Posted May 28, 2009

NEW YEAR OF NEW PLAYS AT STAGEWORKS/HUDSON

May 25, 2009 - In 2009, Stageworks/Hudson presents the regional premiere of FORBIDDEN BROADWAY by Gerard Alessandrini, the world premiere of CAR TALK by Lucile Lichtblau, the professional world premiere of NOWHERE ON THE BORDER by Carlos Lacámara and six original one-acts comprising PLAY BY PLAY: Crossroads.

"Stageworks began fifteen years ago inspired by a desire to stand outside the box to produce new, adventurous plays that illuminate our lives and brighten our cultural landscape," comments artistic director, Laura Margolis. "In our fast spinning world, there is one constant in our common humanity: our inherent need to connect to one another through stories, whether they make us laugh, cry, or contemplate. Stageworks does all three with our 2009 line-up of dynamic plays that define our times."

Stageworks' 15th Anniversary Season begins in June with the explosively funny brainchild of Gerard Alessandrini, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY. Hailed as "hilarious and brilliantly wicked" by the New York Times, FORBIDDEN BROADWAY irreverently—and lovingly—pokes, prods, teases and lampoons the Great White Way's most famed musicals and celebrities. Stageworks is one of the first regional theaters to produce this celebrated off-Broadway panoply of parodies spoofing Barbra Striesand, Mandy Patinkin, Liza Minnelli and many more, from Fiddler to Hairspray. FORBIDDEN BROADWAY is directed by Billy Kimmel and runs from June 24 — July 12.

Stageworks is excited to announce the world premiere of its first commissioned full-length play, CAR TALK, a frank and uproarious look at the endangered institution known as marriage. Emotions run high for Ed and Millie, a middle-aged Jewish couple who have just received startling news about their daughter, Rosalie, and her relationship to a certain taxidermist named Zoe. With a car full of angst, they take off to Vermont to scope out the situation, failing to foresee that by trying to "save" Rosalie from coming out of her closet, they will be forced to confront the skeletons in their own. The raucous collisions that ensue during their journey gleefully skewer each character's definition of family and change their lives forever. CAR TALK is directed by Laura Margolis and first appeared as a one-act play by Lucile Lichtblau in Stageworks' Play by Play Festival in 2008. Lucile Lichtblau's honors include an MCA Playwriting Fellowship from the Yale Drama School and a Film Achievement Award from the NY/LA Independent International Film and Video Festival. CAR TALK runs from July 22 — August 9.

The professional world premiere of Carlos Lacámara's stunning new play, NOWHERE ON THE BORDER, runs from August 26 to September 13. On a remote clearing in the Arizona desert, where only the scratching drone of insects offers any hint of life, Gary, a volunteer Minuteman, and Roberto, a Mexican who may have illegally crossed the border, confront each other under the blistering sun. Urgent and heartwarming, NOWHERE ON THE BORDER travels back and forth in time, interweaving the lives of two men firmly gripped in a stalemate of contrasting beliefs-only to discover that compassion can transcend all boundaries. NOWHERE ON THE BORDER won the MetLife Nuestras Voces National Playwriting Competition and has been called "a piece of raw, poignant power and piercing insight" by the LA Times. Directed by Laura Margolis, this play provides an unbiased look at the issues and controversy surrounding immigration in our society. In conjunction with this award-winning production, Stageworks will hold The Town Hall Meeting on Immigration. Guest speakers for this public forum include Betsy Palmieri, Executive Director of the Hudson Valley Community Coalition and Mary Jo Dudley, Director of the Cornell Farmworker Program at Cornell University. The corporate sponsor for the Town Hall Meeting is the New York State Theatre Institute. See www.stageworkshudson.org for further details.

Stageworks closes its season with the thirteenth annual PLAY BY PLAY Festival, which Metroland Magazine describes as a sampling of "the best new theater in the region: bold, brave and ballsy, always." This year's PLAY BY PLAY: Crossroads consists of six new short plays that take a look at the humorous, complicated and downright contradictory ways we traverse the highs and lows of life; some of our country's best dramatists cut through territory "whose boundaries are that of imagination" to tackle life's crucial turning points. PLAY BY PLAY: Crossroads, which is produced in association with Proctor's in Schenectady, will run from September 30 — October 11 at Stageworks before its extended run at Proctor's.

In conjunction with PLAY BY PLAY, on October 3, Stageworks will host Dramatists Guild Hudson Valley and the Berkshires, the region's first playwriting forum conducted by the Dramatists Guild of America. The Guild's Executive Director of Creative Affairs, Gary Garrison, will head the forum covering topics in many aspects of writing for the stage. Dramatists Guild Hudson Valley and the Berkshires comprises three parts: the Seminar on the Business of Playwriting and the Master Class in Playwriting, both for Guild members and the Panel Discussion on Playwriting, which is open to the public. See www.stageworkshudson.org for further details.

The Stageworks 2009 Mainstage season is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the Shubert Foundation.

Special productions also highlight Stageworks' 2009 season. Free for the entire family, on July 18, Stageworks will present the renowned Mettawee River Theater Company in their new outdoor production, BEYOND THE HIGH VALLEY: A QUECHUA STORY at the Hudson Waterfront Park. The production is sponsored by Columbia County Tourism and the City of Hudson.

About Stageworks/Hudson
Stageworks has established a reputation for its ambitious programming and adventurous productions. The company is especially known for producing the bold, risk-taking work of new dramatic voices. Central to its vision is Futures, an integrative program designed to move Stageworks to the forefront of new play development. Stageworks is both the experiment and the resource to infuse the whole life of the theater with a creative process that produces new ways of expressing, interpreting and sharing the human experience.

Stageworks is a member of Theatre Communications Group, the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Perform Columbia. It is the recipient of a Proctors Regional Arts Award inaugurated by Proctors Theatre in 2008 to honor the outstanding work of performing arts organizations. For four consecutive years, Stageworks was distinguished in Metroland Magazine as "Best Theater Company." Stageworks is recipient of the Crystal Apple Award from the Chamber of Commerce for providing a positive effect both culturally and economically on the quality of life in our community.

Plays are for everyone, whether written by students, established authors or emerging dramatists. Theater illuminates, expresses and interprets the human experience and profoundly serves as a global stage for social exchange and enrichment. Stageworks complements its main season with a series of programs to encourage and engage young people, traditional theatergoers and new audiences. Stageworks continues to actively take a leadership role in establishing the Hudson Valley as a cultural destination by exploring and expanding its reputation for developing new theatrical works, forms and programs.

Tickets
For tickets or information, contact Stageworks by mail at 41-A Cross Street, Hudson, NY 12534 or call the box office at (518) 822-9667. For further information, visit the website at www.stageworkshudson.org.

Stageworks/Hudson's Mainstage Season Subscriptions are on sale now. Subscribers receive the Stageworks Dining Card offering special discounts at fine restaurants including: Baba Louie's Pizza, Ca' Mea Ristorante, Carolina House, DA│BA Restaurant, Haley's Indian Restaurant, Lippera's at the Chatham House, Mexican Radio, Pi Café, The Red Dot, Swoon Kitchenbar, Vico Restaurant, and Wasana's Thai Restaurant. Subscribers also receive a Theaters Supporting Theaters Gift Card with special ticket offers.

Prices for the four-play, Mainstage Subscription season are $54 for the Preview series, $72 for the All Shows Limited series and $87 for the All Shows (unlimited) series. Prices for the new Ultimate Flex Pass are $98 for the 4-ticket pass.

Single ticket prices are $18 for preview performances, $24 for Weekdays, Matinees and Sundays and $29 for Friday and Saturday evening performances. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and there are special rates for students and seniors.

Visit Stageworks' home page for more details at www.stageworkshudson.org.

Stageworks 2009 Season

FORBIDDEN BROADWAY
Regional Premiere June 24 — July 12
By Gerard Alessandrini
Directed by Billy Kimmel

CAR TALK
World Premiere July 22 — August 9
Written by Lucile Lichtblau
Directed by Laura Margolis

NOWHERE ON THE BORDER
Professional World Premiere August 26 — September 13
Written by Carlos Lacámara
Directed by Laura Margolis
Special event: The Town Hall Meeting on Immigration - September 5

PLAY BY PLAY: Crossroads
Six World Premiere One-Acts produced at Stageworks from September 30 — October 11
Special Forum: Dramatists Guild Hudson Valley and the Berkshire - October 3

Special production:
BEYOND THE HIGH VALLEY: A QUECHUA STORY
July 18 at the Hudson Waterfront Park. Free for the entire family

See www.stageworkshudson.org for further details.

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