New plays by LaBute, Gurney Among Shorts About Disabilities

Mary Theresa Archbold (Ginger), Anita Hollander (Rose) and Tiffan Borelli (Gorgeous) in Bekah Brunstetter's GORGEOUS, part of Tlast year's theater Breaking Through Barriers' SOME OF OUR PARTS at the Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street). Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (TBTB), the renowned Off-Broadway
company known for its productions that integrate able-bodied actors
with artists with disabilities, presents MORE OF OUR PARTS – its
second annual festival of short plays about disabilities and the
people affected by them.
The festival features world premieres by Neil LaBute,
A.R. Gurney, Bekah Brunstetter, Bruce Graham, Samuel D. Hunter, and
Jeffrey Sweet – with performances to run June 21 through July 1 at
Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street).

TBTB artistic director and founder Ike Schambelan, Tony-nominee Pamela Birch,
Christopher Burris, TBTB company member Christina Roussos, and Russell
Treyz, and direct.

The world-premiere plays, each commissioned by TBTB, include Bekah
Brunstetter's AFTER BREAKFAST, MAYBE; Bruce Graham's THE AHHHH FACTOR;
A. R. Gurney's THE INTERVIEW; Samuel D. Hunter's GEESE; Neil LaBute's
THE WAGER; and Jeffrey Sweet's A LITTLE FAMILY TIME.

The ensemble of MORE OF OUR PARTS includes Melanie Boland, Tiffan
Borelli, Donna Bullock, Shannon Devido, Stephen Drabicki, Joshua Eber,
Shawn Elliott, Warren Kelley, Shawn Randall, Jonathan Todd Ross,
Nicholas Viselli, and Blair Wing. The production features set design
by Bert Scott; costume design by Kristine Koury and dramaturgy by
Julius Novick. Brooke Elsinghorst is Production Stage Manager.
ABOUT THE PLAYS:
In Bekah Brunstetter's AFTER BREAKFAST, MAYBE, a young woman plots to
take over the world, while her mother serves her blueberry
smiley-faced pancakes. Christina Roussos directs.

In Bruce Graham's THE AHHHH FACTOR a producer and writer argue over
whether they should shoot a sex scene for a beautiful, deaf movie
star. Russell Treyz directs.

In A.R. Gurney's THE INTERVIEW, a young, deaf man has an admissions
interview at a prestigious college. Ike Schambelan directs.

Samuel D. Hunter's GEESE looks at a wheelchair-using young woman who
wants to save the geese in a city park. Christopher Burris directs.

In Neil LaBute’s THE WAGER, on their way home from a club in NYC, a
guy and his girlfriend are stopped by a homeless man and a game of
chance quickly begins to escalate into something more dangerous. Ike
Schambelan directs.

In Jeffrey Sweet’s A LITTLE FAMILY TIME a celebrated writer is forced
to introduce his fiancée to a corner of his life he has tried to keep
hidden. Patricia Birch directs.

Theater Breaking Through Barriers, formerly Theater by the Blind, is a
critically acclaimed company integrating able-bodied actors with
artists with disabilities. Founded in 1979, by Artistic Director Ike
Schambelan, the company's mission is to change the image of people
with disabilities from one of dependence to independence, to fight
stereotypes and misperceptions associated with disability, and to show
how vibrant, fluid and exuberant the work of artists with disabilities
can be.

MORE OF OUR PARTS runs June 21-July 1 at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre
(410 West 42nd Street): Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30pm;
Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 3pm and 8pm; Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are
$19.25. For reservations, call 212-239-6200 or visit
www.telecharge.com. For additional information, visit www.tbtb.org.