Babel Theatre Project artistic director Geordie Broadwater will stage the two world premieres that will bookend Babel's festival of new works, Groundwork 2009.

Lasca's A Great Place to Be From, developed as part of Babel's Groundwork festival, will run Sept. 4-27 at the Kraine Theater. "In heat like this, the world gets louder and rules don't apply. You can't trust anyone and sometimes, suddenly, everything becomes clear. The Midwest is struck by a monstrous heat wave — the kind that makes cows keel over and chickens explode. In A Great Place to Be From, four people tell the stories of how their lives change forever in ways so absurd, tragic and transporting that they only make sense through a haze of scorching sun bouncing off the asphalt."

Babel will host Groundwork 2009, which runs Jan. 25-26, 2009. The festival offers six emerging playwrights the opportunity to develop new works, culminating in a two-day showcase for the public. Babel will announce the line-up of participating playwrights shortly.

The final offering will be Chloe Moss' Christmas Is Miles Away, running May 1-23, 2009, at the Connelly Theatre. "Luke and Christie are typical sixteen-year-old lads from Manchester. They like camping out, drinking lager and talking about girls. But when they leave school and their lives go in different directions, will they still have things in common? In her breathtakingly beautiful play about adolescents growing up and growing apart, Chloe Moss explores what it means to really need someone and how difficult it is to hold onto the people that matter."

Tickets are currently available by phoning (212) 352-3101. For further information visit Babel Theatre Project. *

The Babel Theatre Project, founded in 2004, is dedicated to supporting playwrights at each step of the creative process. In 2005 Babel produced the world premiere of Jamie Carmichael's Pilgrims, directed by co-founder and artistic director Geordie Broadwater. The production played both New York and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to warm acclaim.