Looking Up February 16, 2008

SOMETIMES LOVE IS A DEATH-DEFYING ACT!

A HIT AT THE PRESTIGIOUS ASSEMBLY ROOMS AT THE 2002 EDINBURGH FRINGE,
LOOKING UP -- A ROMANCE WITH TRAPEZE, TO MAKE U.S. PREMIERE

Traveling Light Productions is proud to present the U.S. Premiere of Looking Up, written by Carla Cantrelle and directed by Giovanna Sardelli. During its run at the Edinburgh Fringe The Scotsman dubbed the play “warm and snappily engaging…You can’t help but be mesmerized” and The Herald (Scotland) praised Looking Up as “a superb piece of writing…[Cantrelle] has perfect pitch as a writer” and is “brilliantly performed by Cantrelle…Looking Up is an acutely observed and poignant love story.”

Looking Up is a romance with a tantalizing twist -- trapeze. When a daring trapeze artist climbs down to earth and a frustrated bartender looks up from his speed rack, true love beckons. But even the best relationships can have trouble getting off the ground. Part aerial performance, part traditional theater, the sum total is a one-of-a-kind love story that’s impossible to resist.

Performances run Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 3pm with a special opening night performance on Monday Feb. 18 at 7pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at http://www.theatermania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. Tickets only $10 for previews on Feb. 16 & 17.

Playwright/performer Carla Cantrelle is the co-producer and a frequent performer in the long-running aerial variety show ABOVE THE BELT @ The Zipper. Her plays have been performed to rave reviews in Edinburgh (where she was also nominated for an acting award), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (where her critically acclaimed play Food for Thought broke box office records), and in NYC, where she has presented her work in several juried or curated festivals. She appeared most recently in her own piece (Non-Diary Creamer) at the Estrogenius Festival and at Joe’s Pub in the debut production by the Fire Dept., Speakeasy.

Director Giovanna Sardelli’s productions have been presented at Second Stage Uptown, the Cherry Lane Theatre, CTG’s Kirk Douglas Theatre and San Diego Rep. She’s worked with the Sundance Theatre Lab and the Lark Play Development Center, where she is an Artistic Associate. Her recent productions in NYC include The Leopard and The Fox (“keenly directed by Giovanna Sardelli” ~ NY Times, “Giovanna Sardelli’s direction is brisk and taut” ~ NYTheatre.com) and Two Thirds Home (“Compelling…thoughtful and moving” ~ Theater Mania). She teaches acting in NYU’s Dept. of Dance and theatre games for the Graduate Acting Program, and is an NYU MFA Graduate.

The two-member cast also includes Bryant Mason, whose NY credits include Night Over Taos (directed by Academy Award winner Estelle Parsons) at Theater for the New City, Acts of Mercy (Rattlestick), Fizz (Ohio Theatre) and Devil Land (Summer Play Festival). He’s just been cast in the title role in New York Classical Theatre’s June 2008 production of Macbeth.

The design/production team consists of Set and Lighting Designer Nathan Elsener (resident lighting designer at The Zipper Factory), Sound Designer Christopher A. Granger and Stage Manager Emily Glinick.

Running time: 90 minutes. Trains: L to 1st Ave., R, W to 8th St. or 6 to Astor Place.

Official Website: http://www.carlacantrelle.com