November 16, 2005

Contact: Charles G. Sturcken (718) 595-6600

DEP Presents Performances of “City That Drinks the Mountain Sky” At Tribeca Performing Arts Center

EVENT: DEP First Deputy Commissioner, David Tweedy will welcome students, teachers and parents to a performance of an Arm-of-the-Sea production, entitled City that Drinks the Mountain Sky. The presentation will take the audience into the very heart of the Catskill watershed. They will see how forests filter water as it flows to streams and reservoirs.  They will meet some of the engineers and laborers who built the reservoirs and aqueducts, and they will begin to gain an understanding of how the giant upstate water supply project brought profound changes to Catskill Mountain communities and New York City. The company uses the ancient traditions of masks, puppetry and music to illustrate its tale. The performance will take place at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in lower Manhattan.

DATE/TIME: Thursday, November 17, 2005; two 55 minute performances:1)  10 am, and 2) 11:45 am.

LOCATION: Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Borough of Manhattan Community College/CUNY
199 Chambers Street, NYC (between Greenwich and West Sts.)

PARTICIPANTS: David Tweedy, DEP’s First Deputy Commissioner will offer welcoming remarks to an audience of 900 students, teachers and parents preceding  the 10 am show. At 11:45 a new audience of 900 students teachers and parents will view the second performance.

BACKGROUND: The City that Drinks the Mountain Sky is produced by the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, a performing ensemble based in the Hudson Valley. This is the third year that they have journeyed to New York City to entertain and teach City school children at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center some of the magic and folklore surrounding the rich history of the creation of the City’s drinking water supply as well as the importance of clean water and water conservation.

The production was made possible by DEP through funds provided by the Catskill Watershed Corporation’s Public Education Grant Program to the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater. Funding for the two performances at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center is provided by  DEP.

To obtain further information about the Tribeca Performing Arts center visit www.tribecapac.org or call (212) 220-1459.  For information about the Arm-of-the-Sea Theater, visit www.armofthesea.org or call (845)246-7873.

Media representatives are invited to attend.