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BFF
Limited Engagement begins February 17 at the DR2

WET (Women's Expressive Theater, Inc.), best known for its acclaimed productions of ST. SCARLET (by Julia Jordan) and BIG TIMES (directed by Leigh Silverman), launches its 7th season with the World Premiere of BFF. This touching and darkly comic new play is written by Anna Ziegler, directed by Josh Hecht, and produced on an Off-Broadway contract. Previews begin February 17th at the DR2 (103 East 15th Street) where WET is the first theater company in residence. Opening night is slated for February 24th.

BFF tells the story of Lauren and her "best friend forever" Eliza. Lauren is a New Yorker who is split in two by time. Haunted by her adolescent past, she is desperate to catch up with the life her new boyfriend is offering her. But when Lauren accidentally tells a lie, she is forced to complete a story that, until now, has remained cruelly unfinished.

The production stars Sasha Eden (A Very Common Procedure, Scab), Laura Heisler (Broadway's Coram Boy, The Mistakes Madeline Made, The Given, People Be Heard) and Jeremy Webb (The Baltimore Waltz at Signature, Tabletop) with set by Robin Vest, lighting by Clifton Taylor (Frozen), costumes by Sara Jean Tosetti (The Exonerated) and sound by David Stephen Baker.

Anna Ziegler was recently selected to be a writer in residence at The Old Vic Theatre in London, through their Old Vic New Voices program. Her plays have been developed at Sundance Theater Lab, The Underwood Theater, Ars Nova, Soho Rep, The Lark Theatre, New Georges, Kennedy Center, Birmingham Rep and Belvoir St. Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Ziegler was a Dramatist's Guild Fellow for 2004-2005, a member of the 2005 Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and has been published in Ten-Minute Plays for 2 Actors: The Best of 2004 and New American Short Plays 2005. Anna received her MFA in dramatic writing from NYU. BFF was developed in the Sundance Theatre Lab in July 2005, and was a finalist for the 2005 Weissberger Award and for the 2006 O'Neill Playwright's Conference.

Josh Hecht was the director of CHRISTINE JORGENSEN REVEALS, winner of The Drama Desk award for Unique Theatrical Event, and GLAAD Media Award nomination for Outstanding New York Theater. Most recently, he directed GIRL by Megan Mostyn Brown at The Cherry Lane, MCC's ASSISTED LOVING by Bob Morris, the 13P production of PENETRATION PLAY by Winter Miller, and Ann Marie Healy's THE NIGHT THAT ROGER… at The Ontological. He is currently developing a new play, VERSION MARY, with Bryony Lavery, Wendy MacLeod, Theresa Rebeck, Kate Robin, David Grimm, Mike Albo, Bradford Louryk, Lisa Kron and Jack Ferver. Recent workshops have included John Guare's MADAGASCAR starring Josh Lucas and Amanda Peet, and Itamar Moses' THE FOUR OF US, both at MCC Theater, where he served as Director of Playwright Development.

Created in 1999, WET produces media which challenges female stereotypes and advocates for equality. WET adheres to this mission by producing premiere plays by female playwrights and events promoting the work of notable female artists. WET's theatrical productions include the World Premieres of BIG TIMES (directed by Leigh Silverman), Julia Jordan's ST. SCARLET, Sheila Callaghan's SCAB, and I STAND BEFORE YOU NAKED by Joyce Carol Oates. In 2004 WET launched a city wide media literacy outreach program for adolescent girls “WET's Risk Takers Film Series”, with celebrity participants including Frances McDormand, Mary Louise Parker, Olympia Dukakis, Tracie Thoms, Kerry Washington, Audra McDonald and Ally Sheedy.

The DR2 Theatre was created by Daryl Roth in 2002. It is ideally situated in the "heart of Off Broadway," and has the distinct ability to present artists and productions to the community through a nurturing and inviting environment. It has housed experimental theatre pieces and Off Broadway hits alike, including an 11-month run of Will Eno's Pulitzer Prize finalist THOM PAIN (BASED ON NOTHING).

BFF runs Feb 17- March 24, Monday - Saturday at 8pm. The DR2 is located at 103 East 15th Street (between Union Square East and Irving Place -- accessible from the L,N,Q,R,W,4,5,6 trains at 14th Street-Union Square). Tickets range from $25 - $35, available at 212-239-6200 or wetweb.org.