THE KNF CO ANNOUNCES THE WORLD PREMIERE OF AN IMPOSSIBLE NEW PLAY ABOUT GROWING UP UNDER SIEGE

12 PERFORMANCES ONLY! – July 10th – 26th at Theater 3

New York, NY — The KNF Co announces the World Premiere of BIRD HOUSE, an impossible new play written by Kate Marks. BIRD HOUSE will run for 12 performances from July 10th through July 26th at Theater 3, 311 West 43rd Street, 3rd Floor, New York City. Heidi Handelsman directs a cast of six including Ora Fruchter, Kylie Goldstein*, Wendy Scharfman*, Christina Shipp, Anthony Wills Jr*, and Cotton Wright*.

An army of puppets and a magical wind create two fantastical worlds. On The Bright Side, Louisy and Syl live happily together in the safety of their treehouse until Syl ventures off to be a hero in the far away war-torn Lop Side. Alone for the first time, Louisy falls victim to the whims of tiny creatures at her doorstep. When the two sides collide, impossibilities become real, and both realize the lines between right and wrong are not as clear as they thought.

Is there a way to grow without being hurt and hurting others? How do we reconcile the call of the unknown with our commitments to those we love at home? Haunting and provocative, BIRD HOUSE is an upside down fairytale of loyalty, loss and growing up under siege.

Kate Marks (Playwright) has collaborated with director Heidi Handelsman on her plays A Chicken Goes to Broadway (2008 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway One Act Festival) and Flyers and Other Tales (Heels Hit First Productions: Midtown International Theatre Festival). Kate wrote and directed I-95 South (The American Living Room Series: HERE) and Ark (The Looking Glass Theatre). She was commissioned to write and direct a bilingual adaptation of The Odyssey for The Baracken Theatre in Germany which was produced again at The Looking Glass Theatre. She participated in the Untitled Theatre Company’s 24-7 festival where she wrote The Patriots which went on to be directed by BIRD HOUSE producer Tzipora Kaplan. Kate’s screenplays include Mouse Hole, Jumped, and Wanted. Additionally, Kate works as a director and filmmaker and teaches theatre in the Bronx. She is a graduate of Brown University where she received honors in playwriting. (www.katemarks.net. href)

Heidi Handelsman (Director) has directed new plays at Manhattan Theatre Source, the NY Fringe and Fringe Encore Series, Youngblood/EST, the Midtown Festival, and elsewhere. Previous collaborations with Kate Marks include A Chicken Goes to Broadway (2008 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway One Act Festival) and Flyers and Other Tales (Midtown International Theatre Festival). Heidi hosts and curates The Potluck (a play-reading series) from her living room (read about it at myspace.com/potluckplays href). She is a New Georges Affiliated Artist and a member of the Literary Wing at the Lark. Heidi recently served as the SDCF Observer on the new musical adaptation of The Toxic Avenger, directed by John Rando.

The KNF Co (Producer) was founded in 2006 by Kelly R. Haydon, Katherine Heberling, and Tzipora Kaplan, three theatre artists with a shared objective to develop and present plays that evoke the magic of everyday life. After years of working together as directors and theatre administrators, they began their producing partnership with the highly successful presentation of Remuda, a new comedy by William Donnelly, in the Midtown International Theatre Festival. In 2007, Off-Broadway’s The Directors Company commissioned the trio to premiere their own development series championing the work of indie theatre artists. This series, KNF: Theatre in the Rough, presented 12 new works-in-progress in varying stages of development. Most recently, they presented the World Premiere of the new musical

Love, Incorporated by Marc Castle, directed by Igor Goldin, which wowed audiences in the Commercial Division of the Midtown International Theatre Festival, winning the festival’s best musical award.

Kelly R. Haydon, Katherine Heberling and Tzipora Kaplan are Co-Producers of BIRD HOUSE. Director: Heidi Handelsman; Scenic Designer: Sara C. Walsh; Lighting Designer: Rebecca M.K. Makus; Video/Projections Designer: Alex Koch; Costume Designer: Jessica Pabst; Original Music/Sound Designer: Quentin Chiappetta; Stage Manager: Shannon O’Neil; Publicist: Paul Siebold.

BIRD HOUSE opens Friday, July 10 and runs through Sunday, July 26, 2009 (12 performances only). Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday Matinees at 3pm. There is an additional performance on Monday, July 20th at 7pm. A complete calendar of performances can be found online at www.birdhousetheplay.com href orwww.theatermania.com. href

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at www.theatermania.com. href, or by calling 212-352-3101 or 866-811-4111. Tickets are also available in person at the box office one half hour before showtime.

Theater 3 is located at 311 West 43rd Street, 3rd Floor, between 8th and 9th Avenues in Manhattan.