Oberon Theatre Ensemble announces its 2005 Season!

Oberon Theatre Ensemble brings theatergoers another diverse season of plays in 2005 with three works which deftly blend humor and drama. Performing in repertory this January and February will be Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE and Cindy Lou Johnson's THE YEARS. These shows will be followed by the world premiere of Mark Eisman's FEASTING ON CARDIGANS in April. Each of these comedies raises questions regarding the bonds of family, the effects of forgiveness, and the meaning of courage and conviction.

The three works will be performed at Shetler Theatre 54, located at 244 West 54th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue).

The season kicks off with Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE, running from Friday, January 21st through Sunday, February 13th. Vienna is torn apart when Duke Vincentio suddenly and mysteriously leaves the city in the hands of the steely Lord Angelo. With merciless and unfeeling determination, Angelo attempts to regulate the morality of the city through a harsh and severe code of ethics, making even the slightest sexual transgression punishable by death. When Isabella hears her brother has been sentenced under Angelo's strict rule, she pleads with the new leader to show mercy. But her beauty and innocence arouses Angelo's baser side, and his true hypocrisy is revealed. Meanwhile, the absent Duke resurfaces disguised as a visiting monk, cleverly manipulating the situation towards his own ends. In this dark comedy, no one is truly who they appear to be, yet everyone, in the end, gets exactly what they deserve... or do they?

Directed by Eric Parness, the cast of MEASURE FOR MEASURE will feature Walter Brandes*, Jessica Burr, Jarel Davidow*-, Philip Emeott-, Brad Fryman*-, Jordan Meadows*, Ian Pfister*-, Gordon Stanley*- (Cabaret, Ragtime, Beauty and the Beast), Karen Sternberg-, Christine Verleny and James T. Ware.

Spanning a 16-year period, the revival of Cindy Lou Johnson's comedy/drama THE YEARS tells the story of a family struggling to cope with the various twists and turns life throws at them. THE YEARS begins performances on Friday, January 28th and runs through Sunday, February 20th. As the story starts, Andrea has been mugged on her wedding day but chooses to protect her attacker by hiding it from her family, all of whom are dealing with their own personal trials. Years later, Andrea and the reformed mugger cross paths again and discover how one isolated event can affect a life.

Directed by Cynthia Dillon, THE YEARS features Jarel Davidow*-, Emily Depew, Brad Fryman*-, Ledger Free, Laura Siner*-, Karen Sternberg- and Michael Yahn.

Eric Parness is the Artistic Director of Resonance Ensemble, where he has directed productions of Sophocles' Antigone, Gorky's The Lower Depths, and Strange Bedfellows by Bruce Cohen. Other credits include Of Mice and Men, The Winter's Tale, Blood Wedding, and new work with Hypothetical Theatre, adobe theatre, and Vital Theatre, as well as assistantships with Theatre for a New Audience, La Mama, and Ensemble Studio Theatre. He is a member of Lincoln Center's Directors Lab.

The artistic director and one of the founding members of The Desert Apple Theatre Company, Cynthia Dillon's directing credits include Chekhov's The Wood Demon, Reflecting Sunlight, by Joseph Van Harken and the American premiere of Push Up 1-3, by German playwright Roland Schimmelpfennig. She also directed Sam Sheppard's A Lie of the Mind in Saarbruecken Germany. Other directing work includes projects for Lexington's Shakespeare in the Park; Horse Cave Theatre in Kentucky, Actors' Ensemble and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival in Colorado; Love Creek Theatre in New York and over 20 productions during her four-year tenure as Artistic Director of the American Southwest Theatre Company in New Mexico.

Founded in 1993 (and revitalized in 1997), the Oberon Theatre Ensemble is a New York based, not-for-profit theatre group committed to cultivating and invigorating a diverse theatre community by confronting contemporary issues through classic and original works while employing non-traditional casting and supporting the process of developing original material.

To see how Oberon handles issues of family, forgiveness, courage and conviction, check out their presentations of MEASURE FOR MEASURE and THE YEARS beginning on January 21st and running through February 20th. And coming up, an exterminator learns a few life lessons of his own during New York's great clothes moth infestation in FEASTING ON CARDIGANS. This world premiere work premieres in April of 2005.

All three of these shows will be performed at Shetler Theatre 54, located at 244 West 54th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenues). Exact show times for MEASURE FOR MEASURE and THE YEARS are provided at the end of this release. Further information on FEASTING ON CARDIGANS will be provided in a future press release. Tickets for all shows are $19.00, $12.00 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased at TheaterMania.com. Reservations: 212-560-2241.

Information: www.oberontheatre.org.