LONG-DISTANCE DRUNK Kicks Off Platform Group's Ladder Series, 7/15; Full Program Announced

The Platform Group announces The Ladder Series, a staged reading series aimed at getting new plays to the next rung. Out of more than 100 submissions, ten new plays will receive a staged reading at The Creek and Cave in Long Island City, N.Y. The Ladder series is scheduled to begin on July 15th and continue into early October.

The series includes:

7/15 - Long-Distance Drunk by Corey Pajka (Animaloopidy) directed by Gamaliel Valle (Van Lier Directing Fellow) *A Romantic Comedy about College Relationships, Addiction and their Aftermath

7/22 - The Bus Test by David Meyers (Former White House published author on foreign policy) directed by Reginald L. Douglas (Co-Artistic Director of The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, Assistant Director Second Stage's All New People, MTC's We Live Here) *A Darkly Comedic look at Wall Street and Playing Guitar

7/29 - The Perfect Bride by Joshua A. Kashinsky (Lipkin Prize, Corwin Award) directed by Shannon Cameron (Assistant Director Broadway’s A Streetcar Named Desire) *Four Stories of Brides and Weddings

8/19 - Size Matters by Bruce Post (John Gassner Playwriting Award) directed by Dina Epshteyn (Lubbock or Leave it)*A Ridiculous Black Comedy that Highlights the Sexual Politics of Gender

8/26 - The Confession by Will Arbery (A BURIAL, PAULA & STROM) directed by Ilana Becker (Assistant Director Broadway’s Reasons to be Pretty) *A Dark Comedy Involving a Relationship that Develops Between Two Priests

9/9 - Jessie & Sam (or Sam & Jessie): A Totally Absurd Love Story by Stephanie Swirsky (Kirstie McDonald Mori Emerging Playwright Award Winner) directed by Heather Cohn *A Tale of a Girl, a Dead Boy, and a Play

9/16 - Wish Play by Kato McNickle (Clauder Award recipient and multiple-year O'Neill National Conference finalist) directed by Lillian Meredith (O’Neill Young Playwrights Festival) *A Romantic Comedy about a Book and its Spell

9/23 - Donkey by John Patrick Bray (NEA and the Acadiana Center for the Arts Grant recipient) director TBA *A Dark Comedy about a Cynical Coffee Shop Owner, Small Town Politics, and Corporate Take-over

9/30 - Zombie Love by Laurence Klavan (Drama Desk nominee for Bed and Sofa) directed by Melissa Crespo (Assistant Director Second Stage’s Everyday Rapture, Some Men) *A Comedic look at Zombies, Movies and Love

10/7 - Brilliant Rose by Carolyne Gallo (Last Night, The Basil Pot) directed by Tim Robinson *A Romantic Comedy about Acting and Food Trucks

The Creek and Cave is located at 10-93 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, NY. Shows are at 1 p.m., followed by a talkback with the creative team. Tickets are $7. The Ladder Series is a Theatre Authority Approved Benefit. All ticket sales will go toward future Platform Group programming. To purchase, visit www.theplatformgroup.org.

The Platform Group is a New York Theatre Company formed in early 2010 run by Shara Ashley Zeiger. Platform’s mission is to produce work that excites, inspires and provides a place to stand on. In 2011 Platform produced a sold-out run of John Patrick Shanley’s Savage in Limbo that extended Off-Broadway for an additional sold-out run.

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