Columbia Stages to Present GILGAMESH - A MUSICAL EPIC

Power. Lust. Friendship. Legacy. What matters in a human life? Gilgamesh, the larger-than-life King, travels to the end of the world to find out. Based on the epic from Mesopotamia, one of the oldest pieces of literature known to us today, GILGAMESH - A MUSICAL EPIC is a coming of age story depicting Man's breakthrough into Consciousness, told in the form of an original epic musical experience with a live band.

"The story of Gilgamesh is a timeless one," says director Peter Petkovšek, who has recently worked on other revisions of classics such as I'm Not Antigone (Vivien von Abendorff), the fairy tale The Weird Tree, and the Master and Margarita inspired Od (Hannah Bisewski). "It represents a stage of life that everyone goes through - the moment we are faced with our mortality and the fact that we can't necessarily shape life the way we want to. What do we do? We tend to simply grow up, but sometimes it's just not that easy."

For composer Ian Wehrle (soundaffectsdesign.com) Gilgamesh is a man-child hurled into material life without objective. "He was King of the world since the day he was born, but he is still human, and humans often want more. So what kinds of thoughts might this man explore? Why not journey to heaven and knock on God's door? Let's see if his life was not better before!"

The designers (Kimie Nishikawa - Set; Yuki Nakase - Lighting; Brynn Almli - Costumes; and Eva Mlinar - Graphics) have created a unique world for this tale to unfold in: a mixture of a colorful Neverland in which Gilgamesh wants to live forever, and the stark reality of Life and Time that encroaches on him from all sides.

Featuring: Matthew Dunivan* as Gilgamesh, Ben Mulgrew as Enkidu, Khadija Sallet as Shamhat, Taryn Tonelli* as Ishtar and Carson Grant* as the Narrator and Uta-napishti.

Ensemble: Ambar Aranaga, Elena Glass*, Justy Kosek, Mary Linehan*, Christopher Morriss, Jillian Schiralli, Zach Solomon and Viet Vo*.

*Denotes a member of Actors' Equity. This production is an Equity Approved Showcase.

GILGAMESH - A MUSICAL EPIC runs from April 1st to 4th at the Connelly Theater on the Lower East Side (220 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10009). Tickets are only $15 and available at www.columbiastages.org

Visit our website at www.gilgameshthemusical.com or find us on Facebook. GILGAMESH: A MUSICAL EPIC
Composed by Ian Wehrle
Book and Lyrics by Peter Petkovšek
Directed by Peter Petkovšek
Produced by Jenny Ainsworth
April 1- 4

Venue: THE CONNELLY THEATER
220 East 4th Street, NY, NY 10009

Showtimes:
Wednesday, April 1 @ 8:00pm
Thursday, April 2 @ 8:00pm
Friday, April 3 @ 8:00pm
Saturday, April 4 @ 2:30pm
Saturday, April 4 @ 8:00pm

Tickets: $15/ $5 Seniors/ FREE with Student ID (enter code: "STUDENT").
For tickets visit www.columbiastages.org
Show Info: www.gilgameshthemusical.com DIRECTOR

PETER PETKOVŠEK (Director, Lyrics, Book) is currently finishing his MFA in Theater Directing at Columbia University in New York. Previous credits include I'm Not Antigone by Vivien Von Abendorff, The Blind by Maurice Maeterlinck, Od by Hannah Bisewski (new play), The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov and The Weird Tree, a devised piece based on an Eastern European fairy tale. Peter holds an MA in Text and Performance from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and a BA in Literature and French from the University of Ljubljana. His work has been shown from Paris to Bogota to Belgrade. COMPOSER

IAN WEHRLE (Composer, Musical Director, Sound Design) is an active composer, actor and collaborator on various music direction and sound design for theater. He can currently be seen starring as Jackie Mason in The Jackie Mason Musical at St. Luke's Theatre and is the founder of SoundAffectsdesign.com. He is credited at the Food Network, MTV, and FOX and is continually in development of new musicals and television music. He can be reached at info@soundaffectsdesign.com PRODUCER

JENNY AINSWORTH (Executive Producer, Invisible Wall Productions) is the Founder and Director of Invisible Wall Productions, a full service Arts, Events and Theatrical Management Company based in New York City. Gilgamesh is Invisible Wall Production's debut production. Jenny has a Bachelor of Music (Arts Management) from the Australian Institute of Music and a MFA (Theatre Arts - Stage Management) from Columbia University. She has a range of Arts, Events and Theatrical Management experience which runs the gamut from co-founding a semi-professional orchestra in Sydney and running its concerts for several years; managing a national singing program for seniors at Musica Viva Australia (one of Australia's largest non-profit music organisations); acting as the PR contact at a New York Fashion Week Runway Showing; working in company management at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center; and extensive experience as a stage manager working the full spectrum of New York and regional theatre, including Broadway. CAST

MATTHEW DUNIVAN* (Gilgamesh) is honored to be part of Gilgamesh - A Musical Epic. Off Broadway: The Tempest (CSC Young Comp.), Soul Doctor (Actor's Temple Theater). Regional: Proof (Theater with a View), Caucasian Chalk Circle (Shanghai International Theater Festival). Matthew received his MFA from Columbia University. Thanks to Peter and the incredible team. www.matthewdunivan.com

BEN MULGREW (Enkidu) is thrilled to be rocking out his animal side in his New York debut. Recent credits include The Sorcerer (Theatre at Monmouth), Mercury is Perpetually... (Williamstown Theatre Festival), A Scavenge (Williamstown Theatre Festival), BFA in Music Theatre, Illinois Wesleyan University, Thanks to family and friends! www.benmulgrew.com

KHADIJA SALLET (Shamhat) is a Queens College BFA Graduate and an AMAS Musical Theatre Company alumni participating in Street Dreams and No No Nannette. She has appeared in Children of God and original musical written by CB Murray and directed by Ben Harney from the original broadway cast of Dreamgirls.

TARYN TONELLI* (Ishtar) is psyched to be part of this rocking new project! New York: Ghostlight (Ensemble, u/s Olive). Regional: Into the Woods (Cinderella), Singin' in the Rain (Lina), Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit), Legally Blonde (Brooke). Television: "Blue Bloods". BFA Elon MT.

CARSON GRANT* (Narrator/Uta-napishti) (SAG-AFTRA, AEA, GIAA) actor and singer, received NY Times recognition for his role as Agamemnon in Nathan Currier's composition, Tomorrow, Agamemnon, The Day before November 21, 1963 performed at Symphony Space, NYC in honor of President John F. Kennedy's 50th anniversary. Mr. Grant is a well established character actor in more than 300 indie films and television productions, including Woody Allen's "Anything Else", "The Chris Rock Show: Comedy Central", "Broad City", "SVU: Law & Order", with full list on http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0335300/

AMBAR ARANAGA (Ensemble) is thrilled to be joining the cast of Gilgamesh: A Musical Epic. Previous credits include: Two Gentlemen of Verona (C.A.G.E. Theatre at the Fringe Festival); Phoenix Rising! (Living Lotus Theatre); and the world premiere of Fools' Paradise (Jonathan Cerullo, dir.). A proud AMDA alum, Ambar will graduate from the New School's Musical Theatre program later this year. Ambar is fully bilingual in English/Spanish and is available for all your voice-over needs @AmbarFunny or ambararanaga.wix.com/TheThickPlotens.

ELENA GLASS* (Ensemble) Elena Glass is a recent graduate of New York University. She has performed in Theatreworks, USA's touring production of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..., and recently was seen in the Broadway Songbook Series: Comden and Green at the Ordway Theater in Minneapolis, MN. For more information, please visit www.elenaglass.com.

JUSTY KOSEK (Ensemble) was born and raised in New York City. An actor, singer, playwright and audiobook narrator, he received degrees in Theater Arts and Creative Writing from Brandeis University in 2014. Recent credits include New York: Friar Lawrence (Romeo and Juliet) and Hermia/Lysander (A Midsummer Night's Dream) at the Gene Frankel Theater, Henry Higgins (Pygmalion) At the 133rd Street Theater. Regional: The Fox (Pinocchio) at the Neil Elinoff Theater in Stockbridge, MA. International: Apollo (The Eumenides) At the Oval House theater in London. Justy's first play, All You Need, debuted at the Laurie Theater in Waltham, MA, in 2014.

MARY LINEHAN* (Ensemble) is more than excited to be taking this trip to ancient Mesopotamia! Recent credits include Crissy in Hair (Secret Theatre, NYC), Fabia in Twelfth Night (Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, NYC), and Caralee Crandall in Od (Columbia Stages). Love to her parents, Talent Express, and Emerging Talent! marylinehan.com

CHRISTOPHER MORRISS (Ensemble) Chris Morriss is an actor for stage and film, as well as a singer, musician, and voiceover artist. Chris' favorite roles include Stanley Kowalski (A Streetcar Named Desire), Faustus (Doctor Faustus), Aldolpho (The Drowsy Chaperone), and Henry (Next to Normal). You can next see Chris in This is Not a Theatre Company's "Readymade Cabaret" at Judson Church this April. Chris is a proud alumnus of the National Theatre Institute. chrismorriss.com

JILLIAN SCHIRALLI (Ensemble) (SAG-AFTRA) is thrilled to be part of Gilgamesh - A Musical Epic! National Tour: Cats (Jennyanydots). Regional: Thoroughly Modern Millie (Alice). New York: Little Shop Of Horrors (Chiffon), Bad Seed (Rhoda). Thanks and love to her family, friends, and biggest fan. Youtube.com/jillianschiralli.

ZACH SOLOMON (Ensemble) is very excited to be joining the cast of Gilgamesh! He's a recent graduate of NYU Tisch and the Stella Adler Studio. Some of his favorite roles include Satan in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Stella Adler Studio) and Rosencrantz in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Stella Adler Studio), as well as the title role in Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Spring 4th Center). Thanks to his friends, boyfriend and parents for their love and support!

VIET VO (Ensemble) Originally from Hawaii, Viet is very thankful to be working with Peter, Ian, and Jenny as well as Columbia University on such an "EPIC" project. Theatre: Agent 1 in Aliens With Extraordinary Skills, Nishi in Fishing For Wives, Jigger Craigin in Carousel (NAAP) Bar Owner u/s; Engineer in Miss Saigon. TV/Film/Media: "Lost" (ABC), "Conan O'Brien" (NBC), "Kim Jung Un" (Barely Political, Youtube). Much Mahalo and aloha to the cast and crew. Mom, Dad, love you. Lina- you're always with me.

*Denotes a member of Actors' Equity