The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity is New York's premier eco-friendly/socially conscious theatre, music and film festival.  From May 14 to June 8, the Paradise Factory will be host to 37 full productions, 14 staged readings, a music fest, and a film fest -- benefiting 38 different charities.

StageBuddy talked with Co-Artistic Director Jillian Carucci about the different charity organizations benefiting from this year's festival and why audiences should come out to experience social change.

StageBuddy: Can you tell me about the inception of the Planet Connections Festival?

Jillian Carucci: This is my first year on board as Co-Artistic Director; the company was founded by Glory Kadigan (Co-Artistic Director), and she started this organization in the fall of 2008 as a way to connect her passion of theater with social change.  The company has evolved in such a way that we've benefited over 200 charity organizations with theatrical, musical and film work.

SB: What's the submission process like for Planet Connections?

JC: The artistic team goes to see lots of independent theater across the city in the off season to network with past and new artists, and we seek out a lot of new work. There is an application that goes out every January and the artists who have a prospective project send a proposal to us; the artistic team spends the entire month of January reading lots and lots of scripts.  We all have a big meeting, we talk about what we liked, what will work this season, what we have room for in the festival, and we create a line-up from there.

SB: What organizations are benefiting from this year's Festivity?

JC: We have an array of theater going on this year.  Every production in the festival chooses a different nonprofit organization to benefit, some choosing organizations that follow a similar theme to the show they're producing and what that production explores.  Last year we had a show about vampires and they donated the proceeds to The Food Bank.  This year we are benefiting organizations like City Harvest, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Food Bank, Artists Striving to End Poverty, Democracy Now, National Association for Anorexia and Eating Disorders, and Alzheimer's Association.

SB: What's most rewarding for you as an Artistic Director?

JC: Helping to give the independent theater scene so much life.  As artists there are plenty of opportunities, but to see everybody create a community out of those opportunities all while contributing to the greater good at large is one of the most special things I've found so far -- being in a room with all these special artists who are now part of the same family that create work together for a great cause.

SB: Why should audiences come out to see The Planet Connections Festivity this year?

JC: We have almost 40 shows to choose from; audiences should choose something of interest to them and come see it.  We all know that theater has the power to touch audiences, to transform and to heal. We say that theater can change the world and Planet Connections Festivity is making that a tangible goal.

(This article is being edited and condensed.)

To see a full line-up of the productions in this year's Planet Connections Festival please click here.