Monday, April 6, 2009

TBTB to stage NY premiere of Belluso play

Theater Breaking Through Barriers (formerly The Theater by the Blind, TBTB) will perform John Belluso's play, "A Nervous Smile," April 17 – May 17, 2009.

According to dramatists.com, "A Nervous Smile" is about "a wealthy New York couple, strained to the breaking point by caring for their severely disabled daughter, Emily, weigh their own happiness against that of their child—with shocking consequences. Emily's lyrical poetry, the bitter volleys of the couple's disintegrating marriage, and the appraisals of the outside world frame the narrative of this insightful play. Commissioned by the Actors Theatre of Louisville, and premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays, 'A Nervous Smile' is a brutal portrait of love, lust and despair set against Belluso's fiery brand of social satire."

Performances will be Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. at The Kirk @ Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues), in New York City.

TBTB began as a theater company 29 years ago as a way to develop blind and low vision talent for the theater, television and film. In 2008, the company changed its name to reflect its commitment to include all artists with disabilities in its work, onstage, backstage, in the office and in the audience.