The Midtown International Theatre Festival (MITF) announces performance schedules for the 2011 Season, running from July 11 – 31, 2011. 23 plays and 11 musicals have been chosen. Tickets are $15-18 and are available at www.midtownfestival.org or by phone at 866-811-4111.
The 2011 Festival will take place at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor.
2011 SEASON
Alice: A New Musical, Book by Andrew Barbato, Music/Lyrics by Andrew Barbato and Leslie Desantis, Produced by Cellar Door
Wednesday, July 20 at 8pm; Saturday, July 23 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 1:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 11am
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Hold onto your imagination, even above the rabbit hole.
What happens when you are caught between growing up too fast and holding onto your youthful imagination? Alice is about a young girl who runs away from her 13th birthday, only to discover that becoming an adult doesn’t have to mean letting go of your childhood.
The Banana Monologues, By John Brennan, Jason Cooper, and Mary Cimino, Produced by Gregory Taft Gerard in association with Jason C. Cooper
Thursday, July 14 at 6pm; Saturday, July 23 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 9:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 4pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A romance that splits below the belt.
A sexy comedy inspired by a true love story about a man, a woman, and his banana, Sgt. Johnson. When the layers of the relationship are peeled back, Gus tries to split from his girlfriend Alexis, but Sgt. Johnson stands firm.
Between the Bricks, By Anthony Giorgio and Cecilia Ceresa, Produced by Blair Hotchner
Sunday, July 17 at 8pm; Wednesday, July 20 at 9:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 10pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 8:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Ding Dong the Wizard of Oz is…Dead.
We know what happens before Dorothy landed in Oz. We know what happens when she arrives, but what happens when she leaves? Does the glitz and glamour float away in a hot air balloon or can this mysterious place hold on to the magic?
Boomers, The Musical of a Generation, Book, Music & Lyrics by Peter Baron
Friday, July 15 at 5pm; Saturday, July 16 at 5:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 12pm; Wednesday, July 20 at 5pm; Friday, July 22 at 5:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 11am; Sunday, July 24 at 8:30pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 5:45pm; Saturday, July 30 at 8:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A true story…about you.
Boomers is an intimate, emotional roller coaster ride with Will and Laura, through three decades of world altering events. Their dreams and idealism collide with reality to forever alter their fairy tale existence.
Children of God, Written and Produced by Charles Murray
Wednesday, July 13 at 8:30pm; Tuesday, July 19 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 5:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 12:30pm; Sunday, July 31 at 5:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A modern musical mash-up of inspiration for the next generation.
An unforgettable story of hope told through the struggles of three amazing teenagers highlighted in song and dance, these Children of God will capture your heart. Our story follows a week in the lives of three amazing teenagers. DC is being raised by his step father, Tunica only has her grandmother and Will is in Foster Care. Each of them is special and deserves a chance. Children of God is an urban story of hope.
Dad Doesn’t Dance, By Nora Brown, Produced by Small Pond Enterprises
Tuesday, July 12 at 7:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 6pm; Thursday, July 21 at 6pm; Sunday, July 24 at 4pm; Friday, July 29 at 8pm; Saturday, July 30 at 2:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A dancer from the wilds of Winnipeg tangos through five mysterious men to her ultimate dance partner, BioDad.
Dad Doesn’t Dance is a woman’s quest to find her biological father. She lived without a past. Clues from five mysterious men help her reach BioDad’s door in Hollywood. Does she have the courage to knock?
The Dickening, By Ben Ferber and Donald McEwan, Produced by Fop! Productions
Sunday, July 17 at 6pm; Friday, July 22 at 6pm; Sunday, July 24 at 4pm; Monday, July 25 at 6pm; Saturday, July 30 at 8pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
A dicktastic romp featuring a smorgasbord of screaming.
Six hilariously absurd vignettes! One ball turns two soldiers gay. Three unwanted clients provoke one lawyer into a smorgasbord of screaming. Three office drones take one unexpected hostage. And much more!
Dirty Paki Lingerie, Written and Produced by Aizzah Fatima
Saturday, July 16 at 2pm; Thursday, July 21 at 7:30pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 6:15pm; Thursday, July 28 at 6:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 8pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A glimpse into the secret sexual lives of Pakistani-American Muslim women.
In this touching, hilarious, and endlessly illuminating series of interactions, six Pakistani American Muslim females struggle to find their place at the chaotic juncture of two very different cultures.
Don Gio, By Joshua R. Pangborn, Produced by Sidekick Productions
Saturday, July 16 at 4:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 4pm; Monday, July 18 at 8pm; Thursday, July 21 at 6:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 6pm; Sunday, July 31 at 8:30pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Butlers, zombies, lesbians…it’s all just sex to him.
Don Gio, portly lover of pleasure, is after his next great conquest, the lovely Ana. However, to win her he’ll have to overcome several obstacles, including a long dead brother, a transsexual witch, and his affair with his butler in this gender-bending, hedonistic romp.
Ethan’s People, By Richard L. Gaw, Produced by Buds of May Productions
Wednesday, July 13 at 6pm; Wednesday, July 20 at 8pm; Sunday, July 24 at 12:30pm; Thursday, July 28 at 8pm; Sunday, July 31 at 2:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Four friends struggle to hold on to each other as the world around them falls apart.
In the wake of unspeakable horror, little Ethan writes a nursery rhyme. His parents and their friends struggle to hold on to each other as the world around them falls apart.
Flowers: A Thorny Romance Story, By Carolyn M. Brown and D.E. Womack, Produced by All in Black and White Productions
Sunday, July 17 at 2pm; Monday, July 18 at 6pm; Saturday, July 23 at 7pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 8pm; Sunday, July 31 at 6:30pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Love shouldn’t hurt…But sometimes it does…
Whether she’s a Fortune 500 wife and mother, Christian immigrant, lesbian poet, or a teenager in love, whenever a woman is hit she gets a bouquet of flowers and an apology. This is her story. Flowers intertwines vignettes, monologues, poetry and music to explore love’s journey.
Gated, By Marisa Marquez, Produced by The Isa Company
Wednesday, July 13 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 16 at 8:30pm; Wednesday, July 20 at 6:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 1pm; Sunday, July 30 at 4pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
The new millennia answer to Our Town.
The illusion of the American dream built around the perfect home is torn down by the funny reality of suicide, mental disorder, child abuse, Iraq, erectile dysfunction and keeps this community Gated.
Georgia & Me, By Sarah Ford, Produced by Small Pond Enterprises
Sunday, July 17 at 7:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 1:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 5:30pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 7:45pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Does love and artistic fulfillment have to be at odds?
A woman thinks she has it all. Then the spirit of renowned painter Georgia O’Keeffe breaks down her door and challenges her to pick up the project she abandoned years ago. It’s never too late to find out who you thought you were!
Hanky Panky, By Vicki Vodrey, Produced by Lot In Life Productions, LLC
Saturday, July 23 at 3pm; Sunday, July 24 at 8pm; Monday, July 25 at 8pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 8pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Does EVERYBODY’S family act this way in the face of death?!
The Gunther family descends on Flowering Fields Nursing Home around the bedside table of their nearly deceased Patriarch. Old wounds are re-opened and new battle lines are drawn in the hilarious dark comedy.
Home Movies, By Hank Winters, Produced by The Treehouse Theatre Company / Stephen Brown
Saturday, July 16 at 7:15pm; Friday, July 22 at 6pm; Saturday, July 23 at 6:45pm; Sunday, July 24 at 2:15pm; Saturday, July 30 at 12:45pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
How much of our relationships should we exploit for art?
When emerging filmmaker Sam Wallach visits his hometown to tell his first love, Ellie Atkins, he’s made a film about her, we learn how much some people are willing to sacrifice to reconstruct the past.
Kelly and Lindsey Do New York, By Kelly Wallace-Barnhill and Lindsey Gentile, Produced by Kelly Wallace-Barnhill
Sunday, July 17 at 5:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 1:30pm; Monday, July 25 at 6:30pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 8pm; Sunday, July 31 at 4:30pm
The Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
A non lesbian love story.
In a city where craigslist crazies, dude-bro douche bags, and that guy who won’t stop exposing himself on the A train are the only eligible bastards around, two sexy, quirky twenty-somethings would be happy to just avoid dying alone. Will they find love before 30? Probably not.
Lavender Shore, Written by Lawson Caldwell, Produced by Richard Manichello
Wednesday, July 27 at 6pm; Thursday, July 28 at 6pm; Friday, July 29 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 2pm; Sunday, July 31 at 4:30pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
A 1930’s New York Socialite discovers she is married to two men, one of whom has fallen in love with someone else. Maybe the butler did it!
Harrison and his butler, Gerald, stranded for five years on an island, return to find Harrison’s wife, Daphane, married to Thomas. Harrison’s legally married to Daphane, but now loves Gerald. Thomas love Daphane. Daphane loves all the attention.
Mad Mel and the Marradians, Written and Produced by Gary Morgenstein
Monday, July 11 at 6pm; Saturday, July 16 at 2:30pm; Tuesday, July 19 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 6pm; Thursday, July 28 at 8pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
In this sci-fi comedy by Syfy Channel’s Gary Morgenstein, ancient aliens invade Earth. Only a writer can save the human race. Uh-oh.
Angry aliens. Doomed Earth. Uh-oh. In this sci-fi comedy by Syfy Channel’s Gary Morgenstein, a writer’s phony scholarship stumbles upon a deadly plot by ancient aliens. Now they invade. In pearls. Pray.
Making God, Book, Music and Lyrics by Rodney Dickerman, Produced by Small Pond Enterprises
Saturday, July 23 at 8:30pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 6:15pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 8pm; Friday, July 29 at 6:15pm; Sunday, July 31 at 2:30pm
The Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
You know you’ve got a problem when being Evangelical Christian ain’t bein’ religious enough!
The wickedly dry story of a would-be messiah, who discovers the only way to be close to god is to replace Him. Arizona stand-up comic/musician Rodney Dickerman saves your soul in his new one-man musical (aided by a chorus of 3 holy rollers)!
Mother Eve’s Secret Garden of Sensual Sisterhood, By Uma Incrocci, Erica Jensen, and Kirk McGee
Tuesday, July 12 at 8:30pm; Thursday, July 14 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 16 at 12pm; Saturday, July 23 at 9pm; Friday, July 29 at 6pm; Sunday, July 31 at 2pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Produced by Mother Eve LLC/Co-Executive Producers, Erica Jensen and Ashley Wren Collins
Help yourself to the Mother of all Rock Musicals!
Self-help guru Mother Eve helps women transform their lives – by teaching them to unleash their inner skanks, celebrate their cellulite, and explore their female flower power. This rock musical will show you how to love yourself as much as you love cheese!
Ocean in a Tea Cup, By Joel Krantz, Produced by JK Entertainment
Tuesday, July 12 at 6pm; Friday, July 15 at 9:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 3pm; Monday, July 18 at 8:30pm; Monday, July 25 at 8pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 6pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A broken American soldier gets a second chance at life in post war India.
The war is over, but Ray Hauserman does not return home from India to the woman he loves. The shame of having broken his vow “never to kill” draws him to an Indian teacher who offers him a unique path to redemption.
Peg O’ My Heart, Adapted as a Musical by Karin Baker, Original play by J Hartley Manners, Produced by Hell’s Kitchen Musicals
Saturday, July 16 at 2:45pm; Sunday, July 17 at 5:30pm; Monday, July 18 at 6pm; Thursday, July 21 at 6pm; Monday, July 25 at 5:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
She’s young, she’s strong, she’s Irish, and she’s about to change everyone’s world. She’s Peg O’ My Heart!
It’s 1920 and young Peg is traveling from lower Manhattan to upper class English society where the banks are failing and all hell is about to break loose. Who knew one young girl could single handedly burst everyone’s bubble. Come meet Peg…Peg O’ My Heart!
The Picture Plane, Written & Produced by Bruce Colbert
Tuesday, July 12 at 6pm; Friday, July 15 at 6:30pm; Saturday, July 16 at 12:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 4:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
What happens when art and life get mixed up?
A New York painter holds on to his faith that his other world will make some sense in this one.
RIP!, Music, Lyrics, & Book by Dan Furman, Additional lyrics by Mary-Liz McNamara, Produced by Massimine/Roytman/Presentations and Wildly Productive Productions
Friday, July 22 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 24 at 3pm; Wednesday, July 27 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 5:30pm; Sunday, July 31 at 12:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
A story of love, revolution and what is possible.
The American Revolution arrives in the Catskills. When a battle goes wrong, a soldier escapes into a magical “Bowling Green.” Twenty years later, can Rip Van Winkle return home?
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, By Tom Stoppard, Produced by Panicked Productions
Wednesday, July 13 at 8pm; Sunday, July 17 at 2:30pm; Tuesday, July 19 at 6pm; Friday, July 22 at 8pm; Monday, July 25 at 8pm; Friday, July 29 at 6pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
An all female, all existentialist cast takes on Stoppard’s classic play-within-a-play.
An all female cast takes you on a ride with everyone’s favorite late 16th Century comedy duo as they head on the road trip of a lifetime. Tom Stoppard’s classic absurdist comedy will keep you laughing too much to ponder the nature of existence.
The Royal Weight Watcher, By Franziska Huber and Susan Batson
Friday, July 15 at 7pm; Sunday, July 17 at 2pm; Friday, July 22 at 8pm; Saturday, July 23 at 5:30pm; Monday, July 25 at 8pm
The Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Sarah Ferguson: A duchess hungry for love!
Sarah Ferguson is lonely. Chocolates and late night phone calls are her only companions at heart. An anti fairy tale about how the need for approval can weigh one down and make food and body image become a compulsive obsession.
Sarke, By Lia Bakhturidze Sirelson, Produced by Dancing Crane, Inc.
Tuesday, July 19 at 6:30pm; Friday, July 22 at 8pm; Sunday, July 24 at 2pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
A Georgian woman tries to marry-off her daughter to a “rich” Georgian-American. (May have been the one he applied with.)
MITF’s first-ever foreign language production! Written in the Georgian language, Sarke tells the story of Veriko, an elderly Tbilisi woman, who tries to marry her daughter to a “rich” NY Georgian man. This entertaining yet tragi-comic clash between the old and new cultures forces us to see ourselves.
Sex Curve, Written and Produced by Merridith Allen
Thursday, July 21 at 9pm; Monday, July 25 at 6pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 5:30pm; Saturday, July 30 at 9:30pm; Sunday, July 31 at 4:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
Hypothesis: Science can control who you fall in love with.
After a nasty break-up, biochemist, Marissa, invents a serum which blocks the effects of the love-inducing hormone, oxytocin. Along with her roommates, Marissa creates an experiment which declares war on love, sex, relationships and gender roles.
Sistas: The Musical, By Dorothy Marcic, Produced by Dr. Dorothy Productions
Monday, July 11 at 6pm; Thursday, July 14 at 5pm; Thursday, July 21 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 1:45pm; Friday, July 29 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 31 at 3pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
The Story of African-American women told through popular music, from “God Bless the Child” to Destiny’s Child.
Using popular music to trace the development of black women from the oppression of the 1930’s through the Girl Groups of the 60’s to empowerment in the 90’s, this soulful and fun show takes the audience on a musical journey from pain to power.
Surviving Love, By Robert Chionis, Produced by Daniel Wolfsbauer
Wednesday, July 20 at 8:30pm; Saturday, July 23 at 5pm; Sunday, July 24 at 12pm
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
The boy from Nowhere, USA finds his way out of “real America” and into the real world.
The story of an isolated gay youth who escapes to the big city and finds love during the onset of the AIDS epidemic, told through songs by William Bolcom, John Bucchino, William Finn, Ricky Ian Gordon, Adam Guettel, and Brian Lasser.
Tea in a Tempest, Written and Produced by James V. O’Connor
Tuesday, July 12 at 8:30pm; Friday, July 15 at 7:45pm; Saturday, July 16 at 1pm; Saturday, July 23 at 4:15pm; Thursday, July 28 at 6:30pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
They say the truth will set you free – but not always.
A showdown between a philandering husband and his family forces him to face the music but things aren’t what they seem. Tea in a Tempest is a comedy about love, infidelity and the power of theatre.
Trouble: A New Rock Musical, Book by Michael Alvarez, Music & Lyrics by Ella Grace, Produced by Saving Grace Productions
Thursday, July 28 at 8:30pm; Friday, July 29 at 6pm; Saturday, July 30 at 3pm; Sunday, July 31 at 8pm
The June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
24 Hrs. 6 Friends…and OMG, so much Trouble!
Nick and Jen’s true-love is being threatened. Hannah is hiding a secret from her boyfriend James, whose ex, Sarah, wants him back. And never-been-kissed Joe is striking up drama with the hottest guy in school. Trouble is out of control…
Truth, Written and Produced by Ellis Gaskell
Thursday, July 14 at 8pm; Saturday, July 16 at 3:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 12:45pm; Wednesday, July 20 at 6pm; Saturday, July 23 at 5pm; Tuesday, July 26 at 7:30pm
The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor, NYC
When religion clashes with politics, sparks fly. It’s an old story, but with thought-provoking conjectures that are provocative as well as entertaining.
It’s a familiar story, but in a modern setting that evokes no particular era, Truth revisits Pilate’s trial of Jesus with fascinating conjectures that are absorbing, entertaining and perhaps controversial!
Women and Guns, Written by Steve Gold, Produced by Maxwell Arts Group
The Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor, NYC
Monday, July 11 at 8pm; Wednesday, July 13 at 6:30pm; Friday, July 15 at 8:30pm; Sunday, July 17 at 12pm
Always Faithful.
A provocative new play by Steve Gold, Women and Guns tells the story of Marine MP Tiffany Hansen’s life from her first day in basic training to her subsequent deployment in Iraq. Along the way, she meets Bobby, a car mechanic who will become her companion and the psychological effect of her deployment both on her and Bobby is examined, as is her reaction to bloodshed in Baghdad.
The MITF’s 2011 Season runs from July 11 – 31, 2011 at the June Havoc Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 1st floor; the Main Stage Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor; and the Jewel Box Theater, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th floor.
The Midtown International Theatre Festival, now in its twelfth year, celebrates the diversity of theatre. The MITF welcomes theatrical storytelling across a broad spectrum of genres, forms, identities, cultures, and appetites. The MITF seeks to nurture these new ideas, perspectives, and stories on its stages, with an eye set on guiding these productions toward future success and longevity. The festival, traditionally held in summer, represents a fantastic, often paradoxical, adventurous and intriguing cross-section of the forefront of the theatre world. The MITF proudly hosts production companies from across the country and around the globe, uniting talent in one of the biggest theatre capitals in the world.
John Chatterton created the MITF, a Midtown alternative to other theatre festivals, in 2000 as a way to present the finest off-off Broadway talent in convenience, comfort, and safety. In 2008, the Festival added two 99-seat theatres and inaugurated the Commercial Division for upwardly mobile shows with commercial ambitions. The MITF’s artistic emphasis is on the script itself and therefore the Festival requests minimal production values.
For more information, visit www.midtownfestival.org.
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