Bloody Shakespeare to Present RICHARD THE THIRD AND GOAL, OR R3G at Frigid New York

Bloody Shakespeare is proud to present the world premiere of Richard the Third and Goal, or R3G by Neal J. Freeman as part of the 2015 FRIGID New York Festival.

Richard the Third and Goal, or R3G mashes iconic and polarizing NFL star Ray Lewis with the notorious King Richard III. Using Shakespeare's text and Lewis' words, R3G sifts the classic play through the wild pageantry of a football game in a sudden-death playoff between two men both revered and reviled. The 60-minute comedy plays February 18-28, 2015 at Under St. Marks, 94 Saint Mark's Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A.

In 2000, NFL star Ray Lewis was arrested in connection with a street brawl that ended in the stabbing death of two men. One year later, having pled guilty to obstruction of justice and after having served a brief prison sentence, Lewis led his team to football's highest prize, the Super Bowl championship. In 2012 Lewis earned a second championship and retired following the season as a man loved by some, hated by others. R3G teases out Shakespeare's play in the style of an American football game and places Richard's treacherous rise to kingship within the landscape of American sports hero idolatry through the words of hero/villain Lewis. The comic play is a tribute to and an indictment of both men, using the pageantry of sports to find the parallels in their stories.

Richard the Third and Goal, or R3G will play Wednesday 2/18 at 7:10pm, Friday 2/20 at 8:50pm, Sunday 2/22 at 12:10pm, Wednesday 2/25 at 8:50pm, and Saturday 2/28 at 5:30pm. Tickets are available in advance online at www.frigidnewyork.info or in person at 85 E. 4th Street. Visit www.bloodyshakespeare.com for more information.

Richard the Third and Goal, or R3G is written and directed by Neal J. Freeman. Freeman holds an MFA in Directing from Brooklyn College and a BA in Theater Arts (Honors Directing) from Cornell University. From 2009-2012, he served as Executive Director of Brooklyn's The Gallery Players and has directed many shows with the company. His play A Letter from Bataan was a 2012 and 2013 semi-finalist for the Eugene O'Neill Center National Playwrights Conference. In 2013 he wrote and directed The Nightmare 'Dream' for FringeNYC.

Richard the Third and Goal, or R3G stars Montgomery Sutton*, Minna Taylor*, and Patrick Toon*.

Bloody Shakespeare, founded in 2013, is a New York City theater company dedicated to producing aggressively reimagined renderings of the classics, and new works inspired by the classics. Press quotes about the company's production of The Nightmare 'Dream' at Fringe NYC in 2013:

"Bloody Shakespeare has crafted a clever, fast-paced hybrid. The Nightmare 'Dream' deftly fuses horror and farce. The production is light and amusing, rife with literary allusions and playful asides that keep the audience from attempting to take its premise too seriously. A bloody good romp." -The Villager

"Mr. Freeman directs with a lightweight sense of fun." -Anita Gates, The New York Times

"It's easy to go disastrously wrong with pieces like these, they so easily move into the unsettling milieu of self-indulgent, over-worked fanfiction. To wit, if there's a formula that makes this kind of thing work, I think this show's discovered it: quick and simple. Freeman shows a remarkable amount of restraint in the assembly of the work and in his direction, the pace is swift, the run time is short, and the end result worth every joke that didn't make the cut. Less is More. Nobody took it or themselves too seriously, and that made a potentially eye-rolling/watch-checking gamble into a compelling and hilarious hour of theatre. It ain't art, but they know it, and in the best traditions of the Fringe they are just having fun. Consequently, I had fun with them. Neal J. Freeman does phenomenal work here, walking the line between door-slamming farce and Shakespeare adroitly. The Nightmare 'Dream' is a broad gesture in the simplest fashion that doesn't backfire. Considering the constraints of the NY Fringe Festival, it is a resounding success, and a reminder that the ancient tome of storytelling is best when it's fast, simple, and full of well-timed double-takes to the house." -Tzipora Kaplan, Theatre Is Easy

*member of Actors' Equity Association, Equity showcase, approval pending