Adam Rapp's WOLF IN THE RIVER Extends Through May 16 at The Flea

Adam Rapp's WOLF IN THE RIVER, an impressionistic glimpse into the poetry of broken people, will now run through May 16. Written and directed by Adam Rapp, featuring members of The Bats, The Flea's resident acting company.

In WOLF IN THE RIVER, Adam Rapp explores love and neglect, the challenges of poverty, the dangerous cost of shiftlessness, the simple notion of leaving a place behind, and the value of a girl. Ben Brantley says the production is full of "savage lyricism" and "vivacious staging". David Roberts says, "Under Mr. Rapp's extraordinary direction, the ensemble cast of WOLF IN THE RIVER brings the audience to a level of awareness and responsibility the theatre too often buries under the veneer of entertainment and the umbilical cord of numbness."

Following the April 4th performance of WOLF IN THE RIVER, the production will take a three week hiatus. Upon its return on April 28th, WOLF IN THE RIVER will run rep with Sarah Gancher's THE PLACE WE BUILT, with two notable casting changes. The role of The Wolf, currently played by Jack Ellis, will be assumed by Olivia Jampol. The role of Monty Mae Maloney, currently played by Xanthe Paige, will be assumed by Kristin Friedlander.

The Flea's production features The Bats: William Apps, Maki Borden (Take Care), Alexandra Curran (Student Body), Karen Eilbacher (a cautionary tale), Jack Ellis, Kristin Friedlander (The Cutthroat Series), Jack Horton Gilbert (The Mysteries), John Paul Harkins (Mary Kate Olsen is in Love), Olivia Jampol (Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom), Artem Kreimer (The Shakes), Derek Christopher Murphy (Take Care), Xanthe Paige, Mike Swift, Kate Thulin (The Mysteries), and Casey Wortmann. The creative team includes Arnulfo Maldonado (scenic design), Masha Tsimring (lighting design), Michael Hili & Hallie Elizabeth Newton (costume design), Brendan Connelly (sound design), Zach Serafin (props design), J. David Brimmer (fight choreography), Sarah East Johnson (aerial consultant), Anne Cecelia Haney (assistant director) Morgan Leigh Beach (stage manager), and Annie Jenkins (assistant stage manager).

WOLF IN THE RIVER runs through May 16, schedule varies. Tickets start at $20 with the lowest priced tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis. The production includes nudity, violence, graphic language, and sexual situations. The Flea Theater is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Purchase tickets by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.

BIOS:

ADAM RAPP (playwright/director) is an award-winning playwright, theatre director, novelist, and filmmaker. He is the author of numerous plays, which include NOCTURNE (American Repertory Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, The Almeida, London, The Traverse, Edinburgh), FASTER (Rattlestick), ANIMALS & PLANTS (A.R.T.), FINER NOBLE GASES (26th Humana Festival, Rattlestick, Edinburgh Fringe, The Bush, London), STONE COLD DEAD SERIOUS (A.R.T., Edge Theatre), BLACKBIRD (The Bush, London; Edge Theatre), GOMPERS, (Pittsburgh City Theatre, The Arcola, London), ESSENTIAL SELF-DEFENSE (Playwrights Horizons/Edge Theatre), AMERICAN SLIGO (Rattlestick), BINGO WITH THE INDIANS (The Flea), KINDNESS (Playwrights Horizons), THE METAL CHILDREN (The Vineyard), THE HALLWAY TRILOGY (Rattlestick), THE EDGE OF OUR BODIES (36th Humana Festival), DREAMS OF FLYING DREAMS OF FALLING (The Atlantic), and RED LIGHT WINTER (Steppenwolf, Scott Rudin Productions at Barrow Street Theatre), which won Chicago's Jeff Award for Best New Work, an OBIE, and was named a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize. THE PURPLE LIGHTS OF JOPPA ILLINOIS, commissioned by Southcoast Rep, received its world premier at the '14 Pacific Playwrights Conference, and he will direct its Off-Broadway premiere at The Atlantic Theater Company this Spring.

The Bats are the resident acting company of The Flea Theater. Each year over a thousand actors audition for a place in this unique company. The Bats perform in extended runs of challenging classic and new plays. Major as well as up-and-coming writers vie to have The Bats tackle their work. As performers, these actors are known being fearless not feckless and bring verve and vision to the written word. Stage and Cinema calls The Bats "Always charming and energized," and Ben Brantley calls them "fresh-faced," which is "...good news, especially for New York casting agents."

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Niegel Smith and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include premieres by Trista Baldwin, Steven Banks, Thomas Bradshaw, Sheila Callaghan, Kim Davies, Bathsheba Doran, Will Eno, Karen Finley, Amy Freed, Sean Graney, A.R. Gurney, Laurel Haines, Jennifer Haley, Hamish Linklater, Enrique Gutiérrez Ortiz Monasterio, Itamar Moses, Anne Nelson, Qui Nguyen, Adam Rapp, Jonathan Reynolds, Roger Rosenblatt, Todd Shalom, Julian Sheppard, Tommy Smith, Elizabeth Swados, Ken Urban, Mac Wellman, Beau Willimon, Brian Watkins, and Frank Winters, among others. Highlights include Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters, These Seven Sicknesses, Restoration Comedy, The Mysteries and eight World Premieres by A.R. Gurney including the WSJ Best New Play of 2013, Family Furniture.