MISS MARY DUGAN Returns to Fresh Fruit Festival, July 19-28

Miss Mary Dugan by Manuel Igrejas returns to the Fresh Fruit Festival for four performances, July 19th, July 21st, July 25th and July 28th, at The Wild Project, 195 East 3rd St. The show stars Bryan Webster and Craig Fox and is directed by Karin de la Penha.

Miss Mary Dugan (aka Ty Pendleberry) lives in Cedar Chips, New Jersey, a pretty little town he calls the West Hollywood of the East Coast. With his fabulous parties, Mary Dugan is “hostess with the most-ess” of gay Cedar Chips. He can cook and bake anything, from Chicken Divan to éclairs and his parties sometimes last all night long. Despite his charm and skills, Dugan hasn’t had much luck with men, and many of his nights are spent alone with porn, Doritos and Stoli.

He has a crush on the good-looking, mysterious guy next door. He lives next door to a funeral parlor. A chance encounter in the parking lot with Kevin, the object of his affection, throws him for a loop. It forces him to ask: what does he really want--his fantasy or the prospect of getting to know his hunky neighbor in real time?

First presented at the 2009 Fresh Fruit Festival, Miss Mary Dugan won “Fruitee” Awards for Best Play, Best Director (David Hilder) and Best Actor (Craig Fox). Craig Fox will reprise his prize- winning role of Kevin Pecinka in this production, making it something of a reunion of Fresh Fruit veterans.

Bryan Webster, who plays Mary Dugan, starred in Whore Works, the co-winner of the 2010 Best Play Award at the Fresh Fruit Festival (the other winner was Igrejas’ Hassan and Sylvia) and starred in the Festival’s critically acclaimed, Passing Ceremonies in 2009. Karin de la Penha starred as the mysterious Sylvia in Hassan and Sylvia and directs this re-staging of Miss Mary Dugan.

Manuel Igrejas’ previous plays include Shrinkage, Kitty and Lina and Hassan and Sylvia. For more about Igrejas, visit www.mannyigrejas.com.

MISS MARY DUGAN performance schedule: Thursday, July 19th at 6pm, Saturday, July 21st at 6pm, Wednesday, July 25th at 8pm and Saturday, July 28th at 4pm.

The Wild Project is located at 195 East 3rd Street. Admission: $18. For tickets, and to check out the complete and nutritious Fresh Fruit lineup, visit www.freshfruitfestival.com.