Ellen Stewart News

As the United Nations declares 2010 the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, Theatre Communications Group (TCG), which serves as the U.S. Center of the International Theatre Institute (ITI-US), invites all theatres, individual artists, government institutions and audience to celebrate World Theatre Day (WTD) on March 27, 2010.

Party with the CALIGULA MAXIMUS Cast and special guests, including Penthouse Pets, after the opening night performance on March 19th, at the Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 E.4th St, in New York. The Off Broadway production of Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS at the Ellen Stewart Theatre is currently in previews.

Adult film star and Penthouse Pet, Justine Joli, who plays the role of Caesonia, the wife of Caligula, in CALIGULA MAXIMUS, has been invited on the Opie and Anthony Show to perform a naked radio version of one of her scenes from the play.

Alienation (Enchanted Evening), abuse of power (Out to Sea) and the limitations of human freedom under a totalitarian system (Serenade) are the telling themes of three of the most popular plays by Polish dramatist Slavomir Mro?ek.

LaMaMa e.t.c. presents Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, a project with Hammerstein & Weiner, LLC, Christopher McElroen, Alfred Preisser and Kingsize, USA, at La MaMa's newly renamed Ellen Stewart Theatre, 74A E. 4th St. in New York from March 12-April 3.

LaMaMa e.t.c. presents Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, a project with Hammerstein & Weiner, LLC, Christopher McElroen, Alfred Preisser and Kingsize, USA, at La MaMa's newly renamed Ellen Stewart Theatre in March 2010.

LaMaMa, E.T.C. presents Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, a project with Hammerstein & Weiner, LLC, Christopher McElroen, Alfred Preisser and Kingsize, USA, at La MaMa's newly renamed Ellen Stewart Theatre. Performances for CALIGULA MAXIMUS at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, 74A E. 4th St. begin on March 12 and run through April 4.

The New York Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, is pleased to announce that Ben Hodges (editor, Theater World) and Abby Marcus (managing director, Vampire Cowboys) are the new co-chairs of the Honorary Award committee, filling the vacancy left by Leonard Jacobs (Clyde Fitch Report). The Innovative Theatre Foundation recognizes and appreciates the five years of service and dedication by Mr. Jacobs.

Performance Space 122 Presents: THE TALKING SHOW THE MAGICAL RIDICULOUS JOURNEY OF ALIEN COMIC. World premiere: February 18 - March 7 Written and performed by Tom Murrin Directed by Lucy Sexton

The Off Broadway production of Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, at the Ellen Stewart Theatre, will be extended for one additional week to meet audience demand. CALIGULA MAXIMUS begins previews at the Ellen Stewart Theatre, 66 E. 4th St, in New York on March 12th and has been extended through April 10th. Opening night is set for March 19th, with scheduled performances on Thursday and Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm and 10pm.

Puppet theater has an uncanny ability to take on big themes, and such will be the case when Jane Catherine Shaw, co-director of the Voice 4 Vision Puppet Festival, takes on world drought in 'Thirst: Memory of Water,' her newest puppet theater work. It's a big theme, but Shaw is trying to make it manageable by concentrating on themes of women and water because, as she writes, 'around the world women are carrying (literally) the burden of maintaining life by walking for water.' The play, to be presented by La MaMa March 25 to April 11 in its First Floor Theater, will nevertheless have an epic feeling.

La MaMa E.T.C. in association with The Magis Theatre Company will present Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition, Kalidasa's 5th century classic, for a limited engagement from February 11-28, 2010, at The Ellen Stewart Theatre (The Annex) at La MaMa, 74A East 4th Street.

Co-writers Alfred Preisser (Co-Founder, Classical Theatre of Harlem) and Randy Weiner (owner of the notorious night spot, The Box) have teamed up to create CALIGULA MAXIMUS, a new play that takes place on the last night of the notorious dictator's life.

'The Last Golden Bat - Hitohira 2010' will have its world premiere February 25-28, 2010 at La MaMa ETC in the First Floor Theatre. This piece is homage to the original production 'Golden Bat' created by The Tokyo Kid Brothers at La MaMa in 1970 to honor Artistic Director, Ellen Stewart.

In CALIGULA MAXIMUS, Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's play about the notorious dictator Caligula, director Alfred Preisser celebrates the body beautiful by casting Coney Island sideshow tattooed muscleman Tim Dax and marine Raheem Green, who sports a 'Born to Kill' tattoo, to play gladiators, and award-winning competitive bodybuilders Myra Adams and Roxanne Edwards as gladiatrixes.

Ryan Knowles, host of Nickelodeon's ME:TV, Justine Joli, adult film star and Penthouse Pet, FunkFace founder musician Luqman Brown and Lady Circus troupe aerial artist Anya Sapozhnikova lead the cast of Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, at La MaMa's Ellen Stewart Theatre, March 11- April 3, 2010.

Performance Space 122 Presents: THE TALKING SHOW THE MAGICAL RIDICULOUS JOURNEY OF ALIEN COMIC. World premiere: February 18 - March 7 Written and performed by Tom Murrin Directed by Lucy Sexton

Performance Space 122 Presents: THE TALKING SHOW THE MAGICAL RIDICULOUS JOURNEY OF ALIEN COMIC. World premiere: February 18 - March 7 Written and performed by Tom Murrin Directed by Lucy Sexton

La MaMa E.T.C. in association with The Magis Theatre Company will present Shakuntala and the Ring of Recognition, Kalidasa's 5th century classic, for a limited engagement from February 11-28, 2010, at The Ellen Stewart Theatre (The Annex) at La MaMa, 74A East 4th Street.

LaMaMa e.t.c. presents Alfred Preisser and Randy Weiner's CALIGULA MAXIMUS, a project with Hammerstein & Weiner, LLC, Christopher McElroen, Alfred Preisser and Kingsize, USA, at La MaMa's newly renamed Ellen Stewart Theatre, 74A E. 4th St. in New York from March 11-April 3.