World Premiere of GAS by Charles Cissel to be Presented at Theatre Row in May

Luke Wilson will present the world premiere of Gas by Charles Cissel. Directed by Felicia Lobo, Gas is a visceral exploration of war. This strictly limited engagement is scheduled to run May 20-June 10, 2023, with an opening set for Thursday, May 25, at Theatre Row (410 W 42nd St, Manhattan). Tickets are currently on sale at www.theatrerow.org.

When the unreality of war rains down, all that is left is an incomprehensible space. And in this void, four characters navigate a wasteland of distorted memories and chaotic dreams. They ask, "How do I dig myself out?" "How do I recapture my life?"

The cast for Gas includes A.J. Ditty, Scout Backus, JJ McGlone, and Ta'Neesha Murphy along with saxophonist Kevin Kim.

The creative team for Gas includes Christopher and Justin Swader (scenic design), Katja Andreiev (costume design), Elizabeth M. Stewart (lighting design), Matt Keim (sound design), Patricia Marjorie (props design), Joe Gery (casting), Samantha Robbins (production manager), Eric Nightengale (Production Supervisor), Zak Biggins (assistant director & production stage management), and Terysa Malootian (assistant stage management). Form Theatricals (Anthony Francavilla and Reed Ridgley) serves as General Manager.

Sixteen performances of Gas will take place May 20-June 10, 2023, at Theatre Row, located at 410 W 42nd St in Manhattan. Critics are welcome as of May 21 for an opening on Thursday, May 25. The performance schedule is Wednesday-Saturday at 7pm and Sunday at 3pm with an additional performance on May 22 at 7pm and no performance on May 28. General admission tickets, which start at $45.00, are available at www.theatrerow.org.

About the Creative Team

Charles Cissel

(playwright) has had ten plays produced in New York City including Home Sweet Home/Crack, Rosa Rugosa, Touch Me, Splatter, God Steeling, Organic Shrapnel, Wallop, Must, My Mother's Severed Head and Gas. The next work in progress: Huda Hada Hey (the restaurant play).

Felicia Lobo

(director) is a Brooklyn-based director who specializes in horror and fantastical theatre. Her work creates visceral responses from audiences, exploring the terror and humor of our mortality. Recent projects include Pop Punk High at Le Poisson Rouge, Immersive Horror Experiences with Insomnium Theatre Company, and the development of new plays with playwrights such as Francesca Pazniokas, AJ Ditty, and Matt Minnicino. She is also a theatre educator, currently teaching musical theatre at a Brooklyn arts high school and directing for conservatory programs such as Atlantic Acting School. Outside of her theatre work, Felicia is the frontwoman of QWAM (Brooklyn punk band), runs a YouTube channel dedicated to horror (GirlyGore), and hosts a podcast with strange stories from all over the world (Sinister Sisters). Felicia holds a BFA from NYU Tisch in Drama and a Masters in Educational Theatre from CCNY. www.FeliciaLobo.com

Christopher & Justin Swader

(scenic design). Selected New York: Arden of Faversham (Red Bull Theater), The Knight of the Burning Pestle (Red Bull Theater / Fiasco Theatre), Seven Deadly Sins (Tectonic Theater Project), Seize the King, The Bacchae, Antigone, The Three Musketeers, Macbeth, The Tempest, Dutchman (Classical Theatre of Harlem), Ajijaak on Turtle Island (The New Victory Theatre), Midnight at the Never Get (York Theatre Company). Selected Regional: The Tempest (Alabama Shakespeare Festival), Our Town (Dallas Theater Center), A Raisin in the Sun (Two River Theater), Radio Golf (Everyman Theatre), Seven Deadly Sins, Elián, One Night in Miami, The Cuban Vote, Fake, Confessions of a Cocaine Cowboy, The Cubans (Miami New Drama) and designs for A$AP Rocky, National Geographic, Big Apple Circus, Sotheby's. Lucille Lortel Award nomination & multiple Henry Hewes Design Award nominations. www.cjswaderdesign.com

Katja Andreiev

(costume design). Recent theater works include: God of Carnage (The Depot Theatre dir. Isaac Byrnes), Head Over Heels (CAP 21 dir. Jennifer Swiderski), Execution of Justice (Playhouse Creatures dir Mark Armstrong). Past Favorites- The Hope Hypothesis (Premiere. Voyage Theater Company- dir. Cat Miller) Much Ado About Nothing (American Repertory Theatre Institute dir. Anya Saffir) Self Made Man: The Frederick Douglass Story (Premiere. Nikita Productions dir. Melania Levitsky), The Pirate LaDeeDa (Atlantic for Kids, Winner of the Off-Broadway OBA AWARD for Best Family Show dir. Kristen Hanggi), The Velveteen Rabbit: an Opera (Premiere. Atlantic for Kids, dir. Anya Saffir), Beardo (The Pipeline Theatre Company dir. Ellie Heyman) The Atlantic Theater Company 10 x 25 (Premiere dir. Neil Pepe et al). Katja is a frequent collaborator with The 24 Hour Plays on Broadway.

Elizabeth M. Stewart

(lighting design) is a New York based lighting designer and interdisciplinary artist whose work has been seen in New York, London, Philadelphia, and more, in venues ranging from art gallery basements to off-Broadway theatres. Recent credits include The Chickens Have Come Home to Roost (Triskelion), Waiting for Lefty (Quintessence Theatre Group), Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story (Cape Fear Regional Theatre), Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812 (Hangar Theatre), Orlando (Barnard), Ritual (Witness), and An Odyssey (Hangar Theatre). Elizabeth is a resident designer with both WWTNS? Theatre Company and The Arctic Group and is a member of the art collective Smear Campaign. MFA Brooklyn College - Performance & Interactive Media Arts. BFA NYU Tisch. ElizabethMStewart.myportfolio.com

Matt Keim

(sound design) is a punk who has waded through the world of sound for ten years. He designed Insomnium Theater Company's yearly collection of horror plays, worked with Dark Hollow Productions on their haunted houses, mixed podcasts for Bloomberg, and handled post-production audio for short films. He is the de facto cult leader of The Cult Of Chunk, the six stringed shooter in QWAM, and the bottom end of King Bug.

Patricia Marjorie

(props design) is a Brazilian multidisciplinary theater artist based in New York with works on costume design, props, set design, directing and performing. Last Works: props designer for Wolf Play at MCC, Public Obscenities at Soho Rep; costume and props for Modern Swimwear directed by Meghan Finn. Recent works: costume designer for Simon and His Shoes by Meghan Finn; set design for Re MEMORI by Nambi E. Kelley (WP Theater); props for You Will Get Sick directed by Sam Pinkelton (Roundabout Theatre); Montag directed by Dustin Wills (Soho Rep); Ulysses and The Seagull by Elevator Repair Service, Eva Luna by Repertório Espanhol; Notes on Killing Seven Oversight... by Mara Vélez Meléndez (Soho Rep), 7 Minutes (Waterwell, dir. Mei Ann Teo), Black Exhibition by Jeremy O. Harris, SKiNFoLK by Jillian Walker, In the Southern Breeze (Rattlestick). Patricia has also recently directed What Will Become of Kaaron? (The Tank) and her own work as a playwright A Song to Keep the Wolves Awake (The Tank).

Zak Biggins

(assistant director & production stage management) has created work with 54 Below, Green Room 42, Mercury Lounge, The Cutting Room, and recently concluded touring the country assisting winners of RuPaul's Drag Race. They have directed a number of immersive drag experiences with headliners including: Kevin Aviance, Amanda Lepore, Raja, Roxxy Andrews, Gigi Goode, Trinity the Tuck and more. Off-Broadway: I Love My Family But... BFA: Carnegie Mellon

About the Cast

Scout Backus

is an actor and playwright based in Harlem. Recent credits include Lumeria (Ensemble Studio Theater), Aaliyah in Underland (New York Classical Theater), and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird (Broadway).

Ta'Neesha Murphy

is a Washington D.C. native and SUNY Purchase BFA Acting Alumni. She is excited to be making her theatre debut at Theatre Row in this production of Gas. Off Broadway: Cullud Wattah (u/s Public Theatre). TV: "Random Acts of Flyness" (recurring/HBO). Favorite university credits include Marisol, As You Like It, and Blood Wedding www.taneeshamurphy.com

JJ McGlone

is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama where he received his M.F.A in acting. He is thrilled to be making his New York theatrical debut. In addition to his training at Yale, JJ attended the British Academy of Dramatic Art and holds a B.F.A from DePaul University. He will next be seen in the upcoming A24 film, A Different Man.

A.J. Ditty

is an actor/playwright/slash-mark enthusiast currently living in Brooklyn. NYC: Puffs; or, Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic (New World Stages/The Elektra/The PIT), Paddington Gets in a Jam! (DR2), The Mysteries (The Flea Theater), Kapow-i GoGo!!! (The PIT), and B.B.'s Inferno (The PIT). Regional: The Farnsworth Invention (La Jolla Playhouse), Accidental Death of an Anarchist, Jekyll and Hyde, The Foreigner, Betrayal, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Noises Off!, Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure, and The 39 Steps (The Winnipesaukee Playhouse), Landscape of the Body (Exit Stage Left). A.J. is a cohost of The Worst of All Possible Worlds podcast where he and his cohosts do weekly case studies in the pop culture of a dying empire. www.ajditty.com

Kevin Kim

Saxophonist Kevin Kim was accepted to the Berklee College of Music in 2016 with a Presidential Scholarship. He graduated with honors from Berklee in 2020 and moved to the NYC area soon after, pursuing his continual search to decipher humanity's innate and infinite essence through the medium of music. In addition to freelancing as a musician and recording engineer around the metropolitan area, Kim works as an audio engineer at Trinity Church Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, where he's had the privilege of recording a plethora of world-renowned musicians such as The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Downtown Voices, NOVUS NY, Christian McBride, Steve Turre, Monty Alexander, and Ingrid Jensen.

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