Quo Vadimus Arts presents the ID America Festival

Quo Vadimus Arts
presents the
ID AMERICA FESTIVAL
24 Short Plays About American Identity

Written by Playwrights from around the Nation
Performed In New York City, November 9-21, 2007

Quo Vadimus Arts will kick-off the ID America Festival showcasing 30 plays from 15 different states. Playwrights from around the nation convene in New York City November 10 - 20 at the Clemente Soto Velez Center (107 Suffolk St.)

Our American identity is formed by the blending of many different peoples from around the world into something new. It's cellphones, cowboys, American Idol and bar fights. It's something reshaped in the forges of September 11th and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Playwrights from coast to coast examine our cultural differences and search for commonality.

The highly anticipated ID America Festival was inspired by Quo Vadimus Arts' growing concern over the polarization of media in America. News organizations are increasingly biased towards the left or right, and it is rare to find an open forum where differing points of view are given equal weight. QVA searched the country for playwrights to help create a festival that questions, explores, challenges and celebrates what it means to be living in America today.

Plays will be divided into three evenings: American Psyche, American Cultures and American Dreams. Each evening contains eight plays and will perform several times throughout the festival.

QVA put out the call for submissions, looking for playwrights of all ages, of all levels of experience, from all over the country. They received 332 submissions, from 219 playwrights, ages 17 - 83, from 33 states and 6 different countries, including Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland and Nigeria. Visit www.idafestival.org or www.qvarts.org to learn more about the festival, the plays and playwrights. All submissions were considered anonymously and selected by committee.

Tickets are $15 and can be ordered through TheaterMania at 212.352.3110, or on ID America's website, www.idafestival.org. Detailed information regarding the plays and schedules is below:

American Dreams
Directed by: Josh Gelb
An evening of 8 short plays from playwrights around the nation

The American dream means something different for everyone. From the nightmare of the notorious Sacco & Vanzetti to the aspirations of an Upper East Side cocker spaniel with eating issues, the dreams we explore in this evening are singularly American. In the course of an evening Irish immigrants, fallen soldiers and heiresses will chase their American dreams.

Showtimes:
Sat, Nov 10th at 4:00PM; Sun, Nov 11th at 3:00PM; Mon, Nov 12th at 9:00PM
Wed, Nov 14th at 7:00PM; Thurs, Nov 15th at 9:00PM; Sat, Nov 17th at 8:00PM

Alarm
by Paul Moulton, Chicago, Illinois
Appetite
by Caren Skibell, Dallas, Texas
Night Before Last
by Doug Reed, Richmond, Virginia
Normal Is A Country
by Steven Schutzman, San Francisco, California
Onus On Us
by Cheryl Games, Youngstown, Ohio
Peace Talk
by James McLindon, Schenectady, New York
Prospect Park
by Brendan O'Brien, Raynham, Massachusetts
Upgrade
by Albert Pergande, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

American Culture
Directed by: Kerry Whigham
An evening of 8 short plays from playwrights around the nation

American culture is the blending of many different peoples from around the world into something new. It is cell phones, cowboys, American Idol and bar fights. It is something reshaped and altered in the forges of September 11th and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Playwrights from coast to coast examine our cultural differences and search for commonality.

Showtimes:
Sat, Nov 10th at 2:00PM; Sun, Nov 11th at 7:30PM; Tues, Nov 13th at 7:00PM;
Wed, Nov 14th at 9:00PM; Fri, Nov 16th at 7:00PM; Sat, Nov 17th at 6:00PM

Asparagus
by Schatzie Schaefers, Anchorage, Alaska
Bobby Hebert
by Samuel Brett Williams, Hot Springs, Arkansas
Close Encounter
by Amy Tofte, Brookings, South Dakota
Human Resources
by Mike Folie, Belford, New Jersey
Interpreting a Dream
by Judy Klass, New York, New York
The New Sign
by K. Biadaszkiewicz, Wyandotte, Michigan
Please Pass the Salt
by Debbie Wiess, Lexington, Massachusetts
Shift: A Political Allegory
by Jordan Smedberg, Minocqua, Wisconsin

American Psyche
Directed by: Deena Selenow
An evening of 8 short plays from playwrights around the nation

A look into the minds of various Americans reveals a young woman's fear of attack, a couple's voyeuristic tendencies and a teenage girl's medicated struggle with sanity. Some journeys inward reveal inner superheroes while others reveal helplessness and paranoia. Our playwrights reach into their own psyches and present us with uniquely American frames of mind.

Showtimes:
Sat, Nov 10th at 8:00PM; Mon, Nov 12th at 7:00PM; Tues, Nov 13th at 9:00PM;
Thurs, Nov 15th at 7:00PM; Fri, Nov 16th at 9:00PM; Sat, Nov 17th at 2:00PM

Followed
by Edith Weiss, Mittelschefflenz, Germany
Here To Serve You
by Barbara Lindsay, Santa Monica, California
Moment
by Matt Haldeman, Abington, Pennsylvania
Run of the River
by William Kovacsik, Massapequa, New York
Simultaneity
by Melanie Wallner, New York, New York
Soapbox
by Carl Brandt Long, Cleveland, Ohio
Superhero
by Mark Harvey Levine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
To Darfur
by Erik Christian Hanson, Monroe, Connecticut