The Fire This Time Festival & Frigid NYC present a play by Kelley Nicole Girod directed by Andrew Block

In this South Louisiana neighborhood, just past the intersection where Ghosts from the Past cross Hopes for the Future, lies …

THIS STRETCH OF MONTPELIER

Part of the 10th anniversary season of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity at the Theaters at the Clemente, 107 Suffolk Street, New York City, running Thursday 7/19 @5:45pm-7:15pm; Saturday 7/21 @8:30pm-10pm; Wednesday 7/25 @7:15pm-8:45pm; Sunday 7/29 @ 7pm-8:30pm; Saturday 8/4 @9:30pm-11pm; and Sunday 8/5 @2pm-3:30pm

Obie winner, Kelley Nicole Girod and Ovation winner, Andrew Block forge a play about a place out of time.

Evolution doesn’t have to take millions of years. It can happen right in front of our eyes. Spend a hot summer day along a stretch of Southeastern Louisiana road, where tradition now clashes with change. Old neighbors intertwine with those newcomers, bringing about gentrification… and integration. Before the new world can breathe on its own, racism, homophobia, and colliding generations must fight for survival. Ghosts from the past dance with the uncertain music of the future creating an imperfect but vibrant culture seeking to understand how to live together in a changing society. This is what happens when yesterday meets tomorrow.

This summer, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity (PCTF), the brainchild of arts professional Glory Kadigan, turns 10 years old. In that decade, PCTF has successfully changed the landscape of the theatre festival and all of New York independent theatre. The multi-award-winning theatre festival will celebrate in a big way by premiering more than 50 timely and topical plays and musicals written by the next generation of playwrights. Each play contains a powerful message serving as a parable of various world themes. The Tenth Planet: Planet Connections Theatre Festivity will run fromJuly 9 through August 5, 2018 at The Clemente, 107 Suffolk Street, NYC.www.planetconnections.org. Artists presenting works from all across America, including Denver, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Providence and New York City; and from all over the planet, including Japan, Yugoslavia, Russia, Peru, France, Belarus, & Haiti are part of this years festivity.

Ai caught up with playwright, Kelley Nicole Girod, who shared her many artistic adventures. 

As a producer, I am committed to presenting stories by artists of color. As a playwright, I love to write about the Black Cajun/Creole world of Louisiana that I grew up in. I love hearing all those voices every time I write, and smelling the backyard on a hot summer day, or the scent of gumbo on a Fall breeze. It’s my favorite place to escape to, both in my head as a writer, and in real life.