Dominic Fumusa Joins Epic Theatre Ensemble's PASSION PLAY, Previews 4/27

New York's OBIE Award-winning Epic Theatre Ensemble (Zak Berkman, Melissa Friedman, Ron Russell, Founding Executive Directors) today announced that Dominic Fumusa (Fault Lines, Take Me Out, "Nurse Jackie") has joined the cast of the New York premiere of Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play (In The Next Room... or the vibrator play) and directed by MarK Wing-Davey (The Singing Forest). Fumusa replaces the previously announced Felix Solis Jr., who had to leave the production for scheduling reasons. The cast also includes Hale Appleman, Brendan Averett, Polly Noonan, Daniel Pearce, Alex Podulke, Keith Reddin, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr., T. Ryder Smith, Kate Turnbull and Nicole Wiesner.

Scenic Design will be by Allen Moyer and Warren Karp, Costume Design will be by Gabriel Berry and Antonia Ford-Roberts, Lighting Design will be by David Weiner, Sound Design will be by David Van Tieghem, Movement Direction will be by Jim Calder, Fight Direction will be by David Anzuelo and Dialect Coach will be Deborah Hecht.

Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play begins previews April 27 and runs through May 30, 2010. Opening night is set for May 12, 2010 at 6:45 p.m. The production will be performed in the site-specific environs of the Irondale Center, a converted Sunday School inside the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church (85 South Oxford Street) in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

Hailed by The New Yorker's John Lahr as "extraordinary" and full of "verve and daring", Ruhl's three-play cycle will be the centerpiece of an unforgettable Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play Festival, a series of performances, panel discussions, workshops, and education programs highlighting the intersection of art, politics, sexuality, and religion.

Inspired by the historic festivals where everyday citizens came together to elevate their communities by staging the death and resurrection of Christ, Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play transports audiences first to 16th century England, where Queen Elizabeth threatens to shut down a small town's production; then to Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler's arrival at the famous Oberammergau Passion Play influences the lives of its cast and finally to Spearfish, South Dakota in 1984, as a local production becomes a campaign stop for a famous actor-turned-President running for re-election. MarK Wing-Davey will return as director following his highly acclaimed productions of Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play at the Goodman Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre, but will be re-envisioning the play for this site-specific New York premiere.

Tickets are available by visiting Epic's website at www.epictheatreensemble.org.

Epic is thrilled to be partnering with a coalition of creative thinkers, art makers, academic institutions and Fort Greene community members to create the Passion Play Festival, which will surround this production with fun and fascinating events and activities that range from dance parties, concerts and free food, to family workshops, new play readings and Epic's trademark Forum Series. The Passion Play Festival is an ever expanding and organic community endeavor, so please be sure to check www.epictheatreensemble.org often for up-to-the-minute programming and scheduling information. Reservations for all Passion Play Festival events should be made through emailing passionplaynyc@gmail.com.

Epic Theatre Ensemble is an OBIE, Lucille Lortel, and OTTO Award-Winning artist-run company. Founded in 2001 to create theatrical events Off-Broadway and in the New York City Public Schools that inspire vital dialogue about social issues, Epic is best known for their premieres of No Child... by Nilaja Sun, Palace of the End by Judith Thompson, and Hannah and Martin by Kate Fodor, as well as their groundbreaking Shakespeare Remix after-school program that received a 2009 Coming Up Taller Award from First Lady Michelle Obama at a White Ceremony this past November.

Bio____________________________________________________________

Dominic Fumusa (Pontius the Fish-Gutter) was last on stage in Stephen Belber's Fault Lines (dir by David Schwimmer) at the Cherry Lane. At the Donmar and the Public, Fumusa originated the role of 'Toddy Koovitz' in Richard Greenberg's Tony-winning Take Me Out (dir by Joe Mantello). In New York, London, and LA, he originated the role of 'Vince' in Belber's Tape (dir by Geoffrey Nauffts). Fumusa made his Broadway debut opposite Marisa Tomei and Quentin Tarantino in Wait Until Dark. Regional credits include the Guthrie, Huntington, Kennedy Center, Actors Theater of Louisville, Coconut Grove, Williamstown, NY Stage & Film, Stratford Festival of Canada and Chicago Shakespeare. On television Fumusa currently plays Edie Falco's husband on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie." Other TV credits include "Sex & the City," "The Sopranos," "Brotherhood," "NYPD Blue," "Hack," "Numb3rs," "Bones" and all the "Law & Orders" and the "CSIs." Films include Staten Island, Helena from the Wedding, Management, This is a Story about Ted & Alice (opposite Melissa Leo, 2008 Cannes), Dealbreaker (dir by Gwyneth Paltrow) and Grilled (opposite Burt Reynolds).

 

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