THE PICTURE (OF DORIAN GRAY) Set for FringeNYC, 8/12-24

The Gravity Partners in association with the 18th Annual New York International Fringe Festival - FringeNYC presents The Picture (of Dorian Gray), a new play adapted from the Oscar Wilde classic by Neal Utterback with original music by Gabriel Gould. Neal Utterback will direct a cast of five, including Jessica Denison, Andrew Kilpatrick, Jamison Monella, Alyssa Newberg, and Phil Oberholzer. Six performances will be staged from August 12-24, 2014 at Venue #18: The Steve & Marie Sgouros Theatre, 115 MacDougal Street (between West 3rd Street & Minetta) in NYC.

Oscar Wilde's notorious novella, The Picture of Dorian Gray, follows a young man's pursuit of youth and pleasure. Admired and worshipped by an adoring artist who paints a portrait of him, the beautiful Dorian Gray gives his soul to remain forever young. Dorian then embarks on a journey of decadence and hedonism. The Gravity Partner's physical, minimalist 21st century remix, The Picture (of Dorian Gray), smashes together Oscar Wilde's novella with de Profundis, Wilde's final letter to his lover from prison, as well as contemporary reflections and staging by the ensemble. De profundis recounts Wilde's lifestyle of indulgence and the tumultuous relationship that led to his imprisonment. As such the production examines the blurry line between artist and art, our consumer consumption and objectification of youth, and the lust for individual pleasures. How far would you go to get everything you wanted?

The Picture (of Dorian Gray) was nominated for Best Adaptation, Best Choreography and Best Lead Actress in a Play (Jessica Denison) at the 2014 Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. The production was awarded the 2014 Greener Planet Award by Planet Connections for going above and beyond to implement green applications into the production.

Neal Utterback (adapter and director): Select playwriting and screenwriting credits: second., Crisis (Winner 2010 Ike and Julie Arnove PlayOffs), The Memory Play, The Vampire Trilogy; Part One: The Loved Ones, The Picture (of Dorian Gray) ( nominated for Outstanding Production and Outstanding New Writing in Theatre at the 2009 Absolutâ Dublin Gay Theatre Festival, Dublin, Ireland); American Western, Thanksgiving. Directing and Co-directing credits: Never Swim Alone, The Day We Fell in Love, The Vampire Trilogy; Part One: The LovedOnes (Indiana University), The Picture (of Dorian Gray) (co-direction, ADGTF), On the Evolution of Bob, Magic Boy (Red Room Theatre, New York). His play, second. was also selected for publication in the "Plays and Playwrights 2005" anthology by The New York Theatre Experience, Inc. Scenes and monologues from second. were also published in Best Stage Scenes 2004 and Best Women's Stage Monologues 2005. Applause Books will also publish a monologue from the play in their upcoming Best Women's Monologues of the Millennium.

The Picture (of Dorian Gray) plays for six performances from August 12-24, 2014 on the following schedule Tues. 8/12 at 3:15pm; Thurs. 8/14 at 7pm; Sat. 8/16 at 6:30pm; Wed. 8/20 at 4:45pm; Sat. 8/23 at 1:30pm; and Sun. 8/24 at 6:00pm.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online beginning July 18th at FringeNYC.org, by phone at 866-468-7619 up to 24 hours before the show, or in person at FringeCENTRAL, 114 Norfolk Street (bet. Rivington & Delancey) from 12n-8pm beginning July 25th. Tickets are available at Venue #18, 15 minutes prior to the performance.

The Gravity Partners is a professional ensemble with a holistically intertwined mission: To teach and learn, to devise and develop, and to tour and share. By collaborating with artists at various stages in their growth in an interplay of ideas and methodologies, we ensure that the inextricable processes of learning, teaching, developing, and sharing positively conspires to nurture the evolution and diversity of the global theatre and the next generation of theatre makers.