Empirical Rogue and the cell Present MACBETH Benefit Reading for Occupy Sandy Recovery Efforts Today

Empirical Rogue, a theater company of A.R.T./MXAT Institute at Harvard alums, will team up with the cell, A Twenty First Century Salon, to present a benefit reading for the ongoing relief efforts of Occupy Sandy, the coordinated effort to distribute resources and volunteers to those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The reading of Shakespeare's MacBeth will start at 2:00pm, today, January 6th, at the cell, located in the heart of Chelsea (338 west 23rd street), and will feature Empirical Rogue company members, cast members from Sleep No More, Gossip Girl, The Wire, and Tremé. A short reception will follow, and all proceeds will benefit Occupy Sandy's continued relief efforts throughout New York and New Jersey.

Emphasizing the spirit of community and defiance in Shakespeare's dark tale of ambition, murder, and despair, this reading of MacBeth will bring together artists and the theater community to help those most affected by Hurricane Sandy. Ticket sales, along with cash and check donations, will be collected on behalf of Occupy Sandy and added to the nearly $750,000 they have raised since the storm made landfall in late October.

The cast includes Tim Eliot (Empirical Rogue Artistic Director), Careena Melia (ER Company Member, and Sleep No More cast member), Jim True-Frost (The Wire, Tremé), Zuzanna Szadkowski (Gossip Girl; Love, Loss, and What I Wore), Theresa McElwee, David Hywel Baynes, Sleep No More cast members Ben Thys and Phil Atkins, ER company members Doug Chapman and Chris Staley, and ART/MXAT alums Kaaron Briscoe, DeLance Minefee, Nina Kassa, and Heidi Nelson, and percussionist Kazuki Kozuru-Salifoska.

The artistic team at the cell includes Nancy Manocherian (Founding Artistic Director), Kira Simring (Artistic Director), and Lee Terry (Technical Director).

The single performance of MacBeth will be today, January 6th at 2:00 pm, at the cell (338 west 23rd street; btw. 8th and 9th avenues; subways C and E to 23rd Street). All tickets $25 at the door, cash or check only. For guaranteed seats, RSVP via email at MacBethForSandy@gmail.com. Limit two per reservation.

Empirical Rogue (Co-Producer) inspires unity and understanding through theater. The company fosters change in the world through art, arts education, and arts outreach. Empirical Rogue creates and performs theater that arises from the aesthetic demands and potentials of new and classical texts. With its audiences in New York and the larger world, it explores the extremes of human behavior through stories of lasting relevance. The company form innovative arts education and arts outreach partnerships and collaborations with members of the communities where we produce our work. Empirical Rogue is a registered 501c(3) not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit www.empiricalrogue.org.

the cell, A Twenty First Century Salon, (Co-Producer) is a not-for-profit collective for artists to incubate and present new work. They recently produced the world premiere of Hard Times, a new American musical by Larry Kirwan of the infamous Irish punk legend Black 47. For more information, visit www.thecelltheatre.org.

Occupy Sandy is a coordinated relief effort to help distribute resources & volunteers to help neighborhoods and people affected by Hurricane Sandy. We are a coalition of people & organizations who are dedicated to implementing aid and establishing hubs for neighborhood resource distribution. Members of this coalition are from Occupy Wall Street, 350.org, recovers.org and interoccupy.net. Occupy Sandy is a fiscally sponsored project of the Alliance for Global Justice, a registered 501c(3) not-for-profit organization. For more information, visit www.interoccupy.net/occupysandy.