EVOLUTION Begins Performances 4/26 at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters welcomes Absolute Uncertainty in association with InterArt Theatre and The Redhouse Arts Center with EVOLUTION, written and performed by Patricia Buckley and directed by Michele Chivu. EVOLUTION begins performances on Thursday, April 26 for a limited engagement through Sunday, May 20.  Press opening is Wednesday, May 2 at 7:30 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:30 PM; Friday at 8:30 PM; Saturday at 2:30 PM and 8:30 PM; and Sunday at 3:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Scientific fact and family history collide in this tale of a woman’s extraordinary transformation and her family’s absurd and tragic attempts to prevent it. Mixing performance, puppetry, and miniatures with a lush video design by Jim Findlay (Collapsable Giraffe, Cynthia Hopkins), EVOLUTION is a fascinating exploration of identity, family and illness cross cut with the story of the back-to-the-water evolutionary process of the whale.

EVOLUTION, which was developed by the Cherry Lane Mentor Project, originally premiered at The Redhouse Arts Center in Syracuse, where the Syracuse Post Standard called it “a taut, creative, multi-character, one-woman show that will make you laugh as well as jolt your serious sensibilities.”

The design team includes Jim Findlay (set and vide design); Thomas Dunn (lighting design); Anna Alisa Belous (costume design); and Will Pickens (sound design). Marc Mellits composed the original score. The production stage manager is David A. Vandervliet.

Patricia Buckley (Playwright) is a writer and performer. She is a founding member of Gams On The Lam (Franklin Furnace Emerging Artist Award), whose ground-breaking shows combed slapstick, satire and dance touring the US, Canada, Latin America and Europe. In Europe, Ms. Buckley has toured and collaborated with the Spanish company Teatro K de Calle in creating spectacle and outdoor performance. Ms. Buckley was a writer and performer with the Tony Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune.  Other US credits include: Portland Stage Company, La Jolla Playhouse, Coconut Grove, Berkshire Theatre Festival, Portland Center Stage, Walnut Street, Cleveland Playhouse, and Papermill Playhouse. NYC performance venues include New York Theatre Workshop, The Irish Arts Center, and Potomac Theatre Project. Film and television credits include Law & Order, Death Of A President and Kabluey.

Michele Chivu  (Director) Most recently, Michele produced and directed a short film called American House that has screened at film festivals around the country over the past year. She directed Pretty Chin Up for LAByrinth at The Public Theater. Other directing credits include: The Maids and Rhinoceros, among others. Development of new plays and staged readings include: 7 Captiva Road and Pretty Chin Up for LAByrinth; Blume In Atlantic City at The Flea and PS122 and We.Self Identification for the Culture Project, among others. Michele has taught the director/design workshop for the LAByrinth master class. She is a graduate of NYU.