Axis Theatre to Premiere Randy Sharp's NOTHING ON EARTH, 2/27-4/5

Following a successful run of Asi Wind's Concert of the Mind, a show of remarkable mental feats by one of the great magicians of our time, Axis Theatre Company continues to explore magic and illusion with the world premiere of Randy Sharp's Nothing on Earth.

Nothing on Earth will run at Axis Theatre February 27-April 5 (see schedule above). Critics are welcome as of Saturday, March 1 for an official opening on Thursday, March 6. Axis Theatre is located at One Sheridan Square in the West Village (just off 7th Avenue, accessible from the 1 train at Christopher Street and the B/D/F/M/A/C/E at West 4th Street).

Nothing on Earth is written and directed by Sharp, the Artistic Director of Axis, who wrote and directed the company's Drama Desk-nominated production of Last Man Club, and who directed Edgar Oliver's acclaimed East 10th Street.Her new play examines Houdini's driven crusade to expose fraudulent mediums and his crossing paths with the avid spiritualist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Both men are catapulted to the center of The Scientific American Magazine contest to find the first-ever provable clairvoyant, a battle that destroyed their friendship and left Houdini to continue his search for a true psychic to contact his mother. He was not successful.

Axis Company has worked closely with William Kalush, Executive Director of the Conjuring Arts Research Center, Houdini scholar, and author of The Secret Life of Houdini, to re-create some of Houdini's most famous illusions and bring the audience on a journey to the strangest part of his life story.

The cast features George Demas, Spencer Aste, Lynn Mancinelli, Brian Barnhart, David Crabb and Brian Linden. The production includes lighting design by David Zeffren, sound design by Steve Fontaine, costume design by Karl Ruckdeschel and dramaturgy by Marc Palmieri.

About Randy Sharp: Randy Sharp has been directing plays for almost 30 years. Educated in London she returned to the United States to attend Simon's Rock College, a unit of Bard. After graduating, Randy settled in New York City. Founded in 1996, her theatre company, Axis, acquired a permanent New York City home in 1998. The interior of the historic performance space, at 1 Sheridan Square, was transformed to reflect her vision of total theatrical immersion where audiences are surrounded by the experience of the play the moment they cross the threshold. Distractions from the material are minimal. Productions include Drama Desk Award-winner Last Man Club, A Glance at New York (Edinburgh Fringe & NYC); Julius Caesar; Down There; the U.S premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave, starring Deborah Harry, Seven in One Blow (published by DPS and performed every December in NYC and around the country); and Edgar Oliver's East 10th Street: Self Portrait with Empty House (Fringe First Award, Edinburgh Fringe; Spoleto Festival USA 2011). Her episodic play Hospital, about the interior life of a man in a coma, is a West Village phenomenon every summer. She also wrote and directed the period feature film Henry May Long, winner of 13 international film festival awards.

About Axis Theatre Company: Axis Company (Artistic Director, Randy Sharp) was formed with a mission to present aggressive surrealism, classic vaudeville turns and vanguard adaptation. Past productions include Beckett's Play, Benjamin Baker's 1848 vaudeville A Glance at New York (Edinburgh & NYC), Last Man Club (2013 Drama Desk nomination) and the U.S. premiere of Sarah Kane's Crave, starring Deborah Harry. Axis has also produced the premiere of Edgar Oliver's East 10th Street (New York Times Critic Pick; Fringe First Award: Edinburgh; Spoleto USA 2011).

About The Conjuring Arts Research Center: The Conjuring Arts Research Center is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of magic and its allied arts, which include psychic phenomenon, hypnosis, deceptive gambling, mentalism, ventriloquism, juggling, and sleight-of-hand techniques. Currently, Conjuring Arts functions primarily as a research library, of over 11,000 book and magazine titles, dating back to the 15th century and representing multiple languages. However, the library itself is only the first in a long list of roles Conjuring Arts plays. By providing its holdings, online database, semi-annually published journal, and performance component to the public, Conjuring Arts strives to preserve the rich histories and traditions of this ancient performing art.

Nothing on Earth runs February 27-28, March 1, 3, 5-8, 12-15, 20-22, 27-29 at 8:00 P.M. Additional Performances: April 2-5 at 8:00 P.M. The Axis Theatre is located at One Sheridan Square. Tickets: $40, $30 students/seniors. Call 212.807.9300 or visit www.axiscompany.org.

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