Columbia Stages to Present THE SEVEN, 2/12-15

Columbia Stages will present THE SEVEN by Will Power, directed by Carl Cofield. A third-year MFA Director at Columbia University School of the Arts, Cofield has selected this unique and challenging piece to serve as his introduction to the professional New York City theatre community. THE SEVEN will be presented in The Connelly Theater at 220 East 4th Street for five performances only,February 12 - 15, 2014.

In THE SEVEN, playwright/composer/old-school rapper Will Power (Fetch Clay, Make Man; Flow) upends Aeschylus's ancient tragedy The Seven Against Thebes in a non-stop rush of rhymes that fuses Greek grandeur with 21st Century hip-hop culture. Taking the best bits from both worlds - poetry and music, speech and song, DJs and deities - THE SEVEN spins an unflagging fable about love, war, family, and the way we tell stories. Will Power has taken the tale of brawling brothers Eteocles and Polynices, the two sons of the cursed King Oedipus, and infused it with "heat-generating energy" (The New York Times) to explore such vital themes as race, poverty, and the abuse of power.

Tickets: Tickets will go on sale on Monday January 27, 2014. $15/$5 Seniors/FREE with Student ID.

For more information, visit www.columbiastages.org.

THE SEVEN is directed by Carl Cofield and features Words and Music by Will Power, with Music Production/Additional Composition by Justin Ellington and Additional Composition by Will Hammond. Erik Kaiko serves as Producer & General Manager, with Jill Woodward as Production Stage Manager.

Dramaturgy is by Brittany Patch, Ayumi Okada serves as Music Director, and Jaema Joy Green is the Choreographer. The design team consists of Eric Sluyter (Sound), Christopher & Justin Swader (Scenic), Mary Ellen Stebbins (Lighting), and Jen Hebner (Costume). Jenn Haltman is the Casting Director with Amanda D'Aquila as the Casting Assistant. Meghan Dixon acts as Company Manager.

Ryan Alvarado (Hippomedon and others), Sean Carvajal* (Tydeus), Charnele Crick (Eteoclus and others), Jamal Crowelle (Eteocles), Jillian Gottlieb* (Parthenopaeus and others), Anthony Lee Medina* (Polynices), Charles Murray* (Oedipus), Angela Polite* (Amphiarus and others), Jacquelyn Revere (Capaneus and others), E. Talley II (RT Hand), and Pernell Walker* (DJ).

*Denotes actors appearing courtesy of the Actors' Equity Association. THE SEVEN is an Equity Approved Showcase.