Theater for the New City's Dream Up Festival to present "Second Chance," written and directed by Talib Andre
Play with R&B/Gospel music explores how to overcome misgivings and reinvigorate your marriage.

WHERE AND WHEN
August 28 at 6:30 PM, August 29 at 6:30 PM, August 30 at 9 PM, August 31 at 2 PM, September 1 at 2 PM
Theater for the New City (Community Theater) 155 1st Avenue
Presented by Theater for the New City (Crystal Field, Artistic Director) as part of Dream Up Festival 2019
Tickets: $20 Box Office: (212) 254-1109, www.dreamupfestival.org
Running time: 90 minutes
Critics are invited to all performances

NEW YORK July 25 -- "Second Chance" written and directed Talib Andre is an absurdist play with R&B/Gospel music about a living couple hoping to infuse joy and romance into their marriage by renewing their wedding vows and a deceased couple wanting to show that there is still love in the world. The piece will be presented by Theater for the New City as part of its 2019 Dream Up Festival on August 28 to September 11 for its New York debut, directed by the author.

The story begins in Heaven, with married couple Aunt Nancy and Uncle Pelli being sent down to Earth by God so they can show him that the four loves--storge, agape, eros and philia--are still alive in a world that seems to be plagued with the senseless acts of violence reported each day. To show that love still exists, Nancy and Pelli go to their living relatives, Marcellus and Nefertit Evers, who after being married for seven years are preparing to renew their wedding vows. Although both are very excited to renew their vows, they each have a different take on what this ceremony means. For Nefertiti, renewing vows is a familial tradition that was passed down from her parents. However, Marcellus is worried that his wife's insistence on this ritual is a sign that she's has doubts about his love for her. It drives him to very risky actions to prove otherwise. All the while, the couple is helping to prepare the wedding of Marcellus' younger sister, Naima, who along with suffering from bipolar depression, is also worried about her fiancé being faithful to her.

The cast includes Talib Andre, Darrell Draswell, Antoinette Green, Shaun Whitehurst, Saron Cherry, Enemy Jones, Christian Mar, Angelle, Shariff Siclair.

Talib Andre is a Philadelphia native who is currently residing in New York City. He holds an AA in Communications/Theater Option from the Community College of Philadelphia, a BA in Theater Arts/English Concentration from Cheyney University, and an MA in Urban Studies/Arts in Transformation from Eastern University. He is an accomplished arts program coordinator and educator. In addition to "Second Chance," he has directed "A Journey Through African Folklore," "A Dance Tribute to Michael & Janet Jackson," "Scenes, Songs, and Monologues," "Drama Therapy," and "Nobody Famous." He has acted in the films "The Dark Field," "When Night Catches Us," "Sex and The City 2," and "Law Abiding Citizen," TV's "Ugly Betty," Lights Out," "Z-Rock," and "Power," and onstage in "An Evening with Neil Simon," "Laramie Project," "Broadway Our Way," and "Ain't Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round."

ABOUT THE DREAMUP FESTIVAL
The tenth annual Dream Up Festival (www.dreamupfestival.org) is being presented by Theater for the New City from August 25 to September 15. An ultimate new works festival, it is dedicated to the discovery of new authors, fresh ideas and edgy, innovative performances. Audiences savor the excitement, awe, passion, challenge and intrigue of new plays from around the country and around the world.

The festival does not seek out traditional scripts that are presented in a traditional way. It selects works that push new ideas to the forefront, challenge audience expectations and make us question our understanding of how art illuminates the world around us.

In addition to traditional plays, a unique and varied selection of productions will again be offered, drawing upon a variety of performance genres including musicals and movement theater. The Festival's founders, Crystal Field and Michael Scott-Price, feel this is especially needed in our present time of declining donations to the arts, grants not being awarded due to market conditions, and arts funding cuts on almost every level across the country and abroad.

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