The Players' Ring Theatre Will Present the World Premiere of C33 - THE QUEER STORY OF OSCAR WILDE'S UNDOING

At the height of Victorian Decadence, Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was the poster child of the cultural revolution. To him, art was life. He crafted every letter, every conversation, every waking moment into something beautiful. This skyrocketed him to the top of Victorian society, and on Valentine's Day 1895 he had it all. The fame, the fortune, the family, the boyfriend on the side, the bitter rival on the warpath, the play premiering in the West End, and the love of the public. He lost everything in 3 short months.

C33, a hauntingly beautiful new work by local playwright Alex Bickerstaff, tells the story of Oscar Wilde's downfall through a woven tapestry of historical events and poetic representation of his time in Reading Gaol, the infamous prison where he served two years hard labor for his crime of "Gross Indecency" alongside violent criminals and death row inmates.

"The events of that spring in 1895 are a beautiful, tragic, and essential piece of Queer history that has been largely lost to time. Many of the struggles the queer community faces today can be traced back to Lord Queensberry's crusade against Wilde," said Bickerstaff. "In the five years spent pouring over biographies, records, transcripts, and countless pieces of Wilde's writing, my goal was always to re-examine this story through a Queer positive lens, and to tell Wilde's side of the story in the tradition of Aestheticism while maintaining historical accuracy. This show is a celebration of the Queer community and one of its forgotten champions."

C33 - The Queer Story of Oscar Wilde's Undoing features performances from Christopher Ferrill, Kyle Aarons, Maya Gelting, Jules Good, Tim Young, Steve McNally, Bob Porzio, and Fury Sheron. The production team includes Jen Nelson (Director), Alex Bickerstaff (Playwright & Dramaturg), Billy Butler (Set & Lighting Design), Margherita Giacobbi (Costumes and Props), Barbara Newton (Costumes), Jayna Wheeler (Stage Manager), Isabella Heffron (Assistant Stage Manager), Winter Morrissey (Artwork) and Ben Bagley Multimedia (Video).

Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30PM and Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30PM. A companion lobby display by Bickerstaff titled "The Museum of Reading Gaol" will be open for public viewing 30 minutes prior to the performances. General Admission tickets are $27 and $24 for students and seniors. Group rates available. C33 - The Queer Story of Oscar Wilde's Undoing is also available as a part of The Players' Ring subscription packages. Tickets can be purchased at www.playersring.org.

ABOUT THE PLAYERS' RING: The Players Ring provides the Seacoast with an intimate and distinctive performance experience by cultivating artistic creativity and freedom and by engaging audiences with unique and exciting theatrical opportunities.

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