Timely new drama by Frank Winters about sexual assault on campus premieres.
October 1 - November 8 at The Flea
The Flea Theater presents the world premiere of Frank Winters’ STUDENT BODY, directed by Michelle Tattenbaum (Love/Stories, Nobody Loves You) and featuring members of The Bats, the Flea’s resident acting company. Previews start October 1, with opening night slated for Sunday, October 11. Says Producing Director Carol Ostrow, “I love finding a script that is so of the moment. STUDENT BODY is prescient. Sexual assault on campus is in the papers and it’s on the news. And everyone has an opinion. The Bats are the perfect company to tackle this complicated and pressing issue of our time.”
On a cold, winter night, ten college students meet in a darkened theater. Something’s happened. By the end of the night, there are allegations and regrets, friendships are tested, and allegiances change. What is right is not necessarily the right choice. What would you do?
STUDENT BODY features The Bats: Tommy Bernardi (The Nomad), Sydney Blaxil (The Nomad), Alexandra Curran, Alex J. Gould (The Mysteries, a cautionary tale), Adam Alexander Hamilton, Comfort Katchy, Alesandra Nahodil (The Old Masters, The Mysteries), Daniela Rivera, Mariette Strauss (Sarah Flood in Salem Mass), and Audrey Wang. The creative team includes Jerad Schomer for Charcoalblue (scenic design), Elizabeth M. Stewart (lighting design), Stephanie Levin (costume design), Lee Kinney (sound design), John L. Puma (fight choreography), and Eh-den Perlove (stage manager).
STUDENT BODY runs October 1 – November 8, 2015, Thursday-Sunday at 9PM. Tickets are $15 - $35 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. The production includes graphic discussion of sexual violence. Student Body was originally commissioned, developed and performed at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City as part of the Clifford Odets Ensemble Play Commission in December 2014 under the title The School Play. The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets are $15-$25-$35 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.
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Michelle Tattenbaum’s previous projects at the Flea include Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used To It) (world premiere) and F**ed (world premiere) both by Itamar Moses. She directed the world premiere of the musical Nobody Loves You at the Old Globe (San Diego Theatre Critics Circle nomination for Best Director) and the New York premiere at Second Stage Theatre. Other new musicals she has directed include Mother Jones and the Children’s Crusade at NYMF (Best Director, honorable mention). She directed and co-produced The Sublet Experiment, a site-specific touring production that played to sold-out crowds in New York City for over six months. Regionally, she has directed at the O’Neill Musical Theater Conference, the Hangar Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Goodspeed Musicals and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Tattenbaum worked for Manhattan Theatre Club for three years, producing and developing new musicals including A Class Act (a production that transferred to Broadway) and Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party. She is a two-time Drama League Directing Fellow. www.michelletattenbaum.com
Frank Winters is a writer, director, and actor. His written works include Home Movies, On the Head of a Pin, and The School Play. He was the 2014 recipient of the Clifford Odets Ensemble New Play Commission through the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. He is a graduate of the SUNY Purchase Acting Conservatory and a Co-Artistic Director of Strangemen & Company.
The Bats are the resident acting company members of The Flea Theater. Each year over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classic and new plays. The Bats have recently appeared in premieres by A.R. Gurney, Will Eno, Adam Rapp, Beau Willimon, Mac Wellman, Elizabeth Swados, Thomas Bradshaw, Itamar Moses, Sheila Callaghan, Julian Sheppard, Ken Urban, Tommy Smith, Jonathan Reynolds, Trista Baldwin, Laurel Haines, Qui Nguyen, Sean Graney, and Amy Freed.
The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include the premieres by Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Kim Davies, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Roger Rosenblatt, Elizabeth Swedos, Mac Wellman, and Brian Watkins. Successes include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and eight World Premieres by A.R. Gurney including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.