Building on the triumph of her groundbreaking production, "THE WHITE BLACKS," and her fresh rendition of "ENOUGH VO5 FOR THE UNIVERSE” celebrated playwright and director Melanie Maria Goodreaux is poised to enthrall audiences once more with a haunting family drama “Rita is the GOAT” which will premiere at Theater for the New City in New York, NY.

This limited engagement will run for 12 performances from November 7th to 10th, 14th to 17th, and 21st to 24^th, 2024.

"RITA IS THE GOAT" is a fantastical reimagining of a last will and testament reading. It detonates a sibling rivalry so intense it literally raises the dead from their caskets.  Written in a magical realist style filled with absurdities that intertwine sexuality with religiosity and critiques on motherhood— “Rita” explores the themes of loss, survival, inheritance, cruelty, and abusive ‘love.’ Awarded an American Woman Playwright’s  Fellowship from Dramatic Question Theater (DQT) as a one-woman show, "Rita" has been expanded for a full cast, which includes Danielle Aziza (Rita, Goat), Valerie Donaldson (Mother Haint), Jonathan Duran (Gerry), Melanie Maria Goodreaux (Genny), Alexandria Thomas (Dark Cloud), and India Stachyra (NeNe).

“RITA IS THE GOAT” is directed by Melanie Maria Goodreaux with Christopher Bello.

Melanie Maria Goodreaux's ability to craft narratives that resonate deeply with audiences has solidified her reputation as a luminary in the downtown NYC theater scene. Her plays have been featured at Chelsea Playhouse, the House of Tribes Theater, the Abingdon Theater, Studio Players Theater, the Linhart Theater, the Lillian Theater in Los Angeles, the Nuyorican Poets Café, HOWL Fest, the New York Theater Festival, the Hudson Guild Theater, and Theater for the New City and The Foundry. Goodreaux recently received the American Woman Project Solo-Play Development and Production award (2020-2021) with Dramatic Question Theater.

Christopher Bello is an actor, theater director, and set designer who has worked on numerous plays and projects, including “Enough Vo5 for the Universe” at Theater for the New City. He is a graduate of The City College of New York (CUNY) with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Theater.

The creative team for “RITA IS THE GOAT” includes set designers Lytza Colon and Sara Jane Munford, sound designers Urb Alt, Luke Santy, and Anthony Harper, costume/wardrobe Sarah Shah, casting Linda Greene, and graphic designers Tim Fielder and Diane Sullivan. Producers are Mark Holloway, David Kahl, Norah Lawlor and Bruce Morrow. The executive producer is Crystal Field, Executive Director of Theater for the New City.

For tickets, please visit: https://bit.ly/3XQt0gN

Since its establishment in the 1970s, Crystal Field and Theater for the New City has championed emerging playwrights for the American Stage without regard to race, sexuality, economic status, or gender. Our Emerging and Presenting Playwrights Program incentivizes playwrights to forge their path in the arts. Over the years, hundreds of playwrights, each with a unique background, have found a platform at TNC. Notable examples include Suzan-Lori Parks, María Irene Fornés, Harvey Firestein, Bina Sharif, Charles Busch, Andrea Fulton, Eduardo Machado, and William Electric Black.

For more information, please visit: www.theaterforthenewcity.net