NEW YORK - Diverse City Theater Company announces that it will present Australian playwright Michael Gurr's award-winning play, "Sex Diary of an Infidel," as part of its summer 2005 "Green Room Series" (GRS) on Saturday, August 13th, 2005 at Ensemble Studio Theatre located at 549 West 52nd Street in New York City, directed by Obie Award winner Ching Valdes-Aran. The staged reading will begin at 7PM. GRS is a reading festival of original plays that portray diversity in our national culture from a global perspective.

"Sex Diary of an Infidel" is Australian playwright Michael Gurr's multi-award winning play. A complex story of lies, fantasies and shifting realities, the play presents a prize-winning journalist pursuing a story about Australia's involvement in the lucrative and booming sex tours trade in Manila. Gurr occupies a unique place in Australian theatre, a winner of four State and Premiers' Literary Awards for Drama. His plays have been produced throughout Australia and on ABC and BBC radio.

Valdes-Aran, who recently directed the critically acclaimed production of Suzen Murakoshi's "Slippery When Wet" at Penumbra Theatre, will direct the staged reading for Diverse City Theater's GRS. She commented: "The theater is a wonderful venue to examine social issues. Mr. Gurr's piece vividly dramatizes the disastrous effects of global sex trade tourism from a very specific and personal perspective. I am thrilled to explore this difficult issue."

"Sex Diary of an Infidel" features Denny Bess*, Alexis Camins*, Randy Falcon*, Suzanne Lynch*, Natasha Marco** and David Stott.

(From L-R) Randy Falcon (Tony), Luz Lor, David Stott (Martin), Suzanne Lynch (Laura), Ching Valdes-Aran (Director)
Alexis Camins (Toni), Denny Bess (Max) and Natasha Marco (Jean)

* appearing courtesy of Actors Equity Association
** member of Canadian Actors Equity Association

The series, which premiered on August 1st, 2005, boasts a roster of award-winning plays by today's emerging playwrights. GRS will also present "The Equality Plays," an evening of one-act plays that explore gender, demographic and ethnicity issues. The one-act plays will be announced at a later date.

The Green Room Series was made possible due, in part, to the generous support of The Irvin Stern Foundation and our partners at The Ensemble Studio Theatre. For reservations, please contact Liz Casasola at 212-309-9018 or e-mail liz@diversecitytheater.org. Suggested donation $10.

ABOUT DIVERSE CITY THEATER CO.:

Diverse City Theater Co. Inc., is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that focuses on promoting diversity in the theater arts. Its mission is to commission, develop and produce original plays that portray social, cultural, lifestyle and demographic diversity, thereby creating multiculturally fluent theater audiences as well as advocate the non-traditional casting of actors. Formed in 2003, Diverse City Theater Co., Inc. is based in New York City. For more information, visit the organization's website at www.diversecitytheater.org.

Contact:
Liz Casasola
212-309-9018
liz@diversecitytheater.org