURST" explores the madness of modern life and the unexpected sanity that comes with "being crazy."
Gray takes us on a roller coaster ride through highs and lows of being diagnosed Bipolar, familial loss, meditating in Vietnam and eventually to her own definition of "balance."
For video and more info: www.GrayPerforms.com/event