National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts Hosts THE GOOD DEVIL, IN SPITE OF HIMSELF Reading Today

The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts, the only accredited acting school in the Greater Washington Area, announced today that it would celebrate international "Commedia dell'Arte Day" today, February 25, with a staged reading of a brand-new Commedia play written by local playwrights Mario Baldessari and Tyler Herman.

"The Good Devil, in Spite of Himself" follows the comedic travails of a 17th Century Commedia troupe besieged by a royal decree that forbids them from using any dialogue in their plays. The royally imposed restriction sends the troupe's planned spoof of the Faustian fable on a rollercoaster ride of comic invention as they seek to successfully skirt the restrictions.

The reading, which is free to the public, will be held at 7:30 pm in the Conservatory's black-box theater. All seating is general admission. Doors open at 7:00. The reading features three of the Conservatory's faculty members: Doug Wilder plays the Royal Messenger and the Devil; Ray Ficca plays Signor Spittitucci, Pantalone, Il Dottore and Lelio; and Tia Shearer Bassett plays Signora Spittitucci, Isadore and Colombina. The reading is directed by Tyler Herman.

Baldessari teaches classes in Commedia for the Conservatory. Herman is a company member of DC's Commedia aficionados, Faction of Fools Theatre Company - the organization in charge of International Commedia dell'Arte Day 2013.

More information on the reading is available here: www.theconservatory.org/coming-soon.html and www.facebook.com/learntoact. More information on Commedia dell'Arte day here: www.commediadellarteday.org/eventi.

The Conservatory is located in the heart of Georgetown, at 1556 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Detailed directions here: www.theconservatory.org/directions.html.

As an accredited actor-training academy, the Conservatory operates under the oversight of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, and the US Department of Education; and its students are eligible to receive federal student loans and grants. The Conservatory's two-year, intensive, actor-training program - which is firmly rooted in the teachings of Michael Chekhov, Michel Saint-Denis and Constantin Stanislavsky - provides students with 1,800 hours of instruction, practice and rehearsal in 16 months. The Conservatory's faculty consists of actors, directors and playwrights who are actively employed in the DC-area theater and film community. The Conservatory has been training people for careers in acting since 1975.