THE MASK OF MEDUSA Premieres At The Pool in Central Park, NYC 10/3

THE MASK OF MEDUSA to premier at The Pool in Central Park, NYC in October.

A re-telling of the Medusa myth, The Mask of Medusa makes it's New York premier October 3rd, 17th, and 23rd at 6 PM at The Pool in Central Park. Written by Joseph Samuel Wright and directed by Lauren Rayner, this production is a joint venture between Roots and Wings Theatrical and Lauren Rayner Productions. Admission is free.

The Mask of Medusa is a short play that will fuse traditional Greek theatre techniques with modern movement and mask work that explores a contemporary telling of the Medusa myth. The piece follows Medusa as a young maiden in a modern context and plays with the idea of the tragic hero exploring Medusa's grotesque transformation from picture-perfect girl into tragic, gorgon monster. Text, movement, song, and visual art coordinate to convey the story and the emotions.

Medusa stars Ali Kresch, Daniel LeBlanc, Ryan Scoble*. Caralie Chrisco, and Sarah Fye. The show features choreography by Eric Emch and original music by DM Salsberg. Masks are designed by local artist Alex Beck with make up by Jonathan Seymore.

Performances will be at The Pool in Central Park near W. 110th Street. All shows begin at 6 PM on Sunday, October 3rd, Sunday, October 17th, and Saturday, October 23rd. Admission is free. This is an outdoor performance; audiences should bring a blanket or cushion to sit on.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE FOR THE MASK OF MEDUSA

The Pool in Central Park
Enter near W. 110th Street

Sunday, October 3rd @ 6 PM
Sunday, October 17th @ 6 PM
Saturday, October 23rd @ 6 PM

For groups or to reserve seating in advance, please contact info@rawtheatrical.org

The Mask of Medusa plays October 3-23, 2010 at The Pool in Central Park. Admission is free.
For more information, visit www.rawtheatrical.org.

JOSEPH Samuel Wright (Writer/Producer)
Joseph Samuel Wright is an NYC-based playwright, producer, and director. He founded and is the Producing Artistic Director of Roots and Wings Theatrical (www.rawtheatrical.org). His play My Big, Thick Schtick was self-produced at the Shetler Studios Bridge Theatre in July 2010.
Additionally, through RaW he has produced three Duct Tape and a Dream festivals of new works which have included his original shorts Mary, Mary and Mommy Drinkest. Additionally, his play Constellation Nightglow was hosted at the University of Tennessee, and from 2005 - 2007 his LGBT-advocacy play Ours toured campuses in East Tennessee. He has had readings at the Lark Play Development Center, RaW, BE Theater, and is a member of the NyLon Fusion Writers Collective where his one act Uh Fairy Tale is being developed. His play My One and Only was a finalist in the SteppingStone Millennium Playwright Competition. Additionally he directed the one-man show Sequins, Lame, and Everything Gay. His Tennessee directing credits include Salome, Medea, The Vagina Monologues, Bent, Our Favorite Songs-A Night of Cabaret, and several Broadway Cares Benefit Concerts. Joseph has interned at New York Theatre Workshop and at the Lark Play Development Center where he continues on as part of their Literary Wing. He also assisted Iris Rainer Dart on two Roundabout workshops of the musical Laughing Matters starring Donna Murphey. He writes for BroadwaySpace, Theatre Is Easy, and TimeOut New York. For more information visit www.JosephSamuelWright.com

LAUREN RAYNER (Director/Producer)
Lauren Rayner is a New York and Los Angeles based director, producer and playwright. Recent producing/directing credits include, OFF-OFF-BROADWAY: Jesse Zaritt's BINDING (as Producing Associate, prod. Theatre C; 3 NY Innovative Theatre award nominations), One Arm and A Leg (dir. Calla Videt; presented in HEREstay & Theater for the New City's DREAM UP FESTIVAL); Sleeping with Strangers (prod. Nylon Fusion Collective); No Nursery Rhymes Please, Don't Eat the Yellow Picasso, and What is Gained : a muse on consequence (prod. Roots and Wings Theatrical); The Last Good Moment of Lily Baker (dir. Brooke Speelman); LOS ANGELES: Beirut, King Lear (an all female production), One for the Road/A Kind of Alaska/Ashes to Ashes/New World Order, Catholic School Girls, Mitzi's Abortion; ORIGINAL PLAYS: Mendacity (prod. Roots and Wings Theatrical, NYC; Women's Theatre Organization, LA), Level 14, Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously (workshopped at Lark Play Development Center), and Disembodied Voices all mounted in LA. Since early 2009, Lauren has served on the Board of Roots and Wings Theatrical and as the Director of Development/Marketing. She is also a Producing Associate/General Manager of Theatre C, a New Theatre Company by Carlos Armesto. She has worked at the Cherry Lane Theatre, The Play Company, the Women's Expressive Theatre, the Lark Play Development Center, the Ontological-Hysteric Theater, and at the Center Theatre Group in the Executive Offices under Artistic Director, Michael Ritchie. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a BA in Theatre and Education. Lauren is proud to be a fiscally sponsored artist of Fractured Atlas. www.laurenrayner.com

About Roots and Wings Theatrical
Roots and Wings Theatrical is dedicated to the conception and development of new, explorative, theatrical works. From the solid foundation of an inspiration or tradition, RaW grows artistically-relevant, socially-evocative pieces that test ideas about theatre forms, collaboration, and cross-discipline construction. Explore and expand the possibilities of performance.
www.rawtheatrical.org