FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Five Senior Citizen Las Vegas Drag Queens go to Group Therapy
in the New Play
DIVA THERAPY
November 7 – 24 at Theater for the New City
Ego Actus Theatre Company will produce the new play Diva Therapy by John Mark Lucas. The limited run plays November 7 – 24 at Theater for the New City (TNC). Diva Therapy is directed by Ego Actus Founding Artistic Director Joan Kane.
Las Vegas is tough. Staying a legend in this town can be a drag. Five men in group therapy think their best days are over. But, this being Vegas, the five happen to be Cher, Diana Ross, Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, and Liza Minnelli impersonators. Of course.
From playwright John Mark Lucas, “Diva Therapy is not really about being a Las Vegas drag queen. Not really. It’s really about trying to find your place in the world after the world says “thanks for playing, but you’re no longer needed.” As Barbra says in the play, “People look at us like being old is something that’s not supposed to happen.” But rest assured, Diva Therapy is not a lecture on ageism and never wags a finger. It’s a fun, silly, yet touching comedy about being true to yourself, the importance of community, and listening to that still, small voice. And hey, if Judy Garland says you can do it, you can do it!”
Diva Therapy is half of back to back productions for Ego Actus, following the premiere of Meltdown by Toby Armour which runs October 10 – 27 at TNC.
Diva Therapy features Tim Dietrich (Dream Girl/Roundabout Theatre Company), Clara Francesca (Funny Guy/59E59 & Edinburgh Fringe), Terry Lee King (The Imperial Court of NY), Joel Van Liew (Well/Broadway), James Pyecka (Diana, Navy And The Golden Tooth/NY Theater Summer Fest), Martin Revere (A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Stag And Lion), and Tony Triano (The Man Who Came to Dinner/The Peccadillo Theater Company).
The creative/production team includes set and projection design by Evan Frank, costume design by Billy Little, lighting design by Bruce A! Kraemer, and stage management by Matthew Seepersad.
Diva Therapy runs November 7 – 24 with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8:00pm, and matinees on Sundays at 3pm. Running time: 75 minutes.
Theater for the New City (Cino Theatre), 155 1st Avenue (Between 9th & 10th Street), New York City, NY 10003. Subways: L to 1st Avenue, 4/6 to Astor Place, F to 2nd Avenue, R/W to 8th Street. Tickets are $18 for general, $12 students/seniors and go on sale the first week of October at wwwtheaterforthenewcity.net.
BIOGRAPHIES
John Mark Lucas (playwright) has an undergraduate degree in painting from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and a Masters in painting from New York University, in NYC and Venice, Italy. Lucas says, “Diva Therapy is a love letter to gay icons, wrapped around the realities of aging in a world where experience, history and old-school drag are thrown to the curb.” John’s dry, wicked humor has seen him through dry, wicked times, and he’s put it all in Diva Therapy, his first play. John lives and works in New York City.
Joan Kane (director) is the founding Artistic Director of Ego Actus Theater Company. Off Broadway, she directed Sycorax at HERE, Play Nice! at 59e59 theaters, and I Know What Boys Want at Theatre Row. She directed Six Characters in Search of an Author in Oslo, Norway and Kafka’s Belinda in Prague. Joan was awarded Best Director in the United Solo Festival where she directed six pieces. She was named to the Indie Theatre Hall of Fame by nytheatre.com. She has also directed plays and readings at the Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Urban Stages, Workshop Theater, Nylon Fusion, Abingdon Theatre, Oberon Theatre, the Samuel French Short Play Festival, T. Schreiber Studio and many others. Joan is an alumni of the LaMama directing and playwriting symposiums in Umbria, Italy. She is a member of the Playwright/Director unit at Actor’s Studio, the League of Professional Theatre Women, the Dramatists Guild, and the Society of Stage Directors & Choreographers.
Ego Actus Mission Statement is simple. We create provocative, accessible theatre and explore the relationship between art and social change. Art is a communication industry that is focused on how society sees itself. We are an accessible, affordable channel for that communication. By presenting stories that illustrate social issues, we are creating dialogue with our audiences. www.egoactus.com
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