Turn to Flesh Productions in association with Dream Catcher Entertainment presents the world premiere of Cupid & Psyche: A New Play in Blank Verse written and directed by Emily C. A. Snyder playing especially for Valentine's Day at The TBG Theatre February 13 through 16. The cast features James Parenti, Erin Nelson, Laura Hooper, Gwenevere Sisco,Parker Madison, Stan Burturla, Laura Iris Hill, Kelly Laurel Zekas, Patrick Marran and Jon Adam Ross.
This modern re-telling of Cupid and Psyche, a quintessential myth for lovers, begins when Aphrodite, Goddess of Love, is infuriated to discover that all men have left her to worship Psyche, a young mortal who disdains love. Incensed both by Psyche's beauty and her irreverence towards her, Aphrodite is determined to take revenge and orders her son Cupid to kill her. But once he encounters Psyche, Cupid finds himself in a quandary as he becomes infatuated by her body... and her soul. Although she is tempted to love by her invisible admirer's rousing kiss, Psyche ultimately rejects Cupid's advances. Now with his passion unbound, Cupid wreaks havoc on Psyche's family, until Psyche marries him to rid the world of "Love"...and then must rediscover what Love really is.
Turn to Flesh Productions is a
New Theatre Company founded by Michelle Kafel (Managing Director) and Emily C.A. Snyder (Artistic Director) whose mission is to bring both new and established texts to stage to explore today's issues through the lens of what has happened before. In the process they aim is to provide quality entertainment that is at once visually, intellectually and emotionally stimulating, while challenging audiences to examine alternate points of view as to better understand one another. The choice of myth as told through modern verse in this inaugural production of Cupid & Psychepresents characters with their own distinct perspectives expressed in a poetic and philosophical way, allowing both language and ideas to be heard afresh.
Emily C.A. Snyder is a director and published playwright and novelist. As a director she directed many of Shakespeare's most noted plays in the Boston area. As a playwright she wrote Math for Actors,The French Butler, Charming Princes and Wallace's Will. She is the author of the Twelve Kingdoms novels and Nachtsturm Castle. In London she studied
John Barton's/
Trevor Nunn's approach to Elizabethan verse with members of the
Royal Shakespeare Company. Her play Cupid and Psyche placed as a semi-finalist with the Princess Grace Foundation. She holds a Masters in Theatre Education from Boston's Emerson College and is a member of the
Dramatists Guild.
Michelle Kafel, producer of TTF Productions is a multi-talented theatre artist who has worked both behind and on stage with the critically acclaimed
Storm Theatre Company as an Associate Producer, Director and Stage Manager. She performed is their production of Arrah-Na-Pogue and received critical acclaim from her work in the Storm production of The London Merchant.
Cupid and Psyche: A New Play in Blank Verse will open at The
Barrow Group Theatre (312 W. 36th Street, 3rd Fl.) on Thursday, February 13th with a reception to follow. The performance schedule is Thu. Feb. 13 thru Sat. Feb. 15 at 7:30PM with matinees on Sat. Feb. 15 and Sun. Feb. 16 at 2PM. Tickets purchased online are $20 and $25 at the door. A Friday February 14th Valentine's Day Special priced at $50 includes two tickets and a heart shaped box of chocolates. To purchase tickets go to
www.smarttix.com or directly to
www.smarttix.com/show.aspx?showcode=cup589 and call (212) 868-4444. For more information go to
http://www.turntoflesh.com.
