Son of Semele Ensemble Presents INCOGNITO by Nick Payne

Son of Semele Ensemble announces its upcoming production of Incognito by Nick Payne, to be performed at the Son of Semele Theater from March 16 to April 7, 2019. Partly inspired by true events, Payne's inventive, time-traveling play explores the ever-mysterious link between the physical organ we call the brain and the intangible identities we call "ourselves."

Incognito weaves together three personal narratives to get at the heart of the mind: The first riffs on the strange-but-true tale of the American pathologist who abducted Einstein's brain, hoping to unlock the secret of his genius. The second, also based on fact, tracks the celebrated case of a man unable to form new memories following a failed brain surgery. Finally, there is the story of a freshly divorced neuropsychologist struggling to find hope in the face of cold hard facts. A cast of four actors plays a total of 21 characters; in its review of the Manhattan Theater Club's production, The New York Times wrote, "It feels right that so few should incarnate so many, since one of Mr. Payne's implicit points here is that we're all siblings under the skull. That philosophy means you're likely to identify with every one of these characters, all groping for certain knowledge and all destined to be thwarted."

Nick Payne is a playwright and screenwriter who won the prestigious George Devine Award in 2009 with his play If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet. His play Constellations opened at the London's Royal Court Upstairs in 2012 before transferring to the West End; it later received a critically praised Broadway production. Payne's debut television series, Wanderlust, appears on Netflix.

Son of Semele Ensemble's production of Incognito is directed by company member Don Boughton and features Debba Rofheart, Sarah Rosenberg, Dan Via and Alex Wells, all also company members. The production team includes Brandon Baruch (lighting), James Ferrero (sound), Mark Kanieff (set) and Alicia Matz (costumes). Edward Khris Fernandez is the stage manager, assisted by Priscilla Kwong.

TICKETS: $25 general admission, $20 for patrons 25 and under. Limited pay-what-you-can tickets are available for performances through March 24 (suggested $10 minimum donation). Tickets may be purchased online at sonofsemele.org; the Son of Semele Box office opens 30 minutes prior to each performance.

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