2ST's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY Opens 5/20

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) presents the New York premiere of THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, a new play written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by Edward Torres. The show stars Usman Ally, Terence Archie, Desmin Borges, CHRISTIAN LITKE, and Michael T. Weiss (NBC's "The Pretender"). Preview performances began on Tuesday, April 27 with opening night set for Thursday, May 20 at 6:30pm. For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com.

A comic powerslam of a play, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY is a theatrical event that dares to throw political correctness out of the ring. Macedonio "The Mace" Guerra is a middle rank pro-wrestler who may have discovered his ticket to the big time: a charismatic, trash-talking Indian kid from Brooklyn whom he recruits as the perfect foil to the All-American champion, Chad Deity. But when their rivalry is used to exploit racial stereotypes in the name of ratings, all three men find themselves fighting for much more than the championship title.

THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY will feature scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge; costumes by Christine Pascual; lighting design by Jesse Klug; sound design by Mikhail Fiskel; and projection design by Peter Nigrini.

ABOUT THE COMPANY
Usman Ally (Vigneshwar Paduar aka "VP") appeared in the Chicago premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Other Chicago credits include Relatively Close (Victory Gardens Theater), Arabian Nights and Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theater), Celebrity Row (American Theatre Company), Tranquility Woods (Steppenwolf First Look), Public Enemy and American Ethnic (Remy Bumppo), and Weapon of Mass Impact (Red Orchid Theater). Regional Credits include A VERY OLD Man With Enormous Wings (Hippodrome Theatre, FL) and Around the World in 80 Days (Centerstage Baltimore and Kansas City Rep). A proud ensemble member of American Theater Company and StageLeft Theatre Company, he received his MFA in Acting (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Florida after receiving a BA in Theatre and Cultural Anthropology from Lewis and Clark College. Usman is originally from Pakistan, but was born and raised in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Terence Archie (Chad Deity aka "Chad Deity") recently appeared on Broadway in the revival of Ragtime. Other credits include Camelot with the New York Philharmonic, Ellen Craft at the NY Fringe Festival, Romeo and Juliet at Harlem Classical, and Frederick Douglas Free and GWC Peanut Price, both at Urban Stages. He has appeared on television in "Law and Order" and "One Life To Live," among others. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Desmin Borges (Macedonio Guerra aka "The Mace") is making his New York stage debut, reprising his role from the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre. His regional credits include Boleros for The Disenchanted (Goodman Theatre), The Crossing and Little Uncertainties (Goodman Theatre Latino Festival), Elliot (A Soldier's Fugue) (Steppenwolf Garage), The Ascension of Carlotta (16th Street Theatre), The Buddy Holly Story (Mercury Theatre), Disney's Aladdin, Pippi Longstocking, the World Premiere of Esperanza Rising (The Children's Theatre Co. in Minneapolis), Freedom NY and La Posada Magica (Teatro Vista), and The Defiant Muse, I Sailed with Magellan. Film and Television credits include: Cherry, Milwaukee, Taco Mary, Viva El Mariachi, Good People, Between Two Suns, Evolution and "True Blood" on HBO. Desmin is an Ensemble Member of Teatro Vista and a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Born and raised in Chicago, CHRISTIAN LITKE ("Billy Heartland") is a professional actor/stuntman appearing in such films as The Dark Knight, Public Enemies, and Death of a President. He is also the host of the WWE's Fan Axxess Tour, Biggest Party of the Summer, and Wrestlemania Axxess. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago's theatre program he has been seen in such stage shows as True West, 3 Penny Opera, and Troilus & Cressida. Christian was in the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre.

Michael T. Weiss (Everett K. Olson aka "E.K.O.") recently appeared in Impressionism (Broadway), Scarcity (Drama Desk nom.; Atlantic Theater), Of Equal Measure (Center Theatre Group), Burn This and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Huntington Theatre Co.), Look Back in Anger, The Taming of the Shrew. Film: Freeway (Sundance), Jeffrey, Bones, Until the Night, Iowa (Tribeca Film Festival; Midwest FF Best Actor Award), Net Worth, Marmalade. TV: starred in NBC's "The Pretender" portraying more than 50 characters, as well as numerous other series regular and guest star roles.

KRISTOFFER DIAZ's other plays include Welcome to Arroyo's and Guernica, which have been produced and developed at Victory Gardens Theater, American Theatre Company, The Orchard Project, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, Summer Play Festival, Donmar Warehouse, and South Coast Rep. Diaz also was one of the creators of Brink!, the apprentice anthology show at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays. He is a 2009-2010 Jerome Fellow, and a new playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista.

EDWARD TORRES recently directed the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity for Victory Gardens in association with Teatro Vista. As an actor he was seen in El Grito Del Bronx (Collaboraction Theatre/Goodman Theatre); The Cook (Goodman); and Massacre Sing to Your Children (Teatro Vista/Goodman) and Elliot, A Soldier Fuge (Rivendell Theatre/Steppenwolf). He has a BA in Theatre from Roosevelt University and an MFA in Film from Columbia College (Chicago). Mr. Torres currently serves on the Illinois Arts Council. He has served on the National Endowment for the Arts-Theatre Panel (2005-2007) and on the MAP Fund-Theatre Panel (2008). Directorial credits include: for Teatro Vista, The Show Host, Aurora's Motive (Jaime Pachino), Ambrosio (Romulus Linney); for Latino Chicago: Do Cocks Have Claws and Wings to Fly (Amparo Garcia) and Lolita De Lares (Migdalia Cruz). Mr. Torres has produced over 25 plays as Artistic Director of Teatro Vista over the last 12 years.

ABOUT Second Stage Theatre

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