Epic Theatre Ensemble Gets Out the Vote With First Vote '08 on 11/3

Epic Theater Ensemble, in partnership with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, will host a one-night only special event to benefit Epic’s innovative, civic-minded in-school and after-school education programs.  Some of today’s top writers and performers will honor a large group of First Time Voters with an evening of satirical, scandalous, and inspiring short plays, songs, sketches, and toasts.   The annual event is set for Election Eve, Monday, November 3rd  at 7:30 p.m. in The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College of Criminal Justice (899 Tenth Avenue between 58th and 59th Streets). 

The writers and performers scheduled to appear at this year’s event include, Tanya Barfield, Mia Barron, Stephen Belber, Leila Buck, Julia Cho, Kathleen Chalfant, Colman Domingo, Melissa Friedman, Alexandra Gersten-Vassilaros, Rachael Holmes, Teri Lamm, Craig Lucas, Godfrey L. Simmons, Jr., Nilaja Sun, David Strathairn, James Wallert, Sarah Winkler, David Zellnik, with GorDon Elliott (TV’s Food Network celebrity host/producer) as the non-citizen, non-partisan Master of Ceremonies!

Every year Epic Theatre Ensemble stages an election eve event honoring student alumnae from Epic’s innovative, civic-minded education programs who will be voting for the first time the next day. This one-hour benefit weaves together a collection of short plays, spoken op-eds, music, comedy sketches, and toasts that take a satiric, passionate, and most often personal perspective on citizenship, democracy, and the experience of voting.

Performing artists and writers who have contributed and performed at past First-Time Voter Nights include David Strathairn, Eve Ensler, Tony Kushner, Nilaja Sun, Warren Leight, Kathleen Chalfant, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Emily Mann, Tamara Tunie, The Petersons, Christopher Durang, Austin Pendleton, Erin Cressida Wilson, Scott Bryce, Aaron & Julia Korhn, Ariel Dorfman, Amy Redford, just to name a few.

Epic Founding Producer, Zak Berkman, adds that “for this extraordinary election year we are expanding our First Time Voter event in many directions. Our honorees will be working with Epic’s artists to register voters and utilize street theatre and other theatrical activities to increase awareness of the election throughout the fall. They will also be contributing writing that will be performed alongside the professional contributions on November 3rd. We are thrilled to be partnering for the first time with John Jay College of Criminal Justice to identify honorees, contributors, and present the culminating election-eve event at their Gerald Lynch Theater.”

Tickets for “First Vote ’08” are priced at $50 / $25 for General Admission, $10 Student (w/code “ST10” and student ID)  , and there are a limited number of VIP TICKETS at  $250 (includes a special pre-show reception with the performers from 6:00 p.m. - 7:15 p.m., priority seating, and recognition in program).

General Admission and Student tickets are available online at www.ticketcentral.com or by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200.  Special VIP tickets can be purchased via email at SarahWinklerEpic@aol.com or by calling (212) 239-1770.

Epic Theater Ensemble is a company of Citizen-Artists using theatre to inspire dialogue about vital social, ethical, and political issues.  Epic’s mission is to build citizenship in communities throughout the city by producing socially-minded plays Off-Broadway, and connecting these plays to the NYC Public Schools via ground-breaking, fully-integrated artist residencies. Using theatrical participation to foster dialogue on the complex relationships between individuals and their civic context, Epic's artists champion the belief that a theatre which addresses social issues is critical to the health of our democracy.

Winner of OBIE, Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics, American Theatre Wing, and OTTO Awards, Epic Theatre Ensemble was founded in 2001 by Zak Berkman, Melissa Friedman, Teri Lamm, Ron Russell and James Wallert. Additional Producing Artists are Will Pomerantz, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr. and Sarah Winkler. Epic's past productions include Nilaja Sun's No Child..., which Epic commissioned, developed and premiered before its commercial transfer and national tour, as well as premieres of Palace of the End by Judith Thompson (Epic Commission, 2008 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Winner), A Hard Heart by Howard Barker (featuring Kathleen Chalfant), Beauty on the Vine by Zak Berkman (featuring Epic Associates David Strathairn and Olivia Wilde), Hannah and Martin by Kate Fodor (featuring David Strathairn), Einstein's Gift by Vern Thiessen (featuring Aasif Mandvi and Shawn Elliott), Habitat by Judith Thompson and revivals of GB Shaw’s Widowers’ Houses (with Peter Jay Fernandez), Little Eyolf by Henrik Ibsen and Time and the Conways by J.B. Priestley.

Epic's first official day of operations was September 11, 2001. Rather than be deterred by world events, Epic's Founders were galvanized to work even harder to create a company that embraces theatre and theatre-artists as unique instruments for empowering diverse voices, fostering public dialogue, and inspiring social change. The artists who participate in Epic's Off-Broadway Season are also part of the company's nationally acclaimed arts-education residencies that are presented in public schools and community centers in New York, New Jersey, and New England. Epic Theatre Ensemble is a Member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, as well as ART/NY.

Photo Credit Peter James Zielinski

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