(ANCRAM, N.Y.) – Maria-Christina Oliveras stars in the Obie Award-winning play “We’re Gonna Die” by Young Jean Lee at Ancram Opera House on Friday-Saturday, August 4-5, and again on Friday-Saturday, August 11-12. All shows are at 8pm.

A blend of storytelling, music, and theater, “We’re Gonna Die” examines the universal experience of life’s unavoidable truths. A singer takes the stage, backed by her band, and tells slyly humorous stories about the one thing we all have in common. This play with live music boldly explores some of life’s darkest moments with humor and insight.

The Singer will be played by multi-talented actor Maria-Christina Oliveras, whose extensive theater, TV and film credits include “Taylor Mac’s 24 Hour History of Music” (St. Ann’s Warehouse); “Here Lies Love” (The Public); “Amelie” “Machinal” (Roundabout); “Law & Order: SVU” “Nurse Jackie” “Ugly Betty” “St. Vincent de Van Nuys” and “Time Out of Mind.”

“Maria-Christina is a force of nature,” said Paul Ricciardi, Co-Director of Ancram Opera House. “Her range and ability are so impressive, and her talents will be a great gift to our performance hall.”

The band backing Oliveras will be Hudson Valley’s own Reliable Tom, led by New York-based sound artist and composer Monte Weber.

“We are thrilled to produce a work by Young Jean Lee,” said Jeff Mousseau, who is directing the production and is also co-director of Ancram Opera House. “The play hits a lot of areas for us. It’s a daring take on a human experience that we are often reluctant to discuss. And by tackling the subject head on, the show is bracing yet consoling and, ultimately, cathartic. It’s also a very layered piece that brings together different forms: music, theater, and storytelling. It works incredibly well in our space, which is known for its acoustics and its intimacy.”

Maria-Christina Oliveras is a stage, television and film actor, singer, and voice-over artist. She has performed extensively on Broadway, off-Broadway, and regionally, and is known for her transformational character work in a number of world premieres. Recent credits include: Zorba! at City Center Encores, starring John Turturro, directed by Walter Bobbie and the critically acclaimed world premiere of Pretty Filthy, directed by Steve Cosson, book by Bess Wohl and lyrics by Michael Friedman.

She was previously seen in Here Lies Love, by David Byrne and Fat Boy Slim, directed by Alex Timbers, a project she helped develop since its inception. Her “tire-slashing, wonderful and irresistible” rendition of “Men Will Do Anything” can be heard on the original cast recording, available on iTunes and Nonesuch Records.

Broadway: Machinal (Roundabout, directed by Lyndsey Turner); Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Bernard Jacobs Theater, directed by Alex Timbers). Off-Broadway: And Miles To Go (PCP-directed by Hal Brooks); After (PCP-directed by Stephen Brackett); Here Lies Love and Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (Public Theater-directed by Alex Timbers); Reading Under the Influence (DR2-directed by Wendy Goldberg,) Night Sky (directed by Daniella Topol); The Really Big Once (Target Margin-directed by David Herskovits), Slavey (Clubbed Thumb-directed by Robert O’Hara); among others. Regional: Sundance, Williamstown Theater Festival, Huntington Theater, Baltimore CenterStage, Long Wharf, Denver Center; Colorado Shakespeare Festival; Westport Country Playhouse; Hangar Theater, among others. Film/TV: Manhattan Nocturne, Clutter, ICE, The Humbling, St. Vincent, Time Out of Mind; “Law and Order: SVU and CI“; “Golden Boy“; Nurse Jackie,” “Ugly Betty,” “Law and Order: CI,” “Damages,” “Person of Interest.”

Oliveras is dedicated to developing new plays and musicals. She has done countless readings and workshops with the Sundance Institute, Atlantic Theater, the Working Theatre, Playwrights’ Horizon, Clubbed Thumb, the Lark, New Dramatists, INTAR, Manhattan Theatre Club, Lincoln Center Directors’ Lab, The Public Theatre, Playwrights’ Realm, Ars Nova, hotInk, Page 73, Ma-Yi, PRTT, NYTW, EST, Urban Stages, NAMT and Mabou Mines.

Oliveras earmed a BA with honors from Yale University; M.F.A. in Acting-NTC; NYSF/Public Theater’s Shakespeare Lab. Member: Actors’ Center Workshop Company and Partial Comfort Productions. Recipient of the 2014 Charles Bowden Actor Award from New Dramatists. She is on the acting faculty at Yale University and Fordham Lincoln Center.

Ancram Opera House in southern Columbia County is rapidly becoming known as a showcase for fresh, contemporary work by emerging theater and musical artists. With its proximity to New York, Poughkeepsie, Albany, and Great Barrington, Mass., Ancram Opera House is an exciting new entry on the Hudson Valley/Berkshire regional theater scene.

Ancram Opera House is located at 1330 County Route 7, just north of the corner of Route 82. Parking is available on the adjacent lawn.

For tickets and more information, visit Ancram Opera House, email to  info@ancramoperahouse.org or call (518) 329-0114.