Michael O’Donnell Directs PLUCK THE DAY at American Theatre of Actors, Opens 9/8

Michael O'Donnell (Cabaret, Spamalot, The Pajama Game, Victor/Victoria, Carousel) will direct Chris Dall'au, Jake Keefe, Lucy Sheftall (Project Shaw), and Danny Skinner. The show will open September 8th and run for a limited 14 performance run at the American Theatre of Actors.

The show is written by Steven Walters (Friday Night Lights, Nobody Suspects a Butterfly), a member of the Dallas Theatre Center's Brierley Resident Acting Company and Co-Producing Artistic Director of Second Thought Theatre in Dallas, TX.

"Pluck the Day", a new searing comedy, is set on a sun-drenched, emotionally challenged parcel of the West Texas landscape. Here, three friends are held captive by apathy, fear and addiction awaiting a savior. Enter April.

The show is like therapy, only with guns, booze, and just the right amount of peyote.

"Pluck the Day" is an official selection in the inaugural season of The Araca Project, a new program created by The Araca Group to foster emerging theatre artists. The Araca Project was created "to give artists a pride of ownership in their careers by providing a forum which both manifests their artistic visions as well as galvanizes classroom theory with real-world action."

Tickets can be purchased at: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/32725
Visit the show's website: http://pluckthedaynyc.com

Michael O'Donnell is a director based in New York City. He has recently restaged Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall's CABARET at The Engeman theatre. He has also been an Associate Director (Director: BT McNicholl) on the National Tour of SPAMALOT, Paper Mill Playhouse's PETER PAN starring Douglas Sills and THE FULL MONTY starring Elaine Stritch. He was also credited as Writer/Director of the feature-film: MOVING MIKE. Mr. O'Donnell is also a veteran Broadway actor having performed in six Broadway musicals including SPAMALOT, THE PAJAMA GAME with Harry Connick Jr., The Roundabout Theatre's revival of CABARET, WONDERFUL TOWN, Lincoln Center's CAROUSEL and VICTOR/VICTORIA starring Julie Andrews.

Steven Walters is a Co-Founder, Resident Playwright and Co-Artistic Director of Second Thought Theatre in Dallas, Texas. He is also a member of the Resident Acting Company at the Dallas Theater Center. Acting credits include: "Henry IV", "Fat Pig", "Shape of Things" (Dallas Theater Center), "The Good Negro" (DTC co-production with The Public Theatre); "Nobody Suspects a Butterfly" (Royal Family Productions); "King Ubu", "Glory of Living", "Humpty Dumpty" (Second Thought Theatre); "The Cherry Orchard", "Love's Labor's Lost" (Peterborough Players, NH); "Proof", "Arcadia" (Lost Nation Theatre, VT); "Jesus Hates Me" (Kitchen Dog Theatre). Television Credits include: Friday Night Lights, Chase, My Generation, Trauma, Prison Break, Case Closed. Steven's plays have been produced by Second Thought Theatre, Casa Manana, Water Tower Theatre's Out of the Loop Festival, the Festival of Independent Theaters, Firebone Theatre (NYIT Award Winner-2010), and the EBE Ensemble. In 2005, Steven was the Visiting Dramatist at Gardner Webb University and was named best local playwright by the Dallas Observer in 2005. Steven is also a screenwriter and is currently represented by the Agency for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles, CA.

Performance Schedule;
Sep. 8: 8pm
Sep. 9: 8 pm
Sep. 10: 2pm & 8pm
Sep. 11: 3pm & 8 pm
Sep. 12: 8 pm
Sep. 13: 8 pm
Sep. 14: 8 pm
Sep. 15: 8 pm
Sep. 16: 8 pm
Sep. 17: 2 pm & 8 pm
Sep. 18: 3 pm
Tickets: $20
Student Tickets: $10