Gina Femia News

FLUSHING MEADOWS CORONA PARK ? In a nondescript bar on Christopher Street a revolution was sparked 50 years ago when the LGBTQ patrons decided gathering as a community was not a crime.

The 5th ANNUAL NEW YORK INDIE THEATRE ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL (#1MPF) returns to for its fifth year, in partnership with New Ohio Theatre. The 5th Annual NY Indie 1MPF runs three performances only; Sunday, June 2nd, Monday, June 3rd, and Tuesday, June 4th at 8pm. All performances are at New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street). Tickets, priced at $20, are available at newohiotheatre.org.

The Flea Theater announces the roster of its Summer 2019 Anchor Partners, independent music, dance and theater companies who will perform at The Flea over the next three months.  The Flea presents Elisa Monte Dance, Jody Oberfelder Projects, Spicy Witch Productions, Experiments in Opera, New Light Theater Project, Take Dance, New Georges and TOSOS.

Project Y Theatre Company will present the fourth annual Women in Theatre Festival, a festival of new work written and created by women, June 5-30 at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theatre at the A.R.T./New York Theatres (502 West 53rd Street New York, NY 10019). Tickets ($15-$27) are available for advance purchase at https://witfestival.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

The Alternative Theater Company presents ALTERED MINDS, the May 6th first Staged Reading in a series of short plays tackling different perspectives, from quirky to thought provoking, on the complex issue of mental health.

Spicy Witch Productions will present the World Premiere of The Virtuous Fall of the Girls From Our Lady of Sorrows written by Gina Femia (Princess Grace Award Finalist for The Mermaids' Parade; The Kilroys List Honorable Mention for Annie and the Fat Man), directed by Blayze Teicher (Trainspotting Live; Mother Knows Best with New Light Theatre Project) in rep with an audacious cut of William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, adapted and directed by Phoebe Brooks (Hamlet the Hip-Hopera at FringeNYC, 2015) at The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street New York, NY 10007), May 17-June 1. Performances for The Virtuous Fall of the Girls From Our Lady of Sorrows will be on Friday, May 17 at 7pm (press preview), Saturday, May 18 at 3pm (press preview), Tuesday, May 21 at 7pm (opening night), Thursday, May 23 at 7pm, Saturday, May 25 at 3pm, Tuesday, May 28 at 7pm, Thursday, May 30 at 7pm, and Saturday, June 1 at 7pm. Performances for Measure for Measure will be on Saturday, May 18 at 7pm (press preview), Sunday, May 19 at 3pm (press preview), Wednesday, May 22 at 7pm (opening night), Friday, May 24 at 7pm, Saturday, May 25 at 7pm, Wednesday, May 29 at 7pm, Friday, May 31 at 7pm, and Saturday, June 1 at 3pm. Tickets ($25 General; $40 Season Pass) are available at http://spicywitchproductions.com/ or by calling The Flea Box Office at 212-226-0051.

Spicy Witch Productions will present the World Premiere of The Virtuous Fall of the Girls From Our Lady of Sorrows written by Gina Femia (Princess Grace Award Finalist for The Mermaids' Parade; The Kilroys List Honorable Mention for Annie and the Fat Man), directed by Blayze Teicher (Trainspotting Live; Mother Knows Best with New Light Theatre Project) in rep with an audacious cut of William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, adapted and directed by Phoebe Brooks (Hamlet the Hip-Hopera at FringeNYC, 2015) at The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street New York, NY 10007), May 17-June 1.

Theatre of NOTE's production of 'For The Love Of (or, the roller derby play)' written by Gina Femia, which Center Theatre Group has remounted at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of their third annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre, blasted into Culver City with a barrage of brilliant direction, choreography, artistic style and acting. And after seeing the original production in its super-small space, I can tell you the new production soars by encompassing ever possible inch of space, thanks to scenic designer Eli Smith, with enough impressive roller derby action to make you forget not one pair of skates ever touches the floor! That marvel of perfect direction and choreography can be credited to Rhonda Kohl who has created almost constant roller derby action utilizing the movement and acting skills of her talented cast

FOR THE LOVE OF (OR, THE ROLLER DERBY PLAY), the first of the three productions Center Theatre Group remounts at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of their BLOCK PARTY 2019, opens March 9, 2019. As cosmic forces would have it, sound designer Gilly Moon also skates in the San Fernando Valley Roller Derby. Gilly took a breather between her sound and skating pursuits to chat with me.

Theatre of NOTE's production of 'For The Love Of (or, the roller derby play),' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the third annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre, will open this Saturday, March 9 at 8 p.m. Written by Gina Femia and directed by Rhonda Kohl, 'For The Love Of' is currently in previews and will close March 17.

Premiere Stages, the professional theatre company in residence at Kean University, has selected its four finalists for the 2019 Premiere Play Festival. Now in its 15th year, the Festival is an annual competition for unproduced scripts that offers developmental opportunities to playwrights with strong affiliations to New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware. This year's finalists were selected from a record 659 submissions, a 15% increase from the previous record set in 2018.

One of the theater world's most prestigious playwriting prizes, the Yale Drama Series Prize, will be given to Lily Padilla for her play How to Defend Yourself. The 2019 award recipient was chosen by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar. The winning play will receive a private staged reading at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theater in the fall.

The Professional Conservatory of Musical Theatre(PCMT) at the New York Film Academy (NYFA) will present two readings of new musicals starting on Friday, February 22, 2019, as part of its 2019 Winter New Works Series. PCMT at NYFA is celebrating its tenth New Works Series since the Summer of 2014 with two productions: #MARS and Luna Park.

Rising Phoenix Repertory is pleased to announce the publication of the second issue of its theater literary magazine Caffe Cino, edited by Steve McMahon and Daniel Talbott. Inspired by Joe Cino and his original Caffe Cino in New York City's Greenwich Village, Talbott and McMahon invited a group of theater artists to contribute essays, interviews, and previously unpublished plays.

PAGE 73 PRODUCTIONS has named Sanaz Toossi the 2019 Page 73 Playwriting Fellow. Selected from nearly 400 applicants, Toossi will receive a $10,000 award and an additional $10,000 budgeted for developing several new plays over the course of the year.

Casting is set for Theatre of NOTE's production of 'For The Love Of (or, the roller derby play),' which Center Theatre Group is remounting at the Kirk Douglas Theatre as part of the third annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre. Written by Gina Femia and directed and choreographed by Rhonda Kohl, 'For The Love Of' will begin previews March 7, open March 9 and continue through March 17.

ALLOND[R]A by Gina Femia, the recipient of the 2018 Leah Ryan Prize for Emerging Women Writers, will have a public reading, directed by Elena Araoz on Monday January 28, 2019, 7pm, at New Ohio Theatre

As part of its current 2018-2019 Performing Arts Season, Japan Society presents a staged reading of 100 Years Stray by Japanese playwright SaringROCK, led by New York-based director Taylor Reynolds, taking place Monday, February 4 at 7:30 PM at Japan Society (333 East 47th Street).

Center Theatre Group has selected three local productions for the third annual Block Party: Celebrating Los Angeles Theatre at the Kirk Douglas Theatre from March 7 through April 28, 2019. Block Party 2019 will remount Theatre of NOTE's "For The Love Of (or, the roller derby play)," Skylight Theatre Company's "Rotterdam" and Antaeus Theatre Company's "Native Son." Each production will have a two-week run with 12 performances. The three visiting companies will receive the full support of Center Theatre Group and its staff in order to fund, stage and market each production.

Playwright Mercedes White Wins Urbanite's Inaugural Modern Works Festival