The Theatre Program at Mercer County Community College will be well represented at the New York International Fringe Festival 2009, to be held August 14-30. Elixir Productions Theatre Company presents "1-900-SELFPLEX," featuring three actors who are recent graduates of the MCCC Theatre Program: Deena Jiles, who starred as Hedda Gabler in the program's recent production of the Ibsen masterpiece, Patrick Martin, and Michelle Wood. "1-900-SELFPLEX" is directed by Jody P. Person, the coordinator of the MCCC Theatre/Dance program, and is written by adjunct faculty member Alex DeFazio. MCCC Entertainment Technology Coordinator Robert Terrano is the show's technical director, and 2009 Visual Arts graduate Eva Surany is the show's advertising designer.
"1-900-SELFPLEX" premieres at The Studio at Cherry Lane Theatre (Fringe Venue #15), 38 Commerce Street, New York, NY. Performance dates and times are: Monday, Aug. 17 at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20 at 8:15 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22 at 4:15 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27 at 9:15 p.m., and Friday, Aug. 28 at 4:45 p.m.
The play is inspired by a real-life literary hoax where no one's story is as it seems. The show explores the splintered self of Alberta Lesale, a 40-year-old writer and singer who finds herself by assuming the identity of her alter-ego: a 14-year-old boy named Jeremy. Dodging calls from suspicious reporters, Alberta takes on an array of personalities to sustain both her fame and the illusion. But as the media's demand for Jeremy intensifies, so does his power over Alberta and her accomplices. Deena Jiles is featured as Alberta, Patrick Martin is Jeremy, and Michelle Wood is Abby.
According to the show's creators, "1-900-SELFPLEX" will arrive at Fringe in an intimate, stripped-down production that underscores the theme of the play: the power of imagination to create and recreate oneself, as well as the pervasive role of the media in today's world. The show continues the FringeNYC tradition of presenting imaginative and provocative new drama. In 2007, Elixir Productions' Fringe entry, To Be Loved, was singled out by The New York Times as "one of the most talked-about entries in the festival." To Be Loved starred key players who will reunite for the current production.
Tickets are $15 and can be purchased starting July 18 online at www.FringeNYC.org or by phone at 1-866-468-7619. For more information, visit Elixir Productions Theatre Company at www.elixirproductions.org.
Photo: Patrick Martin, Michelle Wood (standing) and Deena Jiles
