The heat is on

The New York International Fringe Festival, a production of The Present Company, takes place from August 14th through August 30th, 2009. Choose from a dark comedy that examines the experience of sex in the modern age (The Books), an arctic chronicle of a woman's journey down below (The Antarctic Chronicles), a woman who's unexpected illness challenges her relationships (Look After You), and an indestructible man's leap into love (Eli and Cheryl Jump.) The Antarctic Chronicles Produced by Sister Fantastic Productions Written by and Starring Jessica Manuel Directed by Paul Linke Striving for individuality and freedom, Jessica Manuel found herself living and working in Antarctica as a fuels operator. The Antarctic Chronicles explores her biographical journey through multiple characters: her parents, friends, roommates, and bosses. A story of love, courage, absurdity and madness, Jessica shares what happens living in an isolated community void of sun for months. Loss of memory and black urine are just a taste of the experiences she endured while trying to create a life worth examination. Venue # 19 The Players Loft (115 MacDougal St, 3rd Fl) Sat, Aug 15 @ 11:00 pm | Sun, Aug 16 @ 4:00 pm | Mon, Aug 17 @ 8:15 pm | Wed, Aug 19 @ 3:15 pm | Fri, Aug 21 @ 5:00 pm | Sat, Aug 22 @ 8:45 pm. The Books Produced by Imperfect People Written by Michael Edison Hayden Starring Aadya Bedi, Scott David Nogi, and Bradley Anderson Directed by Matt Urban An offbeat love story of a professional dominatrix, Mistress Chimera, and her agoraphobic client, Mark, The Books chronicles the unique development of their relationship. After Mark loans Helen a copy of James Joyce’s Dubliners, their personal relationship deepens, complicating their sadomasochistic rituals. Before the couple can truly fall in love, they both must accept that some people may never fit into society. Venue # 13 The Cherry Pit (155 Bank Street) Fri, Aug 14 @ 10:00 pm | Tue Aug 18 @ 5:00 pm | Wed, Aug 19 @ 5:15 pm | Mon, Aug 24 @ 12:45 pm | Thu, Aug 27 @ 7:45 pm. Eli and Cheryl Jump Produced by Ignited States and Crosstown Playwrights Written by Daniel McCoy Starring Cassandra Vincent and Charles Linshaw Directed by Nicole A. Watson Accident-prone Eli is magically shielded from death. Maybe. Mythology, personal history and recent tragic events collide in a story spanning 15 years, and 1,000 miles. When Eli and Cheryl jump it's only the beginning of their journey. Venue # 19 The Players Loft (115 MacDougal St, 3rd Fl) Fri, Aug 14 @ 8:45 pm | Mon, Aug 17 @ 6:30 pm | Thu, Aug 20th @ 7:15 pm | Mon, Aug 24 @ 3:15 pm | Fri, Aug 28 @ 11:00 pm | Sat, Aug 29 @ 12:45 pm. Look After You Produced by Maieutic Theatre Works Written by Louise Flory Starring Jason Altman, Lowell Byers, Louise Flory, and Adi Kurtchik Directed by Michele Pace MTWorks (Anaïs Nin Goes To Hell) returns with Look After You. When a photographer's life is threatened by illness, everything she thought was secure turns upside-down, testing friendships, family and love. Venue # 1 6 The SoHo Playhouse (15 Vandam St.) Fri, Aug 14 @ 5:00 pm | Sun, Aug 16th @ 3:00 pm | Wed, Aug 19 @ 8:15 pm | Fri, Aug 28 @ 9:30 pm | Sat, Aug 29 @ 1:30 pm. Tickets are $15.00. $10 senior citizens (65 years or older), and for those who purchase groups of 20 or more tickets to a single performance. Tickets can be purchased at www.FringeNYC.org or 866.468.7619. Tickets may also be purchased in person at FringeCENTRAL, the main box office for the Festival, up until 24 hours before the actual performance. On the day of the performance, tickets must be purchased at the venue where the show is playing. Venue box office opens 15 minutes before the performance. (Cash only.)

	A recent Reuter's article "Black Culture Lights up the Great White Way" (Sunday Jul 12 2009 By Christine Kearney) raised the point, “As the presidential visit cast a spotlight on Wilson's revival, playwrights and theater observers say both Obama's election and more open theaters and audiences have helped bring more stories of black culture to the New York stage this year. Both on Broadway and off-Broadway, plays and musicals about black culture or issues of race are being praised and more productions are in the works.” …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON, which opens Off-Broadway on August 12th, follows in this vain. But this team of producers aren't doing it with the backing of a large not-for-profit, with corporate sponsorship, as in Lincoln Center, like Joe Turner's Come and Gone, in fact they are pulling themselves up by their boot straps following an entrepreneurial spirit and raising money from within their community, filling a niche in costly Commercial Off-Broadway where a Black female producer, producing a Black playwright is a historical rarity. …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON is a new script that has been infused with a sense of urgency because these socio-economic “seismic” moments come all too seldom. President Obama and The First Lady have added another dimension, another layer of excitement for American stories that can and should be told on the Great White Way. .…ANOTHER MAN’S POISON is about a hard working comedian, who in 1970 gets his own TV show and his imminent stardom threatens to reveal the hidden conflict and mounting turmoil of his personal life. Orielle Creative Company presents … ANOTHER MAN’S POISON Written by GEORGE O. BROME Starring PENELOPE LOWDER, LELAND GANTT, STEVE GREENSTEIN, DENNIS HEARN, JAMES EDWARD SHIPPY, TONI STANTON Directed by PASSION HANSOME AUGUST 12 – AUGUST 23, 2006 PETER JAY SHARP THEATER 416 West 42nd Street …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON uncovers the irony of success, juxtaposed with the fascinating backdrop of prime time television. When Frankie Masters, a struggling comedian, gets the opportunity to have his own network television show in 1970, his imminent stardom threatens to reveal the hidden conflict and mounting turmoil of his personal life. Taking place prior to the celebrity tabloid when exposés were the norm, it takes a close look at lives intertwined—where each character confronts personal sacrifices that will forever impact them. …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON takes place during a pivotal time in history when the Vietnam War, exposing the racial divide, and the politicizing of sexual identity, all conspire to add depth and texture to the drama. A quintessential Hollywood story with a distinct New York bite, …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON is full of pointed humor, straightforward drama, and allows audiences to concede to their incessant desire to be a voyeur to the reality of "making of a celebrity." It is a story of family, ambition, and the choices that are made along the way. …ANOTHER MAN’S POISON plays the following regular schedule through Sunday, August 23: Wednesday (8/12) at 7 p.m. Wednesday (8/19) at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursdays at 7 p.m. Fridays at 7 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m Tickets are $75. Tickets are available online at www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Playwrights Horizon’s Box Office, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Running time: 2 hours two (2) intermissions. The production features scenic design by Kevin Lee Allen, costume design by Ali Turns, and lighting design by Burke Wilmore. Sean O’Halloran is the sound designer, Dave McDaniel is the technical director and Bayo is the stage manager.

	"Shrunken Heads marks the modern American Theatre's chance to experiment with high comedy...Ribalow is writing very much about today for today's audiences and his work isn't imitative in any way. But I trust he won't be offended to have it compared to the polished bent of such previous masters of the genre as George Bernard Shaw, George S. Kaufman and, particularly, S.N. Behrman." (The Star-Ledger) "Hilarious and insightful...Ribalow exhibits a brilliant ear for conversation, a vivid imagination for situations, an immense reservoir of personality studies from which to draw and elaborate, and a genuinely funny wit... resoundingly successful." (Daily Register) WILD HOUSE PRODUCTIONS, INC. presents M.Z. Ribalow’s SHRUNKEN HEADS Off-Broadway’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street) Thursday, August 27 - Sunday, August 30 Dr. Bob Hyde, a successful psychiatrist, just wants to have a quiet, peaceful weekend at his country estate, where he can commune with nature and relax in his Jacuzzi, far away from his patients. No such luck. The various women in his life interfere--from his neurotic patient Dorothy Putney, to his daughter Caroline and ex-wife Jennifer, determined to drain him of all his money. Head games come alive in this fast paced farce, where family drama plus biting wit equals Shrunken Heads: a case of high comedy. The production stars David Gelles-Hurwitz (Close Ties (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Edgewise, Thicker Than Water) as Carlyle Peckinpah III, Diana Henry (After The Rainoined At The Head, No Exit) as Jennifer Todhunter Hyde, Mel House (BaalEast of the Sun, West of the Moon (Baltimore's Center Stage), 4960Allison Layman (Monomoy Theatre in Chatham, MA) as Caroline Hyde, Ean Sheehy (Forensic Accountant Joshua Simmons on Law & Order Criminal, Precious (Winner: Sundance Film Fest 2009), Sundance (EST) as Norman Putney, Don Striano (The Sopranos, 9/12 (Culture Project), Our Lady of Allapattah) as Robert Hyde, and Kim Weiler (intense acting program at the William Esper Studio) as Dorothy Putney. (Theatre Four), J (Looking Glass Theatre), (Winner: Slamdance Film Fest 2008) as Polly Hyde, The production features scenic design by David Meyer, costume design by Ghislaine Sabiti, and lighting design by Graham Posner. Bruce Edwards is the sound designer, Shamina Mehta is the scenic artists/prop designer, Carl Everett Wiemann is the associate designer, Jacob Platt is the master electrician, Gary Neiheisel is the sound engineer and Cynthia Degros is the stage manager. SHRUNKEN HEADS plays the following schedule: Thursday, August 27th at 8pm Friday, August 28th at 8pm Saturday, August 29th at 2pm & 8pm Sunday, August 30th at 2pm Tickets are $18 and are now available online at www.TicketCentral.com or by calling 212-279-4200. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the Theatre Row Box Office, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Running Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes with a 15-minute intermission www.wildhouseproductions.com