Singaporean Actress Zoe Zimin Stars In THE INVENTION OF TRAGEDY
Zoe Zimin, a Singapore-born and raised, New York City-based actor makes her Flea Theater debut in The Invention of Tragedy. The show makes its world premiere as part of The Flea's Seasons of Anarchy, which includes Perfect Catastrophes: a festival of plays honoring the work of Obie Award-winning playwright Mac Wellman.
The Invention of Tragedy is Wellman's examination of the post-9/11 world and America's general and genial acceptance of the Iraq war. Central to the world of the play is a chorus of students-specifically cast to be all-female and racially and ethnically diverse, a re-imagining of the first choruses in ancient Greek theater.
At the height of the piece's dramatic conflict, Zoe Zimin addresses the audience and her cast members in a passionate call-to-arms-reassuring them that no matter what the fallout, the world may "recall, remember" but will just as easily move on with the rapid news cycle and ever-changing cast of political characters. Says director Meghan Finn, "no one synthesized the text and performance more quickly than Zoe. She is simply one of the smartest actors I have had the pleasure of working with. And she is fiercely talented."
Throughout the show, the cast tackles the sprawling textual playground that Wellman has crafted, oftentimes with several of them speaking in synchronicity. "The Invention of Tragedy features dense, counter-intuitively rhymed, poetic text. The cast had to cull the meaning from it through an intense dramaturgical process - it is a feat to watch it performed," says Finn.
The Invention of Tragedy runs until Oct 20 at The Flea Theater. Tickets are available at theflea.org.
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