Appearing this summer at Midtown International Theater Festival are 3 shows I would like to tell you about. I was considered for my friends Meredith Lucio and Jane Dubin's OPA! as the wife of the mayor and they cast another actor I recomended this spring having worked with him in a Katherine Williams/Plaid Bird Co-Production of MY DEAD MOTHER IS FUNNIER THAN YOU; Joseph Callieri. Joseph will be showing his range having played an uptight Irish Catholic in the aforementioned he is going Greek in OPA! even tho he is Italian thru and thru... go figure. Check out this modern day Zorba meets My Big Fat Greek Wedding sort of entertainment, an entry in their new Commercial Division. http://www.midtownfestival.org. Read on for the other selections...

is my friend Shaun Gunning's entry into the rest of the fest. This smart funny piece is a result of making it happen by talking about it first over copious beers at our Collins Bar (RIP) A true Hell's Kitchen tavern with a creative crowd and the legacy it left us is appearing onstage beginning Sunday July 20th in just 6 performances. Directed by the uber talented Michael Kimmel (Marat Sade) it will feature two of my favorite manbartenders from Collin's: Alan Jestice and Wisconsin's own Steve Orlikowski as well as the author himself.

I have been self proclaimed godmother to the project over thai food and discourse with their burgeoning production team; Katherine, Kris, and Esther. In reality I am production consultant in keeping with the mission statement of Plaid Bird Productions, to promote, educate, and empower the self producing artisthttp://www.writersblocktheplay.com

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY

LISA RAMIREZ

DIRECTED BY

MAY ADRALES

“…delivers a hilarious

(and frightening)

running commentary

on your child-rearing

neighbors – but not

you, of course."

– NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Presented as part of

The Midtown International

Theatre Festival

Performances take place at

TBG Theater

312 West 36th Street

Bet. 8th and 9th Av., 3rd flr.

Tickets: $18 online at Ticketcentral.com

or call 212.279.4200

8 PM JULY 18, 26, 31, AUGUST 8 & 9

7 PMJULY 21

2 PM JULY 19, 27, & AUGUST 3

Photo: Samantha Marble

Exit Cuckoo deserves our attention."

– WRITER/ACTIVIST EVE ENSLER

Jaye Maynard and Plaid Bird Productions brought Lisa Ramirez production to the new Commercial Division of MITF as producer. Now helmed by Lotus Productions Jaye is happy to promote Lisa's work as she is uniquely touched by its story. It breaks apart the common notion of the nanny in todays world. It is about being a parent, a partner, a person and a human in a global world. An evocative look at all that is the nanny culture in the eyes of an artist a daughter and a childless woman of the world it speaks to me on many levels. As a temporary nanny for Pinchsitters and privately as a Whirling Dervish I found this story compelling and worked with Lisa as she developed it. I wish her great success with it and am glad this plaid bird got to sit on the nest and ruffle her feathers a bit as she brought it across the country and now brings it into the hearts of New Yorkers.

Jaye Maynard the performer is keeping busy. She is studying advanced film technique with Bill Hopkins at Weist Barron School, http://www.weistbarron.com, continuing her ukulele lessons and vocal studies with Shirley Calloway, her BroadwayDemo.com is now live on JayeMaynard.com. Listen at http://www.broadwaydemo.com/JayeMaynard/.

You may have seen her likeness on promotional materials for MY FIRST TIME http://www.myfirsttimetheplay.com/tickets.htm

Although she is not in this entertaining piece, you could be as the audiences stories are intertwined with those on stage.