59E59 Theaters welcomes The Active Theater with the NYC premiere of TWO POINT OH, written by Jeffrey Jackson and directed by Michael Unger. TWO POINT OH begins performances on Thursday, October 3 for a limited engagement through Sunday, October 20. Press opening is Wednesday, October 9 at 7:30 PM.
The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM; Sunday at 3:30 PM. Please note, the performance on Sunday, October 6 is at 7:30 PM, there is no matinee that day. Performances are at
59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $18 ($12.60 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to
www.59e59.org.
Elliot Leeds is dead-or is he? A pioneering software mogul, Elliot makes headlines one last time when his private jet plunges into the Pacific. Three months later, his grief-stricken widow discovers Elliot's greatest creation: a virtual-reality simulation of himself that he masterminded before his demise. Programmed with the most advanced
Artificial Intelligence, thousands of hours of his recorded thoughts and speech, and a digital re-creation of his face and body, "Elliot 2.0" is a talking, thinking, virtual soul. Powered by a network of supercomputers housed in secret underground vaults, Elliot can answer questions, hold conversations, and even share memories. Begging the question: Is Elliot really dead?
This fascinating glimpse into the implications of singularity on human society received its world premiere at the Detroit Repertory Theatre, where it was called "compelling" and "gripping," and "one of the most thought-provoking plays of the season" by the Detroit Free Press.
The cast features
Jack Noseworthy (Broadway's Sweet Smell of Success, upcoming Killing Kennedy),
Karron Graves (Coram Boy on Broadway),
James Ludwig (Spamalot and Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway),
Antoinette LaVecchia (A View from the Bridge on Broadway), and Michael Sean McGuinness (The Three Sisters at the Pearl).
The design team includes
Kris Stone (scenic design); Herrick Goldman (lighting design); Victoria Delorio (composer/sound design); Kristin Fiebig (costume design); and David Bengali (media/projection design). The Production Stage Manager is Alison Hassman.Jeffrey Jackson (playwright) created the book and lyrics for the 2007 Off Broadway musical adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which starred Tony Award-nominee Hunter Foster. The Associate Press praised it for "bringing the classic tale thrillingly to life." Gannett Newspapers called it "Dark but consistently engaging," and Bloomberg radio hailed it as "Riveting!" and "Totally exciting!" The original cast album was released on Ghostlight Records and the play has been published by Playscripts through which it is currently enjoying ongoing stock and amateur-licensed productions around the world. His acclaimed short film, Our First Fight, has toured film festivals around the world. His feature-length screenplay, White Collared, won the Best Screenplay award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and was acquired by a Sundance-winning film producer. He is currently in post-production on a hybrid movie/online game experience entitled Daemon 9, which he wrote and recently directed in Los Angeles.
Michael Unger (director) recently directed Seussical: The Musical with 84 children from Newtown, CT and John Tartaglia as the Cat in the Hat. It was the inaugural production of the 12.14 Foundation, which is building a performing arts center in Newtown, CT as a living remembrance of 12/14/12. Michael is honored to have been named the Artistic Director of that organization. Michael also directed From Broadway With Love: A benefit concert for Sandy Hook which amassed a corps of 600 volunteers, 100s of production personnel, a chorus of 46, an orchestra of 42, 300 Newtown students as well as many Broadway luminaries including Stephen Schwartz, Marc Shaiman and Frank Wildhorn. Both of the above events were remarkable evidence of healing through the arts in action. Other directing credits include: A Christmas Carol (McCarter Theatre - since 1998), Kander & Ebb's The Happy Time and The Rink, My Sister in this House at Deaf West (Ovation Recommended), Grease at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, IL, Crimes of the Heart at Theatre Aspen, Knickerbocker Holiday (York Theatre - MUFTI) and Pippin at the Depot Theatre. World premieres include: Caligula (NYMF), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Barrington Stage), La Gioconda (Clurman Theatre) and Retribution (Off-Broadway, Lambs Theatre). Opera directing credits include Of Mice and Men, The Duchess of Chicago (in Russia), A View From the Bridge, The Consul, HMS Pinafore, The Crucible, La rondine and Die Fledermaus. Upcoming: A Christmas Carol at McCarter Theatre in December '13, Susanna the opera in January '14 as well as the development of several new plays, musicals and an opera based on Richard Zimler's award-winning novel, The Warsaw Anagrams.
Photo Credit: Walter McBride
