Deaf West Theatre's OEDIPUS Starring Russell Harvard & More Begins Performances Tonight at the Getty Villa

Performances of Getty Museum and Los Angeles's Tony Award-winning Deaf West Theatre's thrilling fresh take on Sophocles' Oedipus begin tonight, Thursday, September 1st at 8:00pm PT, featuring a bilingual production in American Sign Language (ASL) and spoken English. Directed by Jenny Koons (Blue Man Group, Head Over Heels at The Pasadena Playhouse), Oedipus premieres as the 16th annual outdoor theater production in the Outdoor Theater at the Getty Villa.

In this visually rich and innovative reimagining of Sophocles' classic play, Oedipus unfolds as a murder mystery, a political thriller, and a psychological whodunit. Throughout this fabled story of patricide and family complexities, King Oedipus is confronted not only with legacy and destiny but also culture and language. This reimagined production will center American Sign Language and incorporate present day technology bringing new artistic facets to a classic piece of Greek literature.

The Oedipus cast includes Russell Harvard in the title role of King Oedipus (Broadway's To Kill a Mockingbird, King Lear and DWT's Spring Awakening), Treshelle Edmond (DWT's Spring Awakening, Broadway's For Colored Girls), Ashlea Hayes ("Switched at Birth"), Amelia Hensley (DWT's Spring Awakening), Matthew Jaeger (DWT's Children of a Lesser God and the 2018 Broadway Revival), Gregor Lopes (DWT and La Phil Fidelio), Andrew Morrill (The Music Man at Olney Theatre Center, Dancing Girls), On Shiu ("The Female Gaze", "Last Place Trophy"), Alexandria Wailes (Broadway's For Colored Girls, DWT's Spring Awakening and Big River), Akia Takara (All About Araya, "Insecure"), and Jon Wolfe Nelson ("The L Word", "Blacklist").

The play features set design by Tanya Orellana, costumes by Jojo Siu, lighting design by Jared A. Sayeg, projection design by Yee Eun Nam, and music and sound design by Peter Bayne. ASL Choreographers Andrew Morrill and Alexandria Wailes. DJ Kurs and Laura Hill produce for Deaf West Theatre.


Performances of Oedipus will be held Thursdays through Saturdays, September 7 -October 1, at 8 pm, with previews on September 1-3, 2022, at 8 pm.

Thursday night performances are $40. ($36 for students and seniors), Friday night performances are $42, and Saturday night performances are $48. Student and senior discounts are available for Thursday night performances only. Ticket prices for the previews are $25.

Tickets are available online or by calling (310) 440-7300.

Oedipus deals with adult subject matter that is not recommended for persons under the age of 12.


For more information, please visit DeafWest.org/Oedipus

ABOUT Deaf West Theatre

Founded in Los Angeles in 1991, Tony Award®-winning Deaf West Theatre (Artistic Director, DJ Kurs), engages artists and audiences in unparalleled theater experiences inspired by Deaf culture and the expressive power of sign language, weaving American Sign Language (ASL) with spoken English to create a seamless ballet of movement and voice. Committed to innovation, collaboration, and training, Deaf West Theatre is the artistic bridge between the Deaf and hearing worlds and a trusted resource for authentic storytelling and casting in film, television, and video projects. Projects include: a groundbreaking production of Fidelio with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Gustavo Dudamel; The Solid of Life of Sugar Water by Jack Thorne; Our Town, in a co-production with The Pasadena Playhouse; Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo, in a co-production with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts; Spring Awakening the Musical, which transferred from Inner-City Arts to the Wallis and then to Broadway (three Tony Award® nominations including Best Revival of a Musical); American Buffalo (Los Angeles Times "Critic's Choice"); Cyrano, a co-production with The Fountain Theatre (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Production); Big River the Musical (Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and Backstage Garland awards for Best Musical in its L.A. premiere, a Tony Award® nomination, and four Drama Desk Awards on Broadway); Pippin, produced at the Mark Taper Forum in a co-production with Center Theatre Group; Sleeping Beauty Wakes, also a co-production with Center Theatre Group, presented at the Kirk Douglas Theatre; Oliver! (Ovation Award for Best Musical) and A Streetcar Named Desire (Ovation Award for Best Play). In 2005, Deaf West Theatre was selected to receive the Highest Recognition Award by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for its "distinguished contributions to improve and enrich the culture lives of Deaf and hard of hearing actors and theater patrons.

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