OEDIPUS IN SEATTLE Opens Theatre Horizon's 21st Season

Theatre Horizon will open its 21st season with Oedipus in Seattle, an experimental theatrical adventure blending myth and romantic comedy in real time. Penned by Savannah Reich, a celebrated playwright and screenwriter whose work thrives at the intersection of experimental form and audience spontaneity, this production promises to redefine what theater can be. Oedipus in Seattle runs September 24 through October 5, 2025, and will feature two new actors for each performance. The revolving cast of local actors includes Rachel Camp, Liz Filios, Michael Doherty, Grace Gonglewski, Robi Hager, Chris Haig, Justin Jain, Alex Keiper, Jered McLenigan, Lee Minora, Amanda Morton, Bi Jean Ngo, Brian Ratcliffe, Lindsay Smiling, Hansel Tan, Josh Totora, Miriam White, and Jacinta Yelland, with more to be announced.

Oedipus in Seattle transforms the stage into a living experiment, where two unrehearsed, unprepared, and unscripted actors assume the roles of Oedipus, Jocasta, Meg Ryan, and Tom Hanks, and navigate a labyrinth of myth, rom-com tropes, and audience interaction. Guided by a narrator over a loudspeaker and prompts only they can hear in their headphones, they stumble into scenes inspired by the Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex and the iconic Nora Ephron film Sleepless in Seattle, all while exploring timeless questions about destiny, choice, and what it means to love. What unfolds is part play, part social experiment, and part existential comedy, where no two performances are ever the same.

Revered for producing and touring inventive work in bars, backyards, basements, and theaters across the country, Reich's restless energy and irreverent theatrical imagination collide to create an unscripted, uncharted, and utterly alive performance. She's received numerous accolades, including earning a 2020/21 McKnight Fellowship at the Playwrights' Center, and her play Oedipus in Seattle received the Audience Choice Award when it debuted at the 2022 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.

“I wanted to create a play where chaos and inevitability exist side by side,” says Reich. “In Oedipus in Seattle, the actors have no control, yet the story still lands exactly where fate demands.”

Theatre Horizon's production of Oedipus in Seattle features the following acting pairs together onstage for the first time portraying the Oedipus/Meg Ryan and Jocasta/Tom Hanks roles: real-life loves Liz Filios (Theatre Horizon's Into the Woods) and Lindsay Smiling (Wilma Theatre's Fat Ham); Amanda Morton (Broadway's KPOP, Gutenberg! The Musical) and spouse Josh Totora (Philadelphia Theatre Company's Small Ball, Delaware Theatre Company's Peter & the Starcatcher); Robi Hager (Theatre Horizon's Tick, Tick… BOOM!) and husband Chris Haig (scenic designer for Theatre Horizon's Young Americans, Tick, Tick… BOOM!); and Grace Gonglewski (1812's Torch Song) and longtime friend Miriam White (New Light Theatre's Our Town, Bristol Riverside Theatre's Clue). Pairs returning to the stage together include Alex Keiper (Theatre Horizon's …Spelling Bee, Kimberly Akimbo) and spouse Michael Doherty (Theatre Horizon's Into the Woods, …Spelling Bee, Fully Committed); Rachel Camp (Theatre Horizon's Penelope) and spouse Brian Ratcliffe (Theatre Horizon's Lobby Hero), plus onstage co-stars reunited in Bi Jean Ngo and Hansel Tan (Theatre Horizon's Young Americans), Justin Jain and Jacinta Yelland (Theatre Horizon's Broccoli, Roosevelt, and Mr. House) and Jered McLenigan and Lee Minora (Lantern Theater's The 39 Steps).

Philadelphia Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. CATS (Shawnee Playhouse)

17.2% of votes

2. INTO THE WOODS (The Milford Theater)

6% of votes

3. NEWSIES (Viviana Theatre)

3.9% of votes

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