WHY WE HAVE A BODY

©Jordan Knott

by Claire Chafee

WHY WE HAVE A BODY is a funny, lyrical play about two young women, Lili and her emotionally troubled sister, Mary, who ache for the return of their mother, Eleanor, who left home years ago to "get lost." The play proceeds poetically through a collage of scenes in which the two sisters, their mother, and Lili's new lover Renee, speak alternately to the audience and to each other, as they try to live with absence and great distance. The women are taught few skills with which to navigate their lives, and in each case, the women's chosen fields are a flight from traditional roles, propelled by a fear of getting stuck in a groove of routine. The vast spaces that separate us from our past, from the ones we love, and from knowing ourselves constitute their landscape. Through contrasts and contradictions, Chafee presents the struggle and search of these four women in a kaleidoscopic form, shifting space and time, as each character finds her own road signs to point the way.

Director: Valerie Davenport
Stage Manager: Meredith Kaufman
Assistant Stage Manager: Jessica Franz
Lighting and Set Design: Patrick Smith
Sound Design: Beau Edmondson

Cast: Laila Ayad* (Lili), Stefanie Black (Mary), Natasha Malinsky (Eleanor), Julie Lynn Stump (Renee)
* Appears Courtesy of Actor's Equity Association

For more information please contact applegirlproductions@yahoo.com
About the Company: Apple Girl Productions
Frustrated by the lack of quality roles available to young women in the theatre, Apple Girl Productions was formed in the Spring of 2005 by several like-minded New York actresses looking to empower themselves and others in the performing arts. Since that time, Apple Girl Productions has emerged as a new theatre company dedicated to changing the landscape of New York theatre by producing works that showcase women's issues and women's lives, their spirit and their strength.

Open: 11/03/05
Close: 11/22/05

Schedule:
November 3, 4, 10, 11, 17, 18, 21, 22 at 8pm

Theater: Producers Club Theatres
Address: 358 W 44th Street
New York, NY 10036
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A Short Walk from Times Square

Cost:$15.00, $12.00 Students and Seniors or Call: at 718-554-3631

Company: Apple Girl Productions

	Laila Ayad Lili Laila Ayad has studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Playwrights Horizons Theater School, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, where she received her B.F.A. She has toured regionally and nationally with TheatreworksUSA, and performed at the Blue Heron Arts Center in New York and the Gielgud Theatre in London. She is a published author and a founding member of Apple Girl Productions.
	Stefanie Black Mary Stefanie Black is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and Playwrights Horizons Theater School. She has performed at Williamstown Theater Festival, American Conservatory Theater, Urban Stages, The Ontological-Hysteric Theater, and The Rattlestick. She is a founding member of Apple Girl Productions and Assistant to the Artistic Director of The Cape Cod Theater Project.
	Natasha Malinsky Eleanor Natasha Malinsky has been working in film, television and theatre for the past six years. She is currently working at 4 Kids Productions where she does cartoon voices for a show called "Winx Club." She has a B.A. in Communication Studies and Film Studies from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and is currently studying with Anthony Vincent Bova. She is a founding member of Apple Girl Productions.
	Julie Lynn Stump Renee Julie Lynn Stump is a graduate of Penn State University, where she trained in both acting and Musical Theatre. She recently moved to New York City after a stint in Wilmington, North Carolina, where she was part of various theatre, film, and industrial projects. She is a founding member of Apple Girl Productions.