EPIC Theater to Celebrate Halloween With EPIC VILLAINS: A WICKEDLY INCLUSIVE CABARET at Joe's Pub

EPIC Players, New York's leading neuro-diverse theatre company, will thrill audiences this spooky season for two performances of EPIC: Villains: A Wickedly Inclusive Cabaret at the iconic entertainment venue Joe's Pub at The Public Theater. The shows will take place on Sunday, October 24th and Monday, October 25th, both at 8:00pm. Each night will feature a different performance, with special guests and show stopping numbers. Audiences are encouraged to come both nights for unique treats!

EPIC Players, along with special guests direct from Broadway, will perform songs to honor everyone's favorite villains, monsters, and everything in between this Halloween! Audience members are encouraged to attend in costume.

EPIC Players-which stands for empower, perform, include, and create-is a Brooklyn-based nonprofit theatre company founded five years ago to provide opportunities for performers with developmental disabilities to represent themselves on stage and screen. EPIC seeks to use the performing arts as a vehicle to empower artists with developmental disabilities and pioneer increased inclusion in the arts.

"As someone once said, a villain is just a hero whose story just hasn't been told yet," said Aubrie Therrien, Executive Artistic Director at EPIC Players. "Our performers will not just entertain with songs and costumes but take audiences on an emotional journey, considering these new perspectives from some of culture's most compelling characters."

Therrien serves as the director of Epic Villains, Scott Evan Davis and David Andreana are music directors, and Codi McGarry is assistant director.

During both evening shows, EPIC Players will perform songs from everyone's most beloved villains including "Poor Unfortunate Souls," and "Friends on the Other Side", as well as Halloween hits such as "I Put a Spell on You" and "Thriller", re-imagined Pop/Rock classics like "Bad Guy", and "Symphony for the Devil," and chilling Broadway standards from "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Sweeney Todd," and more.

The cast features EPIC Players' members: Andrew Kader, Alexander Michael Reeves, Amanda DeLalla, Ari Sloan, Christine Newberry, Claire Mercier, Conor Tague, Ellie Sondock, Gianluca Cirafici, Gideon Pianko, Henry Houghton, Imani Youngblood, Jared Bazemore, Jesus Chevez, Jordan Boyatt, Katherine Tepan, Kathryn Cristofano, Kylie Hogrefe, Laisha Gonzalez, Mickey McGrath, Nada Smith, Natalie Kaiser, Nick Barberio, Nick Moscato, Preston Burger, Samantha Elisofon, Shayna Goldberg, Wells Thorne, and Zach Labbadia.

Tickets are $35 (there is a two-drink or $12 food minimum, per person, during shows). Visit https://publictheater.org/productions/joes-pub/2021/e/epic-players/ for tickets and more information. Joe's Pub and The Public Theater do require proof of full COVID vaccination and for masks to be worn inside the venue. For more information click here.

About EPIC Players

EPIC Players-which stands for empower, perform, include, and create-is a nonprofit, neuro-diverse theatre company in New York City founded in 2016 to provide opportunities for performers with developmental disabilities to represent themselves on stage and screen. EPIC seeks to use the performing arts as a vehicle to empower neuro-divergent artists through professional opportunities and supportive social communities.

Through neuro-inclusive mainstage productions, musical cabarets, original showcases, skills-based classes and career resources, EPIC breaks down social stigmas surrounding neuro-diverse communities, increasing employment opportunities and pioneering inclusion in the arts.

EPIC Players has performed their bi-annual, neuro-inclusive cabaret to sold-out audiences at Lincoln Center and at Joe's Pub at The Public. They were honored to ring the opening bell at The New York Stock Exchange in April 2018 and speak at The United Nations on autism and the arts.

Learn more at www.epicplayersnyc.org.