Studio 42 will present the new play BILLY WITCH by playwright Gregory S. Moss (Soho Rep’s ORANGE, HAT & Grace, PUNKPLAY). Directed by Erik Pearson (DRAMATIS PERSONAE; UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN), performances of BILLY WITCH run February 1 through February 5 at INTAR Theatre (500 West 52nd Street) in Manhattan.
In Gregory S. Moss’ BILLY WITCH, newcomer Oliver encounters the possessed pubescence of his fellow campers at the Blue Triangle Nature Fun Time Summer Camp. Along with fireside sing-a-longs, Vagina Cephalopada, and WAY too perky counselors lurking behind every tree, Oliver discovers just how monstorous the mutations of adolescence can be.
“Greg beautifully captures the euphoria and shame of adolescence with boundless humor and spectacle,” stated Studio 42 Artistic Director, Moritz von Stuelpnagel, “This play’s over-sexualized pubescent subject matter and its genre-bending mix of puppetry, movement, music and audience immersion make it a truly special theatrical experience.”.
Directed by Erik Pearson, the cast of BILLY WITCH features: Jon Bass (STRIKING VIKING STORY PIRATES), Brian Belcinski (Studio 42’s MY BASE AND SCURVY HEART), Michael Braun (BAM/Bridge Project’s THE WINTER’S TALE), Erin Felgar (BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON), Jo Mei (Ensemble Studio Theatre’s JAPANOIR), Desiree Matthews (LURKING IN SUBURBIA), David Mitsch (American Repertory Theatre’s MELANCHOLY PLAY), Maria-Christina Oliveras (BLOODY BLOODY ANDREW JACKSON), Amelia Pedlow (Denver Center’s THE LIAR), Lance Rubin (Ars Nova’s BLOODSONG OF LOVE), Risa Sarachan (PS 122’s SERIOUS HAMMERING), and Joe Tapper (Huntington Theatre Company’s HOW SHAKESPEARE WON THE WEST).
The Creative team behind BILLY WITCH is Raphael Martin (Dramaturg), Caite Hevner and Steven Kemp (scenic design), Elizabeth Barrett Groth (costume design), Jason Lyons and Peter Hoerburger (lighting design), Chris Barlow (sound design), Nathan A. Roberts (original music), Wendy Seyb (choreography) and Ariela Morgenstern (music direction).
Gregory S. Moss is the recipient of a 2010-2011 Jerome Fellowship, a 2006-2007 Lucille Lortel Playwriting Fellowship, a 2008 Millay Colony Residency, and a 2009 Eugene O’Neill Center National Playwrights Residency Conference. His recent productions include ORANGE, HAT AND GRACE (Soho Rep), HOUSE OF GOLD (Woolly Mammoth), and THE ARGUMENT (Attic Theater NY). PUNKPLAY was published in Play A Journal of Plays in December 2009 and was produced in 2010 at The Steppenwolf Garage in Chicago where it was named one of the Ten Best Plays of 2011 by Timeout Chicago. His other plays include: REUNION, THE USES OF ENCHANTMENT, and SIXSIXSIX. His work has been developed with or produced by Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, The A.R.T.,The Atlantic Center for the Arts, The Empty Space, Playwrights Horizons, PlayPenn, Soho Rep and New York Theatre Workshop. Gregory holds an MFA from Brown University’s Graduate Playwrighting Program.
A director and projection designer – Erik Pearson – has directed works for The Playwrights Realm, American Opera Projects, HERE, terraNOVA, Studio NYC, New York Theater Experiment, The Lark and NYU/Tisch, as well as regionally for Shakespeare Theatre Company, Shakespeare Santa Cruz and BRAVA! He was artistic director of The Quixote Project and co-artistic director of Rococo Risqué and Yale Cabaret. He has designed projections for STREB at the Park Avenue Armory, SOHO Playhouse, INTAR and the new musical HEADING EAST with B.D. Wong. Regionally he has designed for El Paso Opera, The Magic, Shakespeare Santa Cruz, Marin Theatre Company and Center Rep as well as The University of California at Santa Cruz where he taught theater arts. Erik holds an MFA in directing from Yale School of Drama. www.elpearson.com
BILLY WITCH is produced by Stephanie Ybarra, who recently accepted the position of Artistic Associate at The Public Theatre. Ms. Ybarra previously served as Producing Director of The Playwrights Realm from 2009 until her recent transition.
With BILLY WITCH Studio 42 maintains its commitment to “unproducible” plays. Studio 42 strives to promote works that might be over looked by more traditional theatre companies.
Recent Studio 42 productions include MY BASE AND SCURVY HEART by Adam Szymkowicz (2011); THE SPORTING LIFE by Nick Jones & Rachel Shukert (2010); and SPACEBAR: A BROADWAY PLAY by Kyle Sugarman by Michael Mitnick (2010).
The word “unproducible” is an industry term pulled straight out of the rejection letters from theaters all over the country. Even the exciting range of playwrights that Studio 42 fosters, including notable Tony-winners and Pulitzer-nominees, often face trepidation from producers or literary departments when confronted with their more outlandish work. Studio 42 maintains that the fringe of a worthwhile writer’s imagination is especially fertile ground, and that any project worth realizing can be realized, using little more than creativity and courage. For more information on Studio 42, please visit www.Stu42.co.
