New Muses Theatre's DOCTOR FAUSTUS Opens Tonight in Tacoma

Fringe theatre company New Muses will be returning to the Dukesbay Theater tonight, September 5th with Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus.

New Muses' groundbreaking modern dress production will feature the original text layered over an ambitious technically driven production design. Under the co-direction of Katherine Mahoney and Niclas Olson, a small cast led by Olson (New Muses Hamlet, The Farnsworth Invention at Lakewood Playhouse) as Faustus and Dylan Twiner (The Woman in Black at Lakewood Playhouse) as Mephistophilis will take on all the roles in a seamless blend of Elizabethan poetry, modern technical wizardry, and powerful classical acting.

In the play, bored with his life as an academic, John Faustus sells his soul to the devil in exchange for 24 years of absolute power and knowledge. Joined by the devilish Mephistophilis, Faustus travels the world wielding his newfound power, until time is up and he must face the consequences of his deal with the devil.

A favorite of Elizabethan theater troupes, widely considered the best play of the era not written by Shakespeare, Doctor Faustus has endured the test of time due to it's powerful language, characters, and exceptional parts for actors. At one time, Faustus was infamous for its scenes of magic, with real devils rumored to have appeared during the summoning scenes, driving the audience and actors to hysteria.

Said Olson, also Managing Artistic Director of the company, "I've been looking for an excuse to do Faustus for years. I fell in love with the script in college, to the point where I've been accumulating props over the years because, 'that'll be perfect for when I do Faustus.' When the opportunity arose to program a new production for our September slot, Faustus seemed like the obvious choice to pull from the short list. As we've been in rehearsal it's been a real joy to see the show come together in an incredible mix of Elizabethan language, awesome leather trench coats, and a good helping of German death metal. I think the Tacoma audience is really going to enjoy seeing the kind of edgy show that our local community theaters can't take the risk of producing."

Tickets for the production are currently available as part of a fundraising campaign through Tilt Open at a discounted rate of $10. On August 29 they will go back up to the normal price of $15 and be available either through the New Muses website (www.NewMuses.com) or at the door on the day of performance. Because seating in the Dukesbay Theater has been limited to 30 seats for this production, New Muses highly encourages audience members to reserve their seats before coming to the show. Performances will run Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 with Sunday matinees at 2:00pm.

New Muses Theatre Company is dedicated to producing intelligent, thought-provoking, and engaging theatre for a contemporary audience. Founded in 2009, New Muses Theatre Company has produced works ranging from The Importance of Being Earnest and Hamlet to their recent Seattle production of Wallace Shawn's The Fever, and Tacoma production of Neil Labute's The Shape Of Things, their 2013-14 season recently concluded with staged readings of This Is Our Youth, On The Verge, and Copenhagen at various venues around Tacoma, WA. For more information, visit www.NewMuses.com.

DETAILS:

September 5 - 21, 2014
Doctor Faustus
By Christopher Marlowe
Directed by Katherine Mahoney and Niclas Olson
Opening Night: September 5, 2014
Dukesbay Theater, Tacoma

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