Don't Tread on Me, The Revolutionary Plays at the American Theater of Actors

Nine young playwrights (ages 9 to 12), all members of The 52nd Street Project from Manhattan�s Hell�s Kitchen neighbourhood, will have their Off Broadway debuts as playwrights featuring a cast of actors that will include such film, stage and television stars as Frances McDormand (Academy Award winner for Fargo), Mia Barron, John Conlee, Lizzie Cooper Davis, Jessica Hecht, Maggie Lacey, and Jeanine Serralles.

The short plays, Don't Tread on Me, The Revolutionary Plays will be performed at the American Theater of Actors from 7 - 9 Dec 2007. The event is free to the public but reservations are required.

The 52nd Street Project's Playmaking Stage One program teaches children how to develop characters, invent situations and, eventually, to write short plays. After a nine-week course, each child is assigned a pair of professional actors and their own dramaturge. The children interview the actors before going on a weekend writing retreat to Stone Ridge, NY. Upon returning to the city, adult directors rehearse the plays with adult professional actors for free presentation before a general audience.

The 52nd Street Project has spent over 26 years bringing inner-city children together with professional theatre artists. It was founded in 1981 by actor/writer Willie Reale in response to a deepening need to improve the quality of life for New York's inner-city children.