Ignite Festival October 3, 2006

A multi-media arts festival at The Ohio Theater – 66 Wooster Street (between Spring and Broome)
October 4 – 22, 2006

Synapse’s IGNITE Festival is a three-week multi-media arts festival featuring more than 30 daring and adventurous new small works with big agendas, and showcasing more than 100 of New York City’s most talented artists working in theatre, film, dance, music, and the visual arts.

The Program
A heady mix of cabaret, one acts, vaudeville, monologues, comedy, dance, and manifestos, seven extraordinary 90-minute programs will address, criticize, celebrate, or ridicule a range of issues of contemporary socio-political import, including: voting in America, the Iraq War, the inefficiency of liberal activism, Wal-Mart, the legacy of hurricane Katrina, the separation of church and state, right-wing chat rooms, corruption in Africa, and much more.

Highlights include:
· Veteran stage actors Kathleen Chalfant and Shawn Elliott in Deb Margolin’s Clarisse & Larmon (World Premiere)
· American premieres from Caryl Churchill, Martin Crimp, Yussef El Guindi, Richard Bean and others
· Premieres from some of New York’s most exciting theatre companies including The Civilians, New Georges, The TEAM (Fringe First winners), and Synapse Productions.
· Eliza Jane Schneider (voices of South Park, FringeNYC 2004’s Freedom of Speech) in Sounds of Silence – a hilarious musical expose of the 2004 elections in Ohio (New York Premiere)
· Downtown phenomenon Taylor Mac, Dick & Condi: The Lounge Act, Red Bastard – New York’s favorite bouffon, and more!

The IGNITE Café
From 5:30-7:30pm every evening, our exclusive lobby café-lounge will serve drinks and snacks and feature a daily program of guest speakers, moderated debates and panel discussions to address the hot topics and timely issues raised by the festival’s work, and spark conversations to inspire social and political action.

Monday and Tuesday Night Film Screenings
Mondays and Tuesdays at IGNITE will be devoted to screenings of incisive and provocative new documentary films. Presented in collaboration with the Culture Project’s IMPACT Festival, the lineup includes: Sundance ’06 Special Jury Prize-winner AMERICAN BLACKOUT (a chronicle of disenfranchisement in the ‘00 and ‘04 elections), EL INMIGRANTE (a story of tragedy on the US/Mexico border), WHEN I CAME HOME (which looks at the challenges faced by soldiers returning from combat in Iraq), and IRAQ FOR SALE (Robert Greenwald’s exposé of the connections between the private corporations making a killing in Iraq and the decision makers who allow them to do so.)
SYNAPSE PRODUCTIONS
Synapse Productions is a Drama Desk Award-nominated Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to presenting bold, challenging, and provocative work that makes people think and gets people talking about the issues that shape our lives. Since 1996, Synapse has consistently garnered rave reviews for its high-quality work. The New York Times has said “There is nothing more socially relevant on the boards in New York” and Time Out New York raves “head downtown to check out the talent explosion!”

All performances October 4-22 at The Ohio Theatre - 66 Wooster Street
Wed: 7:30 • Thu: 7:30 and 9:30 • Fri: 7:30 and 9:30 • Sat: 2, 4, 7:30 & 9:30 • Sun: 2, 4, 7:30

Between Broome and Spring Streets
Tickets: $18, $15 for Students and Seniors
$75 for All-Access Festival Passes
Online at www.IgniteFestival.org
By phone at 212-352-3101
The IGNITE Café is open daily from 5:30pm
And from 1pm on Saturday and Sundays
Please visit www.IgniteFestival.org
Box Office will open one hour before curtain

Official Website: http://www.ignitefestival.org