Theatre for the New City's Survival:New York, a musical celebrating the protesters and activists trying to keep New York City a good place to live, will tour parks, streets and playgrounds in NYC, Aug. 7-Sept. 19.

The play tells the story of downtown's community center/rehearsal space, CHARAS El Bohio and their fight to stay alive as a cultural center in New York's Lower East Side.

Armando Perez, the founder of Charas, was murdered earlier this year by a group of roving gang-members who didn't agree with Perez's attempts to clean up their neighborhood. Charas/El Bohio is a five-story former public school building at 605 East Ninth Street. Last year the building was sold by the city in an auction, and Perez spent over a year fighting to keep the building's new owner from evicting the group. Charas provided a rehearsal home and offices for many downtown directors and theatre companies including: Kristin Marting, Richard Maxwell, Collapsible Giraffe, Mark Lonergan, The Cloven Patriarchs, Great Small Works, Gorilla Rep and Peculiar Works Project.

Survival is part of Theatre for the New City's award-winning street theatre program, which is noting for their usee of giant puppets, trap doors, smoke machines, masks and original choreography. The musical is written by and directed by TNC artistic director, Crystal Field.

For specific schedule information for the free show, call (212) 254-1109. -- By Sean McGrath