Needs More Work Productions' To Present BACK-EYE

Needs More Work Productions, one of New York City's leading immersive theater companies, will present a brand new adaptation of Euripides' Greek tragedy.

Join them this month in Manhattan and Queens and choose between alternate endings for the famous classical play. How far can a leader go? Will you let them, or will you stand up for what you think is right?

Led by Artistic Director Sivan Raz, Back-Eye explores the character of the democratic leader all the way from The Kings Of Ancient Greece to working-class actors in 2025. A regular performance of The Bacchae comes to a halt when the actress playing Dionysus (Choreographer Penelope Rose Deen) decides to veer off the script. Suddenly, the acting troupe performing the play finds itself battling with the same piercing questions their characters face. Will a new leader rise from within the group? This summer- the choice is YOURS.

Performances will take place from Friday through Sunday, July 11th-13th and July 18th-20th, 2025. This is a free admission event, with a recommended donation of $25 per person after the show. Reserve your ticket today through: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQ6DozCnpXLmOaTb2Zw5oqolIrLMy9REdKFplKvVdolKepSQ/viewform?usp=dialog

"The Bacchae is a play about boundaries, and whether or not you can tell once you've crossed them," Says Raz, the play's Director and Composer for the original songs woven through the piece. "That question rings as true today as it did back then, and it's as important in everyday situations as it is on the king's ivory tower. In this adaptation, the theater is a microcosm through which you can learn new things about your life and the people you choose to trust."

Raz, a daring young director, wanted the show to correspond with the current political landscape. "In Back-Eye, you'll get to see six different forms of leadership, each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses. Just like in real life, it's your task to choose which one the play will follow- and live with the consequences of that choice". Raz expertly leads the show's ensemble through an extravaganza of song, dance and ritual, creating a true spectacle in the green spaces of Battery Park and the Moore Jackson Community Garden.

Back-Eye is the second half of The Kings' Cycle, a pair of Greek tragedy adaptations exploring the mechanisms of modern democracy from its inception in ancient Greece till this very day. The first half of the cycle, Anti-Gone (Antigone by Sophocles), just finished its acclaimed run at the 2025 New York City Fringe Festival, winning awards including Best Tragedy and an Extension Award and being described by critics as a "tight, energetic production-brimming with educational potential."

Reserve your free ticket today to see Back-Eye live this July and spend an afternoon in the tumultuous Thebes.

Back-Eye stars Penelope Rose Deen (Dionysus) and Camille van Putten (Pentheus), with Alyssa Góngora (Agave), Emily Phelps (Cadmus), Josh Orsi (Teiresias) and Sivan Raz (Chorus Leader) rounding up the cast. The show is Directed, Composed and Produced by Sivan Raz, Choreographed and Produced by Penelope Rose Deen and Arranged by Belle Rue, with Intimacy Coordination by Alyssa Góngora and a translation by Ian Johnston.