Best known for their sleeper-hit Tabletop, the Working Theatre presents a new work at Urban Stages in Manhattan. Free Market combines eight short works by eight different playwrights under the direction of Joseph Megel. The play, which began previews June 1 and opened June, will conclude its scheduled run July 1.

For Free Market, the Working Theatre and the Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey (where Megel was artistic director) commissioned the talents of eight writers: Jim Grimsley, Sachi Oyama, OyamO, Julie Jensen, Guillermo Reyes, Elaine Romero, Karen Sunde and William Wise. They were all asked to pen a short piece about the meaning of work and the individual's relationships to their work.

The creations that comprise Free Market are the title piece Free Market by Grimsley, Kickin' Summit by OyamO, Day of Our Dead by Romero, Give Us This Day by Jensen, The Border Crossers Lounge by Reyes, Fire Drill by Wise, Poodles by Oyama and 20/20 Sex Care by Sunde.

The cast of all the plays will be portrayed by six actors who include Constance Boardman, Arthur French, Lourdes Martin, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr., Felix Solis and Eunice Wong.

For tickets to Free Market at Urban Stages, 259 West 30th Street, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit them at www.ticketcentral.org. For more information on the Working Theatre, visit their website at www.dqueen.com/working. — by Ernio Hernandez