Cast and Dates Set for THE ILLUSIONARY GAMES OF EDWARD RYE at The Filigree Theatre
Performances will run from April 18-May 4.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 09, 2025
Tickets are now on sale for The Filigree Theatre's final production of their Sixth Season, "The Illusionary Games of Edward Rye." This world premiere production was written by New York playwright and Broadway actress Ashley Griffin, who also stars in the play, directed by Elizabeth V. Newman. Opening Night is set for Friday, April 18 at Factory on 5th, and the production will run through May 4, Thursday - Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. with matinees on Sundays at 3 p.m. (no shows Sunday, April 20).
The play follows world-famous psychological illusionist Edward Rye (played by Dallas-based actor Malcolm Stephenson), who has made his fortune demonstrating that free will is merely an illusion. When, desperate for a challenge, Edward attempts to use the intelligent Claire Fox (played by Ashley Griffin) as the subject of his next meta experiment, his world is turned upside down and he is forced to question everything he once believed.
"It's been such a joy collaborating with Filigree on this piece and I'm so thrilled to be able to bring it to Austin audiences for the first time," said playwright and actor Ashley Griffin. "With this show, I felt the need to explore our cultural shift to a way of thinking that minimizes the importance of empathy and instead celebrates individual power, personal truth and control. Theater allows us to take difficult subjects and really examine them in a way nothing else can and I'm so excited for audiences to come on this magical, edge of your seat journey."
"Part of Filigree's mission is to act as both a 'seed' and as a 'thread' - both by cultivating new work in Austin and by connecting and collaborating with theatre artists based in other cities across the US," said The Filigree Theatre's Artistic Director, Elizabeth V. Newman. "It is incredibly gratifying and very exciting to have the opportunity to bring together a company of artists with such rich and varied professional backgrounds for this production," said Newman. "There are also some fun production elements to this show too - the concept for the set is a 'puzzle-box', reminding the audience that things aren't always as they first appear. Each night the play will begin with a 'show within a show' when the character of 'Edward Rye' will invite a real audience member on stage to assist with a live magic trick!"
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