Hyper Aware Theater Co Presents Titanic and The Actor’s Nightmare

The Hyper Aware Theater Company presents Titanic and The Actor's Nightmare, by Tony Award nominee and Obie Award winner Christopher Durang. Both absurd one-acts will be performed by the same cast in seven performances at The Access Theater from March 31 - April 10, 2011.

In The Actor's Nightmare, a man named George finds himself inexplicably backstage moments before an unknown play is set to begin. When confronted by the stage manager, it becomes apparent that he is an understudy in a Noel Coward play-or is it something by Beckett, or maybe it's Hamlet?-and he must perform in the absence of the lead actor. Convinced that this is simply a nightmare, George accepts the task, including his tragic death in the final scene, theorizing that he will wake up just before his proposed beheading. But will he? Don't worry, our actors are insured.

Titanic follows prepubescent Teddy as he attempts to survive the maiden voyage of the famed Titanic, though icebergs are the least of his concerns. When his father claims that Teddy's mother only thinks she gave birth-and that his mistress actually achieved the illusion with mirrors-a whirlwind of mistaken identities, incest, and animals living inside female genitalia ensues. Teddy wishes the ship would just sink, but this Titanic never meets that well-known fate. We hear the ship striking an iceberg, but the noise turns out to be the result of a sound effects record, played by the Captain's unstable wife. Warning: Excessive use of white bread and dildos.

Featuring Christopher Dippel (founding member of the award-winning Neo-Futurists), Alexis Rhiannon (UCB), Ariana Murphy (The Magnet), Louis Aquiler* (Time Traveling with Cannibals), Christopher Norwood* (NYU's Tisch), Chris D'Amato (The Legend of Johnny 15). *actors appear courtesy of AEA. Directed by Richie Pepio (D.C.'s Synthetic Theater).

The Hyper Aware Theater Company was founded in 2008, in an effort to push beyond the standard gimmicks of metatheater into a world of pure emotion. Most recently, their sold out run of Time Traveling with Cannibals at Nicu's Spoon Theater was hailed as "a hilarious journey with outrageously awesome set design . . . which never drags or lags" by theateronline.com. More information at hyperawaretheater.blogspot.com

The Access Theater is located at 380 Broadway (and White Street). Tickets are $15-$18 and can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

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