Oberon Theater Ensemble Announces Winter Rep 2009

OBERON THEATRE ENSEMBLE is pleased to announce Winter Rep 2009, celebrating the company’s 12th Anniversary Repertory Season. The company will be presenting William Shakespeare’s Much About Nothing in conjunction with the series called, American Rapture, which includes Hello Out There by William Saroyan and world premiere plays by Alex Dinelaris (nominated Lucile Lortel/Drama Desks).

Brad Fryman, Oberon Theatre Ensemble Artistic Director, believes, "Although written over 400 years ago, the primal, the Machiavellian, the sultry and the romantic desires captured by The Bard, prevail in modern society. The two plays present contrasting looks at similar themes. In Much Ado, we see two true romantics on the road to marriage and another couple quite opposed to marriage who finally fight their way into each other's arms. In American Rapture the characters are also fighting to find their way, whether it's through relationships, self examination, or violence.”

Winter Rep 2009 will play a three-week engagement at The Beckett Theater at Theater Row (410 W 42nd St). Performances begin Thursday, February 12th, and continue through Sunday, March 1st. Tickets are $20.00 and $13.75 students/seniors. For reservations, please call 212-279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com to purchase tickets online. Tickets may also be purchased in person at Theater Row’s box office, open daily from 12pm-8pm.

Press are invited:
Thursday, February 12th at 8pm – Much Ado
Friday, February 13th at 8pm – Much Ado
Saturday, February 14th at 8pm – American Rapture
Sunday, February 15th at 3pm – American Rapture

Much Ado About Nothing
by William Shakespeare
directed by Mark Karafin

Benedick and Beatrice have vowed to remain single and appear to enjoy their battle of wits too much to ever call a truce. Young lovers Hero and Claudio conspire to change their minds. A romantic comedy about winning the oNe You didn’t know you wanted most.

Thursday, Feb 12 at 8pm
Friday Feb 13 at 8pm
Monday, Feb 16 at 7pm
Tuesday, Feb 17 at 8pm
Wednesday, Feb 18 at 2pm
Saturday, Feb 21 at 8pm
Sunday, Feb 22 at 3pm
Wednesday, Feb 25 at 8pm
Thursday, Feb 26 at 8pm
Friday, Feb 27 at 8pm
Saturday, Feb 28 at 2pm

American Rapture
Hello Out There by William Saroyan and world-premiere plays by Alex Dinelaris
directed by Alex Dinelaris

An evening of short plays, some humorous, some tragic, explore the unique mixture of loneliness and hope, which make up the American Experience. Playwright/director Alex Dinelaris, who was nominated for a Lucille Lortel (Best Musical) and two Drama Desk Awards (Book & Lyrics) for his work on the off-Broadway hit, ZANNA DON’T!, weaves his way through modern relationships, religious hypocrisy, love, loss and the endless cycle of violence that threatens to swallow our society whole. The evening culminates with William Saroyan’s Hello Out There, the powerful tale of two outcasts who find love at the most unlikely of times, in the most unlikely of places.

Saturday, Feb 14 at 8pm
Sunday, Feb 15 at 3pm
Wednesday, Feb 18 at 8pm
Thursday, Feb 19 at 8pm
Friday, Feb 20 at 8pm
Saturday, Feb 21 at 2pm
Monday, Feb 23 at 7pm
Tuesday, Feb 24 at 8pm
Wednesday, Feb 25 at 2pm
Saturday, Feb 28 at 8pm
Sunday, Mar 1 at 3pm

ALEX DINELARIS (Playwright/Director) Alex was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards in 2003 for his work on the additional book and lyrics for the Off-Broadway hit, ZANNA DON'T. Currently, he is working on writing the screenplay for Academy Award Nominee, Alejandro Gonzalez-Inirraitu's (BABEL, 21 GRAMS) next film. His critically acclaimed play The Chaos Theories, which recently had a staged reading starring Kathleen Chalfant, Ally Sheedy and Karen Ziemba, played to sold out audiences and was a top pick (New York Times/Daily News) of the 2004 New York Fringe Festival. At the moment, he has two plays optioned for Broadway: Folding The Monster (with Academy Award nominee Danny Aiello) and Still Life, slated for Broadway in early 2009. His newest play, Red Dog Howls, which addresses the Armenian genocide recently ran for a limited engagement at the El Portal Theatre in Los Angeles. It starred Kathleen Chalfant and received enthusiastic reviews from the Los Angeles Times. Other works include Big Kids, Adam & Evelyn and Pathetique. He has been a script doctor for New Line Cinema and recently finished work on his first television pilot entitled “Crisis Center: NYC”. Alex attended Barry University, where he received the Mac McKindree scholarship for drama. He is represented by Olivier Sultan and the Creative Artists Agency.

MARK KARAFIN (Director) Directing Credits: The Big Ride -- Finalist and Best Director Nominee (American Globe Theatre), Bombs and Manifestos (Roy Arias Theatre), Ready (Shetler Studios), America’s Next Most Wanted (The Players Theatre), Virgin Territory (Ripley Grier Studios). Mark has also directed original readings for the following plays in Oberon Theatre Ensemble’s reading series; Keep On Truckin’–It’s War, Wrestling The Alligators/Slots, A Thousand Variations On A Lie Told Once, and Something Of Great Importance. Mark directed Welcome To The Moon, Camera Obscura, [sic], Unmasked, and Minnesota Green all at The University of the North Carolina School of the Arts where he is a proud graduate with his B.F.A. in Directing under Gerald Freedman. Mark assisted Gerald on West Side Story at UNCSA as well as The Ravinia in Chicago. He has also assisted Lonny Price on Beautiful Girls starring Zoe Caldwell, Marin Mazzie, Donna McKechnie, Jenn Colella, and Patti LuPone, where he escorted Stephen Sondheim backstage to accept an award. He also assisted Lonny on Kiki Baby at the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference along with assisting Steve Cosson on Air Conditioning by Tommy Smith. He assisted Janet Zarish on Piscary as well as Rebecca Nelson on an original Lewis Black show entitled In Between Songs both at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in their Marathon Series this past year. Mark assisted Michael Goldfried on Yale Law School and Uncertainties at Ars Nova. Mark assisted Eric Parness on Ghost On Fire for Oberon Theatre Ensemble last year at Theatre Row and was the stage manager as well. He also stage managed Vengeance Can Wait at PS 122 and Taking A Chance On America at Ellis Island both directed by Jose Zayas, Proximity at the Michael Weller Theatre directed by Wendy McClellan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bank Street Theatre directed by Tiffany Little Canfield, and But For The Grace for the Fringe Festival in 2008 at Soho Rep. Mark has also been acting since he was ten years old. He went to a Performing Arts Middle School, as well as a Performing Arts High School, both in Baltimore. Mark studied acting at Stella Adler Studio and Strasberg Studio in the summer programs at New York University. Television acting credits include: 3 Episodes of “The Sopranos” on HBO.

William Saroyan (Playwright) Oscar winner and prestigious Pulitzer Prize recipient, William Saroyan, was born on August 31, 1908 in a Californian town of Fresno in an Armenian family of Armenak and Takoohi Saroyan. His first literary works were published between 1928 and 1936 and he then worked as a Hollywood writer for B. P. Schulberg and Columbia Pictures. In 1939 and 1940 William Saroyan's My Heart's in the Highlands and The Time of Your Life were staged for theater and Love's Old Sweet Song opened on Broadway and he received New York Critics Circle Award. In 1942 Saroyan made a short subject film "The Good Job" for Louis B. Mayer and in 1943 his MGM screenplay "The Human Comedy" was novelized and published and received great reviews. In 1944 he received the Academy Award for Best Writing Original Story for "The Human Comedy". He wrote the lyrics of Ross Bagdasarian's famous # 1 hit song "Come On-a My House", performed by Rosemary Clooney, which was featured in Madonna's 2002 "Swept Away". Saroyan is one of the most important American writers of the 20th century, perhaps the only writer to receive both the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy Award, and his work continues to appear on the theater stage and the silver screen worldwide.

William Shakespeare (Playwright) is one of the most renowned playwrights in history. His illustrious plays have been performed all over the world. Shakespeare's work transcends time with familiar themes such as romance, jealousy, and ambition.

OBERON ENSEMBLE THEATRE Founded in 1997, Oberon is an off-off Broadway ensemble theatre company. Now beginning our 12th season, we have produced 48 full-length productions and more than 50 staged readings of original plays. Oberon now has about 20 active members and many more regular collaborators, including award-winning actors, playwrights, directors and designers.

The Oberon Theatre Ensemble is an active player in New York’s independent theatre community. Each season we combine classic, contemporary, and new works in a format that allows each to highlight and enhance the other. We juxtapose new against old in a single evening or in a repertory schedule, with our ensemble of actors and directors nimbly jumping from one world to another to draw our audiences fully into the experience.

We believe in the joy of a well told story, the connection offered by a supportive community, and the magic of the Oberon actively works to share this magic with others by reaching out to the community. We offer discounted student and senior tickets to our performances, and create shows that we can bring to schools, senior centers, and hospitals. We have also presented shows free in Central Park and strive to keep all our offerings affordable.
In a time when Off-Broadway theatres are closing, ensemble theatre groups are all but unheard of, arts funding largely nonexistent, and theatres both large and small focused on finding the next big commercial hit, Oberon may be a bit old-fashioned in its approach. Nonetheless, our commitment to cultivating and invigorating a diverse theatre community remains steadfast. And it will remain so even amidst the rapid change that characterizes this unforgiving haven we call our home, New York City.

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