Danny Pintauro - The Velocity of Gary - San Francisco

[DAN_AS_GARY] FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NY Press Contact : Mark Cannistraro (212) 695-7400
SF Press Contact: Victoria Kirby (415) 333-5110

OFF BROADWAY "VELOCITY OF GARY" WITH DANNY PINTAURO TO MAKE WEST COAST

PREMIERE AT NEW CONSERVATORY THEATRE CENTER

Off-Broadway's "THE VELOCITY OF GARY (NOT HIS REAL NAME)," the critically acclaimed solo play by JAMES STILL featuring former "Who's the Boss?" star DANNY PINTAURO, has found a new home: San Francisco. Directed by , the show will have its West Coast premiere at The New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness Avenue, from September 6th-30th as part of their sixth annual Pride Season. Tickets range from $18-$30 and are available online from Ticketweb or by calling The New Conservatory Theatre Center's box office at (415) 861-8972.

The play paints an affecting portrait of "Gary," a young, naive street hustler. Armed with nothing more than a mantra ("anything can happen") and a pair of leopard print underwear, Gary takes an unforgettable journey through the seedier side of Manhattan. His affinity for strange situations leads him through a circle of porn stars, deaf drag queens and a dog named Rodney, but it's thorough a surprising friendship with an ex-porn star and his girlfriend that Gary discovers his greatest poetry, humor, pain and hope.

"THE VELOCITY OF GARY (NOT HIS REAL NAME)" played a sold out limited engagement last July at NYC's Duplex Cabaret Theatre. In Theatre Magazine called the production "an exhilarating ride of discovery of love and family. " LGNY wrote that the show was "highly poetic, subtle and at times, breathtaking. Mr. Cannistraro has orchestrated th 90 minute piece so that it never lags, carefully balancing Gary's energy, choreographing the dichotomy between Gary's longing for contact and the distance he must maintain as a hustler. Get to this show-with all due velocity!" The New York Post said "Endearing, intriguingly off-center and always very much alive. Pintauro teases us, seduces us, draws us closer... and he shines."

DANNY PINTAURO is best known for his role on TV's "Who's the Boss?" which catapulted him to national stardom. In 1997, Mr. Pintauro made national headlines when he publicly "came out" as a gay man. His film credits include leading roles in Stephen King's "Cujo" and "The Beniker Gang" and he is the recipient of the California Motion Picture Association Award for Contribution to the Entertainment Industry. Mr. Pintauro graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Drama, and has recently appeared in Paula Vogel's "Hot n' Throbbing" at Arena Stage and "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde" at the Charlotte Repertory Theatre.

JAMES STILL is the recipient of the Charlotte B. Chorpenning Playwright Award for Distinguished Body of Work and the TCG/Pew Charitable Trust National Theatre Artist Grant with Indiana Repertory Theatre in Indianapolis where he is the Playwright-in-Residence. Recent credits: "And Then They Came For Me" (George Street Playhouse, Indiana Rep) which opens this month in London and in several productions around the country; an adaptation of John Gardner's novella "In The Suicide Mountains" (Mark Taper Forum) which was developed at Sundance and the Kennedy Center's New Visions/New Voices and opens the season this fall at People's Light & Theatre Company in PA. Mr. Still was a finalist for the Humanitas Prize for Television and Film Writing for his work on the Nickelodeon television series Maurice Sendak's Little Bear.

MARK CANNISTRARO is the recipient of the 1998 Back Stage Bistro Award for Outstanding Direction for his work on the critically acclaimed musical revue "Fairy Tales," which began off-off Broadway and then transferred to off-Broadway's famed WPA Theatre to round out their 20th anniversary season. He is the Producing Director of SourceWorks Theatre, a production company devoted to discovering new works, and has produced and directed many productions in NYC including the New York premieres of the LA comedy hit "Cyberqueer" and Obie winner Amlin Gray's "Mickey's Teeth" as well as downtown revivals of "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You" and "Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom."

PLAYING SCHEDULE September 6th-30th, 2000

TICKETS $18-$30 [Buy tickets online]

FOR TICKETS The New Conservatory Theatre Center's box office, (415) 861-8972.