Judy Sirota Rosenthal Photo
Left to right: Theatre 4 stage manager Sarah Iannarone, Mariah Sage, director Maryna Harrison, Jane Tamarkin, and Rebecka Jones (seated)
Theatre 4’s world-premiere production of George Brant’s Salvage, which runs through Sunday at The Gallery at UpCrown Studios, will be staged as part of the New York International Fringe Festival in August.
According to a press release provided to the New Haven Independent by the Fringe Festival’s Ron Lasko, “The New York International Fringe Festival … will offer programming by 200 of the world’s best emerging theatre troupes and dance companies in 20 venues in Lower Manhattan. With attendance topping 75,000 people, FringeNYC is New York City’s fifth largest cultural event (just behind New York International Auto Show, Tribeca Film Festival, New York City Marathon, and New York Comic Con).”
The festival is scheduled to take place Aug. 10 – 26.
Lasko said in an e‑mail that performance dates for Salvage will be made public in July.
A story in the May edition of The Arts Paper (a monthly publication of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven) indicates that Salvage was commissioned by the New Haven-based Theatre 4 and “was inspired by Henry James’ The Aspern Papers.”
A description of Brant’s play on the Theatre 4 website reads: “Danny’s sister and mother have just laid him to rest and now find themselves racing against time to rescue his prized possessions from the family basement before a flood hits. Enter Danny’s high-school sweetheart to lend a hand – but is she here to pay her last respects or to keep Danny alive forever?”
Talking about the fact that Salvage was written for Theatre 4 founders Rebekah Jones, Mariah Sage, and Jane Tamarkin, Sage told Arts Paper contributor Lisa Mikulski, “There are very few plays written for only three women. … So we had to create one for ourselves.”
In her Arts Paper piece, Mikulski quoted Tamarkin as saying, ““By … commissioning playwrights to write plays that include at least one female character, we are creating a body of work which we intend to contribute to the American theater.”
The playwright, Brant, told Mikulski, “I don’t get hung up on whether or not I’m writing for men or women. … I’m writing for people.”
The New York International Fringe Festival was among the recipients of the City of New York’s 2007 “Mayor’s Awards for Arts and Culture.” A November 2007 press release issued by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office indicated that the festival was honored “for showcasing bold performances by established and emerging artists alike.”
Theatre 4’s production of George Brant’s Salvage continues through Sunday at The Gallery at UpCrown Studios, located at 216 Crown St., in New Haven. Visit the Theatre 4 website for ticketing information. Learn more about George Brant by visiting the playwright’s website. And learn more about the New York International Fringe Festival at that organization’s website.