DON JUAN IN HELL, Tom Stoppard's DOGG'S HAMLET, CAHOOT'S MACBETH & More Set for Phoenix Theatre Ensemble's 2013-14 Season

Phoenix Theatre Ensemble has announced that its Tenth Anniversary season will feature George Bernard Shaw's Don Juan in Hell, Tom Stoppard's Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth, a new play by Randy Neale titled The Fool's Lear's, and a cabaret performance of songs of Jacques Brel titled Go To Brel.

Shaw's Don Juan in Hell is the dream sequence of the larger work Man and Superman where three characters from Mozart's Don Giovanni (Don Juan, Dona Ana, and the statue of the Commendatore, Ana's father) meet the Devil in Hell and discuss, debate and argue about Heaven and Hell, men and women, the state of humanity, and marriage. Often produced as a reading, Phoenix is giving Don Juan on a fully staged production under the direction of Karen Case Cook (On the Verge, 2007) and will be performed at the newly renovated Paradise Theatre Factory at 64 East 4th Street (next door to La MaMa). The cast will include Phoenix regulars Jason O'Connell as Don Juan, Craig Smith as The Devil, Elise Stone as Ana, and Joseph Menino as The Commander. Performances begin on September 18.

Don Juan will play in repertory with a cabaret performance of the songs of Jacques Brel as compiled and performed by noted cabaret performer Go Mahan. The evening titled Go To Brel will include a mix of the most popular and a re-discovery of some of the neglected works by the beloved iconic composer. Performances begin on September 20.

The Fall Rep will also include late night 10:00 pm performances by the popular musical improv group The Petting Zoo and 11:00 AM Saturday morning family performances by Improv-4-Kids.

The Spring rep will feature Tom Stoppard's two bard-inspired plays Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth which will be directed by Kevin Confoy (The Painting, 2007). In Dogg's Hamlet an Acting Company prepares for Hamlet performed in its original language: "Dogg" - a language comprised of English words, but with different meanings. When an English-speaking delivery man arrives with their set, both languages break down and new ways of communication must be devised. In the second play, renegade actors stage a secret performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth that becomes a stark example of resistance under censorship.

The Stoppard plays will play in repertory with another bard-inspired comic drama The Fool's Lear by Randy Neale, which explores the relationship between Lear and his fool between the scenes of Shakespeare's great tragedy. Grant Neale (A Man's A Man, 2011) and Craig Smith will be featured as The Fool and Lear. Playwright Randy Neale says "It is a story of fathers and children, aging and death, and the folly of all those who think they rule their own lives. It is about the end of power and the end of life as lived by a clown, whether that clown is a fool or a king." The Fool's Lear is a Phoenix Theatre Ensemble/Nomad Theatrical Company Co-Production. The Spring rep will be at the Wild Project on East 3rd Street.

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