SNAKE IN FRIDGE
April 14 - May 8 at The 14th Street Y

"mixing gothic horror with sassy comedy and razor sharp repartee, Fraser has reinvented the theatrical thriller and made it funny, black and sexy too" --Manchester Evening News

"imagine a collaboration between Edgar Allan Poe, Irvine Welsh and William Burroughs" --The Times

"superbly creepy" -- The Independent

The Themantics Group presents the New York Premiere of Snake in Fridge by Brad Fraser (Unidentified Human Remains..., Poor Superman, "Queer as Folk"). The production, directed by Blake Lawrence, begins performances April 14th at The 14th Street Y Theater.

Inspired by Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, Snake in Fridge examines the sordid lives of a group of young misfits living in a creepy Victorian house. Their combined income barely covers club-going and drugs, so overdue rent is mounting. Daydreams of fame and fortune are constantly interrupted by the insidious lure of the porn industry. When one of the housemates accepts a snake to cover a debt, the snake disappears and bizarre things begin to happen. Eventually, they begin to wonder if it is the snake or the spirit of the house that is haunting them. Things come to a head when the group -- an internet porn performer, a busboy who longs to be a waiter, a nude dancer, her mentally-challenged sister and a male stripper -- discover that one of their own may be a murderer.

Brad Fraser is a playwright, director, filmmaker and television host best known for his 1989 play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love. Human Remains, like its follow up, Poor Super Man, was listed by Time Magazine as one of the top ten plays of the year and was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Drama. Other plays include Wolfboy, Chainsaw Love, Young Art, The Ugly Man, Martin Yesterday, and Outrageous. Brad has won numerous awards, including two Chalmers Awards, the London Evening Standard Award, the LA Critics Award, the Dora Mavor Moore Award, a Genie Award, The Manchester Evening News Award and London’s Time Out Award. He is currently a writer and co-producer on "Queer As Folk."

The Themantics Group is a new company of theater professionals dedicated to producing a season of projects around a particular theme. It was founded in 2002 by Producing Director Jay Aubrey and Artistic Director Blake Lawrence after the overwhelming success of their revival of Mark Ravenhill’s Shopping and Fucking. Their inaugural production was a new adaptation of Pirandello’s Naked. The theme for their 2004-2005 season is "Money! or Morals?", which began in October with a developmental production of Hazard County by Allison Moore, recently chosen for Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival . For more information visit www.themantics.org.

Snake in Fridge runs April 14 - May 8, Monday & Thursday - Saturday at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 7:00 pm. (Please note: final performance on May 8 is at 3:00pm). The 14th Street Y Theater is located at 344 E. 14th St. (between 1st & 2nd Aves -- accessible from the L train at 1st Avenue). Tickets are $19. To purchase tickets call Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or online at Smarttix.com.