THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH Set for Bridge Street Theatre, Now thru 6/21

Kaliyuga Arts presents a contemporary re-telling of the first great work of world literature, the ancient Babylonian poem THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH at Bridge Street Theatre, tonight, June 11-21, 2015. The production, directed and designed by John Sowle, features actor Steven Patterson in a virtuoso solo performance.

A mythic "quest" narrative in the Homeric tradition, as well as an epic "bromance", GILGAMESH tells the story of a grief-stricken king who, after his best friend dies, goes on an odyssey to the ends of the earth in a desperate attempt to restore him to life. It also contains a tale of a Great Flood that closely parallels but pre-dates the biblical story of Noah. Given its timeless themes of competitiveness, friendship, hubris, loss, grief, and acceptance, this ancient story remains amazingly modern and deeply moving.

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH will be the first production in Bridge Street Theatre's "Raw Space," the area of the performing arts complex which will become the theatre's "Main Stage" once funds for its completion have been obtained. The production was funded in part by the Decentralization Program of the NYS Council on the Arts, administered in Greene County by the Greene County Council on the Arts through the Twin Counties Cultural Fund.

THE EPIC OF GILGAMESH will open with a "pay-what-you-can" preview on Thursday June 11, and continue its run through June 21 on Thursday-Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2:00pm. Eight performances only. General Admission is $15, $10 for Students and Seniors, and reservations are suggested: (518) 943-3818 or online at BridgeSt.org. Bridge Street Theatre is located at 44 West Bridge Street in the Village of Catskill and ample free parking is available in the Catskill High School parking lot directly behind the theater building.

Steven Patterson (Actor) has performed regionally and in New York City with theaters such as Capital Repertory, Stageworks/Hudson, Lexington Conservatory Theatre, freeFall Theatre, South Coast Repertory, TheatreWorks, Kaliyuga Arts, and the Oregon, Orlando, Tennessee, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festivals. Favorite roles have included Lear in KING LEAR, Jean Genet in BEAUTY, Austin Wiggin in THE SHAGGS: PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, Judi Boswell in HOW TO PRAY, and Jake Sturdy in KILL ME NOW. Co-founder of Kaliyuga Arts, he also serves as Associate Director of Bridge Street Theatre.

John Sowle (Director and Designer) is Managing Director of Bridge Street Theatre, a new performing arts center in progress in Catskill, NY. He has produced, directed, designed, and performed in hundreds of productions over the years. He founded Kaliyuga Arts in 1986 with Steven Patterson and has received multiple awards for his directing and design work on their Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York productions. In Manhattan, John directed and designed Beckett's ALL THAT FALL and Dan Carbone's KINGDOM OF NOT at the Cherry Lane and the Al Carmines/Gertrude Stein musical IN CIRCLES at Judson Church. In 2012 he directed and designed THE MOUND BUILDERS and in 2013 directed and designed TRUE LOVE LIES and the U.S. premiere of KILL ME NOW, all at the Cross Street Theatre Center in Hudson. John has an undergraduate degree from M.I.T in mathematics and received a PhD in Dramatic Art from UC Berkeley.

Kaliyuga Arts was originally founded in Los Angeles, California in 1986 by John Sowle and Steven Patterson, who continue to lead it to this day. From its inception, it has been dedicated to the presentation of off-beat, challenging work, and has established an ever-expanding reputation for artistic excellence with a wide range of material. Based in San Francisco from 1990 thru 2004, New York City from 2004 thru 2010, and currently located in Catskill, NY, where it serves as "in-house" theater company of the new Bridge Street Theatre, Kaliyuga Arts continues to present some of the most exciting, risk-taking and innovative theatre available to audiences anywhere. www.kaliyuga.com

Bridge Street Theatre is a new performance space just 2 hours north of Manhattan and 40 minutes south of Albany in the Village of Catskill, NY. John Sowle and Steven Patterson of the award-winning theater troupe Kaliyuga Arts (kaliyuga.com) purchased an old warehouse building near downtown Catskill in November of 2013 and are in the process of converting it into a year-round performing arts complex. They completed conversion the "Speakeasy" (cum Lobby) in the new space this past spring and have been presenting intimate theatre and cabaret performances there since May of 2014. http://bridgest.orgl

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