Middle City Stage Co.

5ARTS2010: MIDDLE CITY STAGE COMPANY PRESENTS INNOVATIVE ARTS EXPERIENCE
MARCH 11-13TH AT THE BUTTONWOOD TREE IN MIDDLETOWN

A Blending of Theater, Fine Art, Film, Music, and Poetry Each Night

Middle City Stage Company will be presenting 5Arts2010 at the Buttonwood Tree Performing Arts and Cultural Center (605 Main Street, Middletown, CT) from Thursday, March 11th to Saturday, March 13th. Each night begins with a visual arts exhibit starting at 6:45pm and performances beginning at 7:30pm.

5Arts2010 is an innovative and entertaining arts experience in its debut incarnation. Presented by Middle City Stage Company, 5Arts2010 seeks to tickle every possible taste bud by incorporating theater, fine art, film, music, and poetry in one event each night. Besides offering an unforgettable evening, 5Arts2010 hopes to enhance the local artistic community by featuring solely local artists.

The centerpiece of 5Arts2010 is a pairing of two one-act plays. Some Kind of Modern Love, a comedy written by David Ryan Polgar, is described as Annie Hall meets Curb Your Enthusiasm. The play is directed by Michael Eck, and features Valentina D’Amore, Melanie White and Aaron Schwartz. Basic Facts about the Human Heart is a Nabokov-esque play written by Forrest Stone. It is being directed by Stacey Dyer, and features Megan McKinnon and David Spiro.

In terms of fine art, work by Stacey Dyer (Gauche Figure Paintings) and Lisa Lennon (Photography) will be on display as part of the month-long "Beauty of Women" collective art exhibit being held at the Buttonwood Tree. Artwork will be available for purchase.

Singer/songwriter Kristen Graves will be bringing her introspective lyrics and breezy vocals once again to a Middle City Stage Company production. Graves appeared in the company’s first production, 2009’s The Woolgatherer. More info on her can be found at www.kristengraves.com.

Interspersed throughout each night will be readings of original poetry by Suzanne Vick, Tom Nicotera and Cocomo Rock. The poems contain themes loosely related to those found within the one-act plays.

Lastly, 5Arts2010 includes a short film entitled Only in Fiction. The film was a collaborative effort between Samantha DiMauro and her father, Kelly DiMauro. Ms. DiMauro, a freshman film student at Emerson College in Boston, wrote the screenplay while her father served as director. The short film features Melanie White and Michael Eck, with Cinematography by Jordan Eck.

Middle City Stage Company is a young and energetic nonprofit organization based in Middletown, CT that aspires to produce events that are culturally rich, innovative, and bold for both the artist and the observer. The company strives to provoke thought and dialogue about the anguish, absurdity, humor and beauty inherent in the human condition. The company’s first production was 2009’s well-received rendition of William Mastrosimone’s The Woolgatherer. “5Arts2010 is really a morphing of the tradition we started with The Woolgatherer last fall, and hope to continue into the future,” explains Middle City Stage Company Artistic Director, Kelly DiMauro. “It’s our goal to offer both a dynamic event and greater exposure to our local artists.” More information can be found at www.middlecitystage.org.

Tickets for 5Arts2010 may be purchased either at the door, calling 860-346-6051 (press option 2) or by emailing tickets@middlecitystage.org. For phone and email requests, please include your name, contact info and the number of tickets you wish to reserve. Admission is a suggested $10 donation, accepted at the door. Venue information can be found at www.buttonwood.org. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Simply Smiles a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a bright future to impoverished children.

For further media information about 5Arts2010, please contact Kelly DiMauro at kellydimauro@middlecitystage.org.

Middle City Stage Co | 135 Frisbie Street, Middletown, CT 06457 | 860.346.6051 | contact@middlecitystage.org