LE SERPENT ROUGE Dance Theater Satire Comes To Company XIV 5/15-6/6

Company XIV, a Black Book Magazine ‘Icon Of The Future', proudly presents the World Premiere of the sensual, sumptuous and spectacular Le Serpent Rouge, a dance-theater satire conceived, directed and choreographed by Austin McCormick, with adapted text by Austin McCormick. Le Serpent Rouge will run May 15th to June 6th, 2009 in a limited 4-week engagement at the company's home space at 303 Bond St. (between Union & Sackett) in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. Official opening is May 15th.

Performances are Thursdays-Saturdays at 8pm. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and can be purchased online at http://www.SmartTix.com or by calling 212-868-4444. Mature content - no one under 17 admitted. Running time is 75 minutes with no intermission. For more information visit http://www.CompanyXIV.com.

In Le Serpent Rouge, Company XIV enacts the story of Adam, Eve, and the fall of man as only Austin McCormick and his multi-talented troupe can; humorous, heartbreaking and extravagantly decadent. Fusing dance, theater, music and visual art, Le Serpent Rouge draws inspiration from Jean Cocteau's one act play Le Bel Indifferent and has an eclectic musical score featuring songs by Paul Anka (Adam and Eve), Cecilia Bartoli (Maometto II/Preghiera: Giusto Cielo, In Tal Periglio), James Brown (It's a Man's Man's Man's World), Eartha Kitt (A Woman Wouldn't Be A Woman), Peggy Lee (Is That All There Is), Marilyn Monroe (Happy Birthday, I Wanna Be Loved By You), Arvo Part (Stabat Mater) and Nina Simone (The Other Woman).

Textual inspiration for the show includes Le Bel Indifferent by Jean Cocteau, Adam and Eve by John Erskine, the poetry of Charles Bukowski, Disillusionment by Thomas Mann and The Bible.

CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR COMPANY XIV'S LAST SHOW - THE JUDGMENT OF PARIS:

"Six gifted performers...very steamy." ~ Metro NY, Elizabeth Zimmer

"Enjoyable...Mr. McCormick's staging is minimal and skillful...There is plenty of fun to be had at this "Judgment of Paris." ~ The New York Times, Roslyn Sulcas

"A bawdy celebration of the Baroque...deliciously excessive." ~ Back Stage, Lisa Jo Sagolla

"McCormick has a gift for understanding what captivates an audience." ~ Dance Magazine, Pia Catton

"Entertaining...The ensemble delivers all of McCormick's diverse dances with gusto and precision." ~ TheaterMania, Andy Propst

"A talented cast." ~ The Scotsman, Kelly Apter

"An entire environmental experience. The vision for the play displays nothing short of sheer brilliance on the part of choreographer-director Austin McCormick. The entire company is superb." ~ NYTheatre.com, Kelly Aliano

Austin McCormick is a director, choreographer and teacher based in New York. His unique blend of Baroque vocabulary in conjunction with contemporary movements and theatrical staging is commanding attention. Austin's most recent work, the acclaimed The Judgment Of Paris, had its World Premiere at 303 Bond in March 2008, with subsequent productions at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland (Pick of the Fringe winner), the 10th Annual Festival Internacional de Puebla in Mexico, and Manhattan's DUO Theatre. His work has also been produced at Lincoln Center's Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Alice Tully Hall, Clark Studio Theater, Alvin Ailey Studios, Symphony Space, The Kennedy Center in DC by City Dance, and James and Martha Duffy Performance Space at the Mark Morris Dance Center in NY. In 2007, he was the recipient of the Susan Braun Award, a grant given to oNe Young choreographer/filmmaker by Dance Films Association, supporting new choreography for the camera. Subsequently, his dance film Folies d'Espagne premiered at the Walter Reade Cinema in Lincoln Center in January 2008 and has been selected/screened at Galerie Michel Journiac in Paris/France and CineDans International Film Festival in Amsterdam. The film was nominated for the Jury Prize at Dance on Camera Lincoln Center 2008 and the Cinedans Award at the 2008 Cinedans International Film Festival in Amsterdam.

Austin has performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet of New York in their productions of La Gioconda, War and Peace and Romeo and Juliet. He graduated in 2006 with a BFA from the Juilliard School and trained in Baroque Court dance from the age of eight with dance historian Régine Astier at the Conservatory of Baroque Dance, from which he graduated with Honors.

Company XIV is a non-profit mixed media dance/theater company based in Brooklyn, NY. Founded by Artistic Director Austin McCormick in 2005, the company works in the mediums of live dance/theater and film. Company XIV is contemporary, yet baroque inspired, with a mission to produce compelling theatrical dance productions that create a beautiful affecting experience. Company XIV is the resident company of 303 Bond St., a space converted from a tow truck warehouse to a theater.

The cast includes John Beasant III (Adam), Laura Careless (Eve), YEva Glover (Lillith/Serpent), Gioia Marchese (Ringmistress/Devil) and Davon Rainey (Drag Queen/Serpent).

The design/production team consists of Zane Philstrom (Set Design), Olivera Gajic (Costume Design), Gina Scherr (Lighting Design) and John Starmer (Technical Director).

Trains: "F or G" to Carroll Street. B-roll is available upon request.

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