Daughters of Elysium's THE CAVE: A FOLK OPERA to Play Hollywood Fringe, 6/14-22

Daughters of Elysium present the world premiere of The Cave: A Folk Opera at The Hollywood Fringe Festival.

A new story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and The Persephone Myth told entirely through original folk music. Set in an opium den at the turn of the 20th century, Willow sacrifices her life to pay off her father's debt and goes to work and live in an underground society called The Cave.

The Cave is a decaying, bohemian, stone palace where people leave the grit of the everyday mundane to live a life of pleasure. The sinners and lovers, beggars and bluebloods who find their way into The Cave, come to play hard, work hard, and live in their smoke filled fantasies. However, those who enter, have no way back to the outside world. Willow, is earthy and full of light, but can't see past the stars in her eyes. So when she enters The Cave, where the subconscious slinks its way into reality and daemons lurk in every corner, she has to not only confront the darkness of the new world and characters that surround her but also the darkness within. When she meets The Master, the menacing and masked owner of the opium den who seems to be constantly on the edge, about to seduce or slaughter all those around him, Willow realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. The Master is constantly testing the loyalty and strength of those who live in The Cave, and those that fail, meet a wrath and darkness unlike anything else. Can Willow survive the brutality and insanity of The Cave long enough to save her quickly fading father? In this strange realm of perpetual night, where blood flows like wine and magic is palpable, Willow must find light in darkness to save her family and herself.

"Love is like water.
It will hold you while you drown
To the bottom of the endless.
No way of breathing now." -Willow, Act One

The Cave has been in development since 2012 but will have its first fully staged performance and world premiere at The Hollywood Fringe Festival. The Cave has been work-shopped at Sarah Lawrence College, Vassar College, and in London at The British American Drama Academy.

The Cave is deeply engaging, darkly poetic, and sultry. It is an immersive and visceral experience. Come on down, and join the creatures of night.

SHOW DATES:
Saturday June 14 2014, 7:30 PM
Sunday June 15 2014, 7:45 PM
Thursday June 19 2014, 5:30 PM
Saturday June 21 2014, 5:45 PM
Sunday June 22 2014, 1:30 PM
PREVIEW June 10 2014, 4:30 PM
Running time is 90 minutes.

All performances run at The Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge, 1123 Vine St. Hollywood, CA 90038. Tickets available for $12 at the door and at http://bit.ly/thecavetickets. Apply discount code "opiumandwine" for a free ticket. Show is 21+. Visit www.thecavefolkopera.com for more information.

About the Artists:

Melanie Rose Thomas is the creator, composer, and lyricist of The Cave: A Folk Opera and co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She is currently earning her BA at Sarah Lawrence College where she studies Theatre, Music, and Psychology. Last summer she apprenticed at Vassar's Powerhouse Theatre Program with New York Stage and Film. She most recently spent a year abroad studying Shakespeare and experimental theatre in London.

Ariana Howell is the director of The Cave: A Folk Opera and a co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She will graduate with a BFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University in the spring of 2015. She has directed and devised original in the Dallas area, as well as worked as an intern for Hollywood Fringe and Jewish Women's Theatre in Los Angeles.

Brit Wigintton is the producer of The Cave: A Folk Opera and a co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She currently attends Savannah College of Art and Design. She has written, directed and produced multiple films and productions. Winner of multiple awards for her original films including Closing Night Audience Award at The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (April, 2012), and The Alexis Echavarria Cinestory Award.

Katrina Mattson is the editor of in The Cave: A Folk Opera and a co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She has been with The Cave since its birth in 2012. Katrina currently attends Sarah Lawrence College in New York and will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in 2015. She has studied theatre and Shakespeare at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival and at The British American Drama Academy in London.

DAUGHTERS OF ELYSIUM is a new all-female production company that seeks to create thought provoking, deeply visceral, and immersive productions filled with meaning and passion.