To honor the historic Italian town of L'Aquila, capital of the Abruzzo region, which was devastated by the recent earthquake, m2 productions (formerly the Miranda Theatre Company) will produce the reading of two one-acts: Martyrs by Mario Fratti, who is widely known for his adaptation of the "8-1/2" screenplay that became the musical, Nine, and Unearthed by Valentina Fratti, the New York City director and playwright.
The evening directed by Valentina Fratti also includes the music of the Italian Partisans.
The cast includes Massimiliano Balduzzi, Ron Cohen, Bob D'Haene, Michele Farban, Earle Hugens, Tim McCracken, Geoff Molloy, Nicholas Rodriguez, Tom Schubert, Ben Spatz and Lynn Cohen.
Mario Fratti is the Italian-born playwright best known for his adaptation of Fellini's "8-1/2" for the musical Nine. He has written over 80 plays which have been performed throughout the world, including, most recently, Turkey, South Korea and Argentina. Three of his one-acts are currently being produced by Shell Theatre in New York City, in an evening entitled Love and Sex. "Unpredictable Plays," a volume of 28 of his plays, was recently published by the New York Theatre Experience (nyte-inc.org).
On April 6, an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale jolted central Italy's Abruzzo region causing serious damage to several hill towns, killing 260 residents, injuring over 1,000 and leaving 28,000 homeless. The Cherry Lane Theatre is at 38 Commerce Street. Tickets for L'Aquila are $25 in advance and $35 the night of the event. To purchase tickets, visit theatermania.com or call (212) 352-3101. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
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The evening is made possible in part by The Cherry Lane Theatre and Mionetto wines.