The Satori Group to Present RETURNING TO ALBERT JOSEPH this Spring

The Satori Group announces Returning to Albert Joseph, a new play by company member Spike Friedman, as the spring production at theLAB@Inscape. This two-person piece, in development with the Satori Group since 2010, explores how language colonizes our brains, the difficulty of resisting the dominant paradigm, the opportunities that love provides, and the dangers of loss. Returning to Albert Joseph will be co-directed by company members Alex Matthews and Caitlin Sullivan.

A workshop draft of Returning to Albert Joseph was shared with audiences at Satori's PLAY, a weekend of works in progress last November. Audiences engaged in conversation with the creative team after the readings through multiple feedback channels including sharing thoughts into a tape recorder, leaving private notes, and sitting on a couch and talking with the group.

The Satori Group was founded in 2007 by a group of graduates from Williams College and UC's College Conservatory of Music (CCM). Satori consists of eight core company members (including seven founding members) and a continually expanding group of associate artists.

The Satori Group debuted in Seattle in 2009 with a production of Will Eno's TRAGEDY: a Tragedy, followed by a successful run of Ashlin Halfnight's Artifacts of Consequence. Both pieces were regional premieres, produced in the Little Theater on Capitol Hill. In the years since, Satori has focused on creating original work. Satori pieces range from new plays developed in collaboration with emerging writers to ensemble devised installations. Notable recent productions include Winky (2010 Seattle Times Footlight Award for Avant-garde Afterglow), Fabulous Prizes (2011 Gregory Award Nomination for Outstanding Playwright), reWilding, ,the Microdramas series, and The Land is Always Known, a work in development in collaboration with The Bengsons. Most recently, Satori invited audiences to interact with pieces in development during PLAY: a weekend of works in progress.

In just a few years, the Satori Group has become a regional leader in the development of new work. Along with creating its own work, the Satori Group manages theLAB@Inscape, a premier venue for creative exploration and the development of new performance. The Satori Group has spent the last two summers in residence at Williams College, and has taught workshops locally at the University of Washington and the University of Puget Sound.