A TWIST OF WATER Begins 11/11 at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) is thrilled to host the NY premiere of the critically acclaimed Chicago production A TWIST OF WATER, written by Caitlin Parrish, story by Caitlin Parish and Erica Weiss, and directed by Erica Weiss.

Produced by Chicago-based Route 66 Theatre Company in association with Laura Ramos Wilson, A TWIST OF WATER begins performances on Thursday, November 1 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 25. Press opening is Wednesday, November 7 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Please note, there are added performances on Sunday, November 4 and Sunday, November 25 at 7:15 PM. There is no performance on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, November 22). Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Noah is raising his adopted daughter Jira alone in the wake of his partner’s death in a car accident. When Jira decides to seek out her birth mother, Noah’s already strained relationship with her is pressed to the breaking point. Direct from its sold-out run in Chicago, A TWIST OF WATER is a profoundly touching story of love and loss, of fathers and daughters, and of rebuilding this non-traditional family after an unspeakable tragedy.

The cast, who were all in original Chicago production, includes Alex Hugh Brown, Lili-Anne Brown (David Cromer’s Rent at American Theatre Company), Falashay Pearson, and Stef Tovar (Jeff Award-nominated On An Average Day in Chicago and LA).

The design team features Stephen Carmody (set design), Sean Mallary (lighting design), and Lindsay Jones (sound design and original music). John Boesche, who won a Jeff Award for the Chicago production, is projection designer.

Caitlin Parrish (playwright) made her Route 66 debut as the author of the hit play A Twist of Water, which was the latest in a long line of collaborations with director Erica Weiss. A Twist of Water is her second Off Broadway production, and her first since she was 19. Her debut was The View from Tall at the Cherry Lane Theatre, produced by Young Playwrights Inc., after it won the National Young Playwrights Competition. Since then, her plays have been produced around the country, and Ms. Parrish has become a guest lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin, Centenary College, and the University of North Florida. In Chicago, she is a proud collaborator with The Gift (10 Dimensions), The Inconvenience (Strapped), and Around the Coyote (Fuck Tori Amos). She is a recipient of the Annenberg Fellowship and the Humanitas Award. Ms. Parrish currently works as a staff writer on the CW's Emily Owens, MD.

Erica Weiss (director) is the Associate Artistic Director of Route 66 Theatre Company and a freelance director in Chicago. She directed the world premiere of A Twist of Water. Along with playwright Caitlin Parrish, she was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for “Best New Work” as co-creator of the play. Erica also directed and conceived NEXT STOP: A New Chicago Musical with composer Diana Lawrence and six Chicago playwrights at Route 66 Theatre in June of 2012. She directed the U.S. premiere of Making Noise Quietly at the renowned Steep Theatre Company, and will direct Vigils by Noah Haidle at The Gift Theatre in early 2013. Erica was the founding Artistic Director of Hypatia Theatre Company, where she produced four world premiere productions, two of which (the critically acclaimed Red Georgia Clay and Florida Styx, both written by Caitlin Parrish) she directed. Recently, she served as Assistant Director to Barbara Gaines on the productions of Elizabeth Rex and Timon of Athens at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. As a director, dramaturg, and assistant director, she has worked with many of Chicago’s biggest Equity Houses and smaller storefront companies, including Victory Gardens Theatre, where she was the Dramaturg for the workshop and world premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity by Kristoffer Diaz (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Jeff Award winner), Northlight Theatre, American Theater Company, Chicago Dramatists, Stage Left Theatre, MPAACT, and more. Erica is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, where she earned her degree in Theatre Studies with an emphasis on directing and new play development.

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