COMING SOON: Sweet, Sweet Spirit

MANHATTAN THEATRE WORKS (MTWorks), in association with the Theater Series at the 14th Street Y,are pleased to announce the world premiere of Sweet, Sweet Spirit by Carol Carpenter (Outstanding Playwriting for Good Lonely People – Planet Connections Awards), directed by Joan Kane (2011 People of the Year in Indie Theatre – Martin Denton, nytheatre.com). Sweet, Sweet Spirit will play a three week limited engagement at The Theater at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street at 1st Avenue). Performances beginFriday, October 10th and continue through Saturday, October 25th. Opening Night is Tuesday, October 14th at8:00pm. Tickets are $18 ($15 Students/$12 Seniors). For more information visithttp://www.mtworks.org/sweetsweetspirit.

Press are invited to Friday, October 10th at 8pm, Saturday, October 11th at 3pm & 8pm, Sunday, October 13th at 3pm and Tuesday, October 14th at 8pm (Opening Night) 
(and any subsequent performance)

A West Texas matriarch is enraged by the news that her gay grandson has been the victim of a hate crime committed by his own father. As the boy battles for his life, the family must come together and decide who among them is best to care for this child and what place can they find for him in their world.

“Carol Carpenter is one of the most promising Southern female voices of our generation and we are honored to be presenting such a brave story on our stage. This will also be the fifth show we bring to The Theater at The 14th Street Y, a true theatrical hub for the creatively brave.” – shares Co-Artistic Director Antonio Minino.

Sweet, Sweet Spirit received developmental readings at The Barrow Group, The National Newborn Festival (Audience Favorite Award), Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and Acadiana Theater in Lafayette, LA. The play was also part of the High Desert Play Festival at the American Southwest Theater in Las Cruces and out of that was produced at New Mexico State University in fall, 2012 as a university production.

The production stars Carol Hickey* (Original cast of Urinetown), Gary Hilborn* (A View from the Bridge, Best Actor in a Play Nominee – Broadway World Awards), Deanna McGovern (An Impending Rupture of the Belly, Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role – NY IT Awards), Dino Petrera, Kathleen O’Neill* (The Conduct of Life, Best Supporting Actress – Hispanic Heritage Festival) and David Stallings (Farewell to Sanity, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play – Planet Connections Awards).

The production features scenic design by Saundra Yaklin (Frankenstein Upstairs and Advance Man – NY IT Award Nominees), costume design by Rachel Dozier-Ezell (MTWorks’ The Picture of Dorian Gray and TheFamily Shakespeare; Resident costume designer Classical Theater of Harlem), lighting design by David Goldstein (NY Times Critic’s Pick Cloned! at NYMF) and sound design by Jacob Subotnick (Tulpa or Anne and Me, Outstanding Sound Design – Planet Connections Awards). Rachel Denise April is the production stage manager. Press representation by Katie Rosin / Kampfire PR.

Sweet, Sweet Spirit plays the following schedule through Saturday, October 25th**:

Wednesdays at 8pm
Thursdays at 8pm
Fridays at 8pm
Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

**Additional opening night performance Tuesday, October 14th at 8pm
Sunday performances are followed by a talk-back with special guest, cast and crew.

Advance tickets are $18 ($15 Students/$12 Seniors) and are available online athttp://www.mtworks.org/sweetsweetspirit. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at the theater ½ hour prior to performance.

Website: http://www.mtworks.org/sweetsweetspirit
Photos: http://bit.ly/SweetPhotos

Running Time: 90 minutes

The Theater at the 14th Street Y is located on 344 East 14th Street (at 1st Avenue)
By Subway: L to 1st Avenue
By Bus: M14 or M15 to 14th and 1st

*Appearing Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.
Director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers.

BIOGRAPHIES

CAROL CARPENTER (Playwright) writes about small town folks in the American Southwest as they struggle mightily between the forces of progress and tradition. Her work has been developed in New York at Chautauqua Theater Company, Barrow Group, Manhattan Theater Works, On the Square and Original Bindings, and regionally at American Southwest Theater, New Mexico State University, Greer Garson Theater Center and Acadiana Repertory Theater. Her plays have won the NewBorn Play Festival’s Audience Favorite Award, and Best Play at Planet Connections and High Desert Festival. She is an O’Neill semifinalist, a company playwright at MTWorks, an alumna of Sewanee and ESPA’s playwriting programs, and holds dramatic writing degrees from College of Santa Fe and University of Southern California. She lives between her native New Mexico and New York City. More info at www.carolcarpenterwrites.com.

JOAN KANE (Director) is a director of new works by playwrights living in the USA and Europe. She is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus Theatre Company and recently directed Safe at 59E59 Theaters for a sold out run and in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe getting four star reviews. Joan was named one of the People of the Year in Indie Theatre by Martin Denton for nytheatre.com. Most recently she directed the U.S. premiere of More by the award winning Norwegian playwright Maria Tryti Veenerod at Theater for the New City. Other works include the N.Y. premieres of Robin Rice Lichtig’s Play Nice at 59E59 Theaters, Penny Jackson’s I Know What Boys Want at The Workshop Theater, JB Alexander’s The Metamorphosis at the Prague Fringe, Duncan Pflaster’s The Tragedy of Dandelion at Urban Stages and Kate Rader’s Love Stinks at Dorthy Strelsin Theater. Her work has been seen at Nylon Fusion, Abingdon Theater, NY Madness, Lark Play Development Center, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, the Bleecker St Theater, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, Planet Connections Festivity, the Midtown International Festival, the Dramatists Guild’s Friday Night Footlights, New School for Drama, Neighborhood Playhouse, the Players Club, the Lambs Club and the Actors Studio. She has been nominated for an Outstanding Direction Award in the MITF three times and Planet Connections twice. Joan holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from The New School for Drama, a Masters of Science in Museum Education from Bank Street College and is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the League of Professional Theatre Women and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers.

MANHATTAN THEATRE WORKS (MTWorks) Dedicated to discovering new plays that challenge our perception of diversity (ethnic, economic, geographic, gender, sexuality or creed). We foster today’s innovative playwrights that boldly take risks in theme, structure, time-period and location by collaborating with exceptional theatre artists to develop their plays through our Living Room Series, National NewBorn Festival and Mainstage productions. Originally known as Maieutic Theatre Works, MTWorks started producing thought provoking new plays in the Fall of 2006 with Folie A Deux: Insanity in Pairs written by Co-Founder and current Co-Artistic Director David Stallings, directed by Co-Founder and former Executive Director Cristina Alicea, produced by Co-Founder and current Co-Artistic Director Antonio Minino. What started as a trio of like-minded artists has grown into a family of over 50 talented MTWorkers dedicated to developing new ground breaking diverse plays from around the world. MTWorks productions have received great press notices, awards and nominations including The New York Innovative Theatre Awards and Planet Connections Theatre Awards.