Ophelia Theatre Group to Present Array of New Plays 'With a Twist'

Ophelia Theatre Group presents a fantastic array of new plays based on classic tales, but 'with a twist'! These performances, divided over four weekends, will turn modern and classic myth on its ear.

PERFORMANCE DATES:

-Love (un)Sought by The Astoria Music Project. Friday, Saturday Sept 29th and 30th @8pm, Sunday October 1st @6pm*

-Skin of the Teeth by Anna Beecher. Friday, Saturday Sept 29th and 30th @8pm, Sunday October 1st @6pm*

-Your Town by Joe Ferraro. Friday, Saturday October 6th and 7th @8pm, Sunday October 8th @6pm

-Red Winter by Anthony Mercado. Friday, Saturday October 13th and 14th @8pm, Sunday October 15th @6pm

-Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Daniel Roberts. Friday, Saturday October 20th and 21st @8pm, Sunday October 22nd @6pm

Performances play Ophelia Theater, 21-12 30th Road, Astoria, NY 11102. The Ophelia Theater entrance and parking lot is located in the Variety Boys and Girls Club parking lot off of 21st St. Train: (N or W, 30 Ave. Stop). Tickets: General Admission: $13 online, $15 at the door at WithATwist.bpt.me. For more information, visit www.opheliatheatre.org.

"We are very excited to be sharing this venture with the world, as a company we are changing and growing at a rapid pace which is very exciting for us. With the huge success of last season of 'Turning the page, a season of new chapters' which featured adaptations of classic works by women, we found our footing in the New York Theater community. We want to continue to incubate new works from up and coming artists whilst staying true to our artistic integrity. And so, 'With a Twist' was born. We are beyond thrilled to be housing the works of five new playwrights, each bringing their own unique flavor to classic tales. So here it is! Five brand spanking new plays over four weekends in the fall, five fresh takes on classic stories from Grimm's fairy tales to the bard himself! We cannot wait to see you!"

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PERFORMANCES:

LOVE (UN)SOUGHT

by The Astoria Music Project

"Classical composers may have sought out their favorite passages from William Shakespeare's works for inspiration, but thanks to a new performance piece by The Combined forces of the Ophelia Theatre Group and the Astoria Music Project, you don't have to! Love (un)Sought pairs classical music throughout history with scenes from the extraordinary Shakespeare plays on which they are based. After all, an inspirational evening of classical music sought is good, but given unsought at the "With a Twist" festival is even better!"

SKIN OF THE TEETH

by Anna Beecher

"A part-thriller, part-fairytale adaptation of The Brothers Grimm 'The Boy Who Went Forth To Learn To Shudder' the story of a boy without fear.Nicholas wants to feel fear. People can tell that something is missing in him. After a violent accident he accepts the help of charming stranger, Mr Bacon, who takes him under his wing, out of his small seaside town and into an enchanting and perilous world."

YOUR TOWN

by Joe Ferraro

"We all yearn to live a life worth living but wont know the answer until it's complete. Your Town is an adaptation of Thorton Wilder's classic that looks for clues to that question in a day, a life and an eternity."

RED WINTER

by Anthony Mercado

"This new riff on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale finds us in revolutionary Russia, where five years of civil war and upheaval have finally given way to an uneasy peace. But as the victorious Comrade Leon attempts to restore order, a hapless miner named Anton triggers a catastrophic accident, leaving a national disaster in his wake. His punishment? Desertion on an island in the Caspian Sea, at the mercy of a sedulous singing drifter -- and his equally-talented bear."

RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINE

by Daniel Roberts

"Rime of the Ancient Mariner is an adventurous adaptation of Coleridge's Epic Poem. The audience is cordially invited to take part as wedding guests to this union of music and storytelling as the wandering Mariner retells his account of his journey to the Southern Antarctic Sea and back. There will be albatrosses, spirits, and boozes."

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The Ophelia Theatre Group was founded in 2003 by playwright/producer, Sarah Bennett, in her hometown of Lake Elsinore, California. Originally comprised of 15 members, the company has grown to an excess of 50 passionate artists after relocating to Astoria, NY to further pursue their professional and creative development. They are dedicated to providing quality theatre to Astoria and its surrounding neighborhoods, having successfully renovated a seldom-used dance studio at the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens into a 75-seat black box theater, which they utilize to rehearse and perform original works, published works, new play readings and variety events. They also volunteer to provide theatre classes and performance opportunities for the children at the Boys and Girls Club.

New York productions include: Your Alice, Some Night, Hedda Gabler, The Seagull,The Tempest, Almost Maine, Mary's Little Monster, Floyd Collins, The Fox and Boulder, As You Like It, Rockabye Hamlet (first New York revival), Fortinbras, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Hamlet, The Cast Party, God Chairs and the Infinite Burrito, and reasons to be pretty.