FACT Theatre Presents THE SONG OF EDDIE KING Reading at Roy Arias Theatre Tonight

THE SONG OF EDDIE KING, a modern day Oedipus, will be presented as a reading by FRIENDS ALWAYS CREATING (FACT) THEATRE as part of a benefit evening being held tonight, May 20th at 7:00PM at Roy Arias Theatre, 300 West 43rd Street. The evening will consist of an hour long reading of the new play, an auction and raffle and wine and a talk back with the author of the play, Jamesai Schempp.

Playwright Jamesai Schempp explained that he examined how Oedipus Rex is the prototypical tragedy in our culture. That it is not only a story of a man who killed his father and married his mother, but a man whose pride forced him to meet his fate by the very act of fleeing from it. The fall of Oedipus from a state of happiness to a state of abject disgrace was a powerful symbol for the Greeks and Mr. Schempp explains it has remained so for modern man.

His play examines that although Oedipus is set in the far reaches of our cultural past that it is impossible for such a thing to happen today. It asks how could the circumstances be reasonably presented in a modern setting? Who today has the absolute freedom of a monarch that he had? As Oedipus could speak for the law because he was the law what credible microcosm of society can be developed that would allow the events of this story to take place?

The Song of Eddie King is set in a traveling carnival. Eddie, a young, virile, strapping lad, joined the show several years ago when it was on the skids. Through his hard work and with some lucky breaks, the carnival - called Louie's Shows -- is finally about to go back into the black financially, much to the delight of the widowed owner of the show, Cassie, who, along with her brother Creigh has been running Louie's Shows ever since Louie was killed in a knife fight.

Everything seems to be looking up, but Sister Theresa, the fortune teller, warns them not to be too confident. And when a US Marshal comes on the scene to investigate the unsolved murder of Louie, the inevitable theme of Oedipus begins to unfold in modern terms.

The cast includes FACT Members and guests. Betty Hudson who has appeared on BROADWAY in GEORGE M and BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE. OFF-BROADWAY in DOG DAY AFTERNOON, VAGINA MONOLOGUES, MACBETH, OUR TOWN and THE DRUNKARD with Barry Manilow was also seen in the national tours of GEORGE M with Mickey Rooney, ANYTHING GOES with Chita Rivera, BUTTERFLIES ARE FREE with Jan Sterling and films including OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION and IN LIEU OF FLOWERS is Sister Theresa. As Eddie, Evan Enslow recently worked with Sofia Vergara on a Project for Comcast. He has been featured in several Off-Broadway/Regional credits in NYC and LA which have resulted in outstanding reviews and awards on both coasts, including last summer's production of (un)missed connections for the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. Gus Ferrari who has been featured as R.P. McMurphy (One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest) , as Lucien Smith (The Boys Next Door) and he was last seen on the F.A.C.T. stage as "Edgar" in Jack. Dyville's "An Umbrella In The Snow" is Creigh . Marvin Riggins can be seen in the upcoming web series The S.I.T. Network and is featured as Clees. Kevin Christopher Martinez , as Aaron, has performed with NY's LCP Theatre Company: Two Point Five; The Jazz Age, as well as in the Bound for Broadway Cabaret. He most recently was seen in My Fair Lady (St. Jeans' Players Theater, NY) and as the Zog u/s In the Off-Broadway production of A Mermaid's Tale (Stage 72, Triad Theatre, NY. Julia Menn playing Cassie is currently in the new musical The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota, performing at the Planet Connections festival, and just joined the cast of W-WOW Radio Mystery Hour. Jere Williams playing The Sheriff was last seen as both Joe Stoddard and Bill Warren in Tongue in Cheek Theatre's acclaimed sold-out revival of OUR TOWN. Also recently, he originated the role of Bruce in Mark-Eugene Garcia's (UN)MISSED CONNECTIONS, directed by Rodrigo Bolanos, at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity. He was David Frost in the first New York revival of Peter Morgan's FROST/NIXON. Jordan Auslander, as Shepard, once was a bored CashCab contestant and works in improv. The reading is being directed by Rodrigo Bolanos who directed the TREASURES: A Collection of Short Plays for FACT. (un)missed connections for Planet Connections Theatre Festivity and currently, he's directing The Holy Cows of Credence, South Dakota, a new musical, also for Planet Connections which opens the first week of June.

FRIENDS ALWAYS CREATING THEATRE COMPANY is a non-profit theatre company which promotes new work. They have been prolific in presenting a monthly short play series called Words and Wine. They have presented and annual GLBT short play festival called Gaylicious and full length plays developed in their playwright workshops including Uff Da by Jack Dyville and a production of EEK a Mousical that will be playing in repertoire with A Mermaids Tale at Stage 72 again in the fall. Several of the plays that were read in the playwright's development have moved to other venues including (UN)MISSED CONNECTIONS by Mark-Eugene Garcia. This evening is being produced as a benefit for FRIENDS ALWAYS CREATING THEATRE whose Producer and Artistic Director is Jack Dyville, and Co-Producer is David Gillam Fuller. Andrew Dorph is Managing Director.

The raffle to raise money for the theatre company includes theatre tickets, passes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, discounts on messages, a personal dietary study by a professional nutritionist , tutoring, art and fashion donations and a special $400 genealogical study for $125 donation.

Tickets for the evening are available through www.Brownpapertickets.com for $12.00 which include the talkback and wine.

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