Quintessence Theatre Presents THE OEDIPUS CYCLE, 3/17

Quintessence Theatre Group presents a one day only reading of Sophocles' OEDIPUS CYCLE, directed by Alexander Burns.

Sam Tsoutsouvas, who played Socrates in Quintessence's APOLOGY last season, returns to Philadelphia to read Oedipus, with the cast of Quintessence's ANTIGONE and Hazel Bowers, J Center, Harry Philibosian, and Josh Carpenter joining the ensemble. THE OEDIPUS CYCLE will take place on Saturday, March 17th and commence at 2pm at the Sedgwick Theater, 7137 Germantown Ave in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia, 19119. To purchase tickets, visit www.QuintessenceTheatre.org or call 1.877.238.5596.

This rare opportunity will allow audiences to hear Sophocles' entire trilogy in one day. The first two plays, OEDIPUS REX and OEDIPUS AT COLONUS will be presented in a translation by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald as readings in the afternoon, followed by the performance of Anouilh's ANTIGONE in a translation by Jeremy Sams in the evening. OEDIPUS REX will be read at 2pm. OEDIPUS AT COLONUS will be read at 5pm. ANTIGONE will be performed at 8pm.

The reading of OEDIPUS REX will include Sam Tsoutsouvas as Oedipus, Hazel Bowers as Jocasta, Robert Jason Jackson as Creon, J Center as The Shepherd, Josh Carpenter as The Choragos and Harry Philibosian as Tiresias.

The reading of OEDIPUS at COLONUS will include Lavita Shaurice as Antigone, Maechi Aharanwa as Ismene, Josh Carpenter as Theseus, Khris Davis as Polynices and J Center as The Stranger.

Tickets for the individual readings are now on sale for $10. Tickets for the entire cycle are available for $40. Please visitwww.QuintessenceTheatre.org for more information.

OEDIPUS REX

A plague ravages the city of Thebes and the people look to their King Oedipus for aid. Creon, brother to Queen Jocasta, returns from the Oracle at Delphi and tells Oedipus that the murderer of the previous King Laius remains in Thebes and must be banished in order for the plague to end. Oedipus looks to the blind prophet Tiresias who warns Oedipus not to question further, but when pushed confirms the Oracle's prophecy and tells Oedipus he must banish himself. Oedipus refuses to believe the prophet and accuses Tiresias of conspiring with Creon to overthrow him. Oedipus turns to Jocasta, who tells him not to believe the Oracle or prophets, because King Laius, her first husband, was killed by robbers at the cross roads outside Thebes. She also cites a false prophesy that said her first born son would murder her husband and sleep with her. Oedipus becomes concerned, remembering a similar prophecy that he would kill his father and sleep with his mother, and is haunted by the memory of a violent incident he was involved in at a cross roads on his journey into Thebes. Despite Jocasta's protests Oedipus continues to pursue the truth and discovers that he is responsible for his father's death, has married his mother and has fulfilled the Gods' prophecy.

OEDIPUS AT COLONUS

After years of wandering, Oedipus and his daughter Antigone arrive at Colonus, a sacred shrine on the outskirts of Athens, a site predestined for his death. After protests from the local guardians of the shrine, the Athenian King Theseus visits Oedipus. In exchange for blessing Athens, Theseus makes Oedipus a citizen of Athens and promises him protection and burial. Ismene, Oedipus' elder daughter, arrives with the news that Eteocles and Polynices, Oedipus' sons who exiled their father, are warring against each other for rule over Thebes. She also tells of a prophecy from the Oracle saying that whoever receives Oedipus' blessing will win Thebes, and that Oedipus must be buried in Thebes, or Thebes will be vulnerable to the land in which Oedipus is laid to rest. Creon and then Polynices arrive desperate to receive Oedipus' blessing and to return him to Thebes. Oedipus rejects their pleas and calls for death on his sons and the destruction of Thebes due to their treatment of him. Theseus protects Oedipus against Creon's use of force and Oedipus dies a sublime and painless death at Colonus.

Oedipus at Colonus is the least performed play in the Oedipus Cycle and is Sophocles' last play.

ANTIGONE
Antigone's prideful father King Oedipus sought the truth at the cost of losing his kingdom, his queen, and his eyes. A civil war erupts over which of Antigone's brothers is to rule Thebes and both are killed in the battle. The new leader, her uncle Creon, decides to make one of her brothers a hero. The other is left to rot unburied in the field. Antigone defies her uncle's edict and does what she believes is right. Can a civilization and its ruler survive her civil disobedience?
Written in 1943 during the German occupation of France, ANTIGONE is one of the great adaptations of classic drama which combines the master of Greek tragedy, Sophocles, with the modern wit of French dramatist Jean Anouilh. Celebrated British dramatist Jeremy Sams translates this masterpiece into potent, poetic and contemporary English.

QUINTESSENCE THEATRE
Quintessence Theatre Group is Philadelphia's new professional classical theatre company, dedicated to the performance and adaptation of epic works of classic drama and literature for the Contemporary Stage. Rooted in the traditions of classical drama, we explore what is essential in theatre and human nature, igniting the mind of artists and audiences through the power of the live actor, design and the spoken word.
Over the next five years Quintessence Theatre Group will work to establish an acting ensemble and a rotating repertory at the historic Sedgwick Theater in Mt. Airy, Philadelphia. This past fall The Venetian Repertory marked Quintessence's first demonstration of the power of a classical repertory ensemble. Quintessence Theatre Group will continue its residency at the historic Sedgwick Theater, playing a central role in the renaissance of main street Mt. Airy, a thriving and diverse neighborhood located in northwest Philadelphia.

ANTIGONE has been extended to April 1st. A discussion on Sophocles, Anouilh and Antigone with director Alexander Burns will occur before the show on Thursday, March 15th.  A post show discussion with the cast and creative team will take place on Wednesday, March 21st.
Performances take place on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. There will be a special performance on Monday, March 26th at 7pm.
Tickets are $30, $20 for seniors (65 and over), $15 for youth (25 and under). There are $10 industry and student rush tickets available at the box office one hour before the performance. To purchase tickets visit www.QuintessenceTheatre.org, or call 1.877.238.5596. For information on any of the performances or above events please email BoxOffice@QuintessenceTheatre.org.
2011 - 2012 SEASON

Quintessence Theatre Group's 2011 - 2012 season opened with Goldoni's THE VENETIAN TWINS and Shakespeare's THE MERCHANT OF VENICE presented in repertory. The season will conclude with Chekhov's THE SEAGULL. Each play is dominated by an ambitious young protagonist who strives to discover identity, truth and honor; each celebrates the power of the young mind in the face of adversity.

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