David Oyelowo to Star in CSC's Prometheus Bound

Classic Stage Company will conclude its 2006-07 season with Aquila Theatre Company's new production of Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound, starring rising young British actor David Oyelowo (currently featured as Dr. Junju in The Last King of Scotland) as Prometheus. Directed and translated by James Kerr, Prometheus Bound is slated for a 5-week limited engagement from March 13th – April 14th at Classic Stage Company (136 East 13th Street). The official press opening is Wednesday, March 21 at 8:00 PM.

"Prometheus Bound is one of the most powerful dramas in the Western canon. First staged by Aeschylus in Athens in the early 5th century B.C., this classic tragedy examines the elemental concepts of crime, punishment, power, and redemption. Set high in the Caucasus at the ends of the earth, Prometheus is chained to a rock with a bolt through his chest. Zeus has punished Prometheus, a defiant god with the gift of foresight, for giving the gift of fire to mortals and refusing to divulge a powerful secret – the name of one who would someday overthrow Zeus. Prometheus is a powerful symbol of the unbreakable spirit of the individual, defiant against the forces of tyranny," state press notes.

Oyelowo is a major up and coming, award-winning star in the UK. Born in Oxford, the son of a Nigerian Prince, at the age of 24 he made history as the first black actor to play an English king (Henry VI) in a major production of Shakespeare for the RSC. Currently, he can be seen as Dr. Junju in The Last King of Scotland opposite Forest Whitaker, and is set to burst on the American film scene playing the lead role of Orlando in Kenneth Branagh's new film of Shakespeare's As You Like It. Oyelowo stars as Danny Hunter on the BAFTA award-winning BBC TV series "MI5," airing on A&E. Other television credits include "A Sound of Thunder," "Derailed," and "The Best Man." Recently, he took on one of his most challenging screen roles to date in the acclaimed BBC 2 film Shoot The Messenger, and has just completed filming the HBO mini-series "Five Days."

At London's Royal National Theatre, Kerr directed Rita Dove's Darker Face of the Earth, Andrea Dunbar's The Arbor, his own translation of Sophocles' Ajax, a new version of Don Juan, Sean O'Casey's Shadow of a Gunman, and Owen MacCafferty's Closing Time. Other directing credits include Patrick Marber's Dealer's Choice at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Philip Kan Gotanda's Ballad of Yachiyo, George Farquar's The Recruiting Officer at Chinchester Festival Theatre, David Harrower's Presence at Royal Court Theatre, and Morphic Resonance at Donmar Warehouse.

"Now in its 39th Season as one of New York's most exciting Off-Broadway theaters, Classic Stage Company is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences," state press notes.

Memberships to Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible Masterpass membership, which in addition to prime seats, entitles members to complementary tickets at all CSC special series, including their sold out Open Rehearsal events.

For membership and ticket information, order online at www.classicstage.org, call 212-352-3101 or toll free at 866-811-4111, or visit the theater in person at 136 East 13th Street.