ANIMALS- FRINGE.

Existential Comedy ANIMALS opens August 10th at NYC Fringe!

August 1st, 2007 (NEW YORK) – The Blossom Company is proud to present ANIMALS as part of the 11th annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC. Renowned director Kevin Kittle brings this exceedingly fun, thought provoking, romp to life utilizing the rising talents of young up and comers, Ryan O’Nan, Michael Hirsteet and Erin Mortensen. Stephanie Caraglino serves as Stage Manager and Ryan J. Davis produces.

It is described by its author, actor Ryan O’Nan, as follows:

“Where pigs are heroes, men are flies, birds are apathetic, unicorns are barred from the ark due to their sexual preference, and three cows hatch a daring escape plan to India, you will find the hilarious, existential comedy of ANIMALS!”

Performances are at The Connelly Theatre, East 4th Street (Between A&B), with the following schedule: Fri Aug 10th @ 5pm, Sun 19th @ 5pm, Mon 20th @ 9:15pm, Wed 22nd @ 5:15pm, Fri 24th @ 9:45pm. Tickets: $15. For tickets visit www.FringeNYC.org or call in New York: (212) 279-4488 or Outside New York: 1-888-FringeNYC.

For more information on Animals and to become our “friend,” visit the official Animals Myspace: www.myspace.com/animalsfringenyc.

The Blossom Theatre Company is “dedicated to creating new works which hopefully both challenge and uplift our relationships as humans and animals on this planet. Blossom is a group of people who firmly believe that laughter really is the best medicine. (maybe right after ACTUAL medicine) So, I guess what we unshakingly believe is that laughter is seriously the 2nd best medicine. For example: If I happen to come down with testicular cancer, I’m probably not going to ask the doctor where I can get some laughter. I’m most likely going to go with some kind of chemo on that one. BUT, if I just have like a cold or the flu or something, there’s a good chance I might ask for a little laughter. Therefore, if it turns out that laughter isn’t really any kind of actual medicine at all, then, well, no real harm done.”

Cast & Creative Bios

Michael Hirstreet (Actor 2): was hatched in Staten Island, NY. Previous New York credits include: War in Paramus (HB Playwrights), The Art of the Pick up (Riant Theatre). Other credits: Class Mothers ’68 (Luna Stage), Fat Pig, Mrs. Henderson’s Cat (Rutgers University). BFA, Rutgers University.

Erin Mortensen (Actor 3): was birthed in New York, NY and migrated to New Jersey. Previous Credits include: Cloud 9, Much Ado about Nothing and Marisol at Rutgers University where she received her BFA in Acting.

Ryan O’Nan (Author/Actor 1) was spawned in San Diego, California the Oldest out of the five kids. A recent graduate from Rutgers University, Ryan’s previous credits include: Equus, Beruit, Tartuffe, Cloud 9. Ryan’s screenplay “Chu and Blossom” was a grand prize winner of the 2006 Expo 5 screenwriting contest.

Kevin Kittle (Director): has worked as Joseph Chaikin's assistant director and with Sam Shepard and Arthur Miller for the Signature Theater Company. He has directed numerous productions in such New York theaters as the Joseph Papp Public Theater, John Houseman, Harold Clurman, Sullivan Street Playhouse, the Meisner, Producer's Club, The Zipper, and Access Studio Theater, as well as regionally. His most recent productions include Some Voices at the Greenwich Street Theater; And Miraski Danced (starring Michael Warren Powell) for Circle East; Burnt, which he co-developed with Rhett Rhossi at the Present Company Theatorium; Life During Wartime (2001 OOBR Award-Best Production) and The House of Yes at the Currican; Watching and Waiting at the Judith Anderson (with Inertia Productions); The Woolgatherer (the first NYC production sanctioned by William Mastrosimone since it opened 20 years ago) at the Flatiron Playhouse; the NY premiere of Carter Lewis' Soft Click of a Switch; and David Dannenfelser's In Five Boroughs at Expanded Arts and When Words Fail.., at the NY International Fringe Festival and The Houseman, the script of which was published in Plays and Playwrights for the New Millennium. Kevin's recent production of Peter Handy's East of the Sun and West of the Moon was selected as a finalist in the Samuel French One-Act Festival and is published by Samuel French.