FRIGID New York To Present Mark Blane's JASON, MEDEA AND THE TRAGEDY AT THE PS19 TALENT SHOW

FRIGID New York will present the World Premiere of Jason, Medea and the Tragedy at the PS19 Talent Show, a solo show written and performed by Mark Blane (Cubby with Patricia Richardson; Little Voice on Apple TV+), based on Euripides' Medea. The production will run November 22-December 7 at UNDER St Marks.

Dea and Jay met at drama school over 15 years ago. They now live in the East Village with their 9 year old son when Dea, a rising film star, drops a bombshell during a Q&A for her new action flick: she killed her brother out of self-defense. Thus begins a media firestorm and a messy affair between Jay and the non-binary adult child of Dea's Hollywood agent. The wild tale unfurls from Jay's point of view in a non-stop onslaught of characters and film components to carry the audience through this modern-day Greek mess.

This 45 minute solo adaptation of Euripides' Medea is the creation of filmmaker/actor Mark Blane (writer/director/star of the 2019 feature film CUBBY and writer/producer of the Netflix Original THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON). The show will feature a special appearance by Jill Zmolek as Young Dea with Sound Design by Pulsar Studios (Tiago Cardoso and Dinis Henriques), Choreography by Annika Wong, Assistant Direction by Lucy Harrington and Stage Management by Grace Deschenes.

"With 15 years in the industry, including over a decade in NYC, I wanted to create a show inspired by my experiences with auteurs, one percenters, and the eccentric personalities that entertainment attracts," said Mark Blane. "What better story and set of characters to capture that journey than MEDEA."

Performances are scheduled on Friday, November 22 at 9pm, Saturday, November 23 at 7pm , Sunday, November 24 at 8pm, Saturday, November 30 at 2pm, Sunday, December 1 at 2pm, Friday, December 6 at 7pm, and Saturday, December 7 at 7pm. Tickets ($25) are available for advance purchase at www.frigid.nyc. The performance will run approximately 45 minutes, with no intermission.

Mark Blane (Playwright/Performer) is a Brooklyn-based director, actor, and screenwriter from Indiana. He/she/they is most known for their 16mm feature film debut CUBBY (2019), which had its World Premiere In Competition at Torino LGBTQI. CUBBY, which played sold out screenings at NewFest (New York Centerpiece), Outfest, Frameline, and TIFF Inside Out, stars Golden Globe/Emmy nominee Patricia Richardson alongside Mark in the lead role. Susan Stover (producer of HIGH ART and WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE) called it a "fierce writer-director debut" and Jonathan Caouette (Cannes Queer Palm and Golden Camera nominee) said Mark's performance was "kaleidoscopic and engrossing" naming him a "next generation wunderkind filmmaker." Mark was nominated for Best Actor in Wales and won the Buried Treasure Award at the 2020 Chlotrudis Independent Film Awards. Mark's films have been funded in part by Kodak, Leslie Lohman Museum for Lesbian & Gay Art, Gotham Narrative Lab, The Palette Fund, Bay Area Video Coalition, and Brooklyn Arts Council. His work has been reviewed by the LA Times, New York Times, IndieWire, Variety, Irish Times, FilmThreat, The Wall Street Journal and more. Mark co-wrote and produced the Netflix Original THE DEATH AND LIFE OF MARSHA P. JOHNSON directed by Academy Award nominee David France. Mark's other writing and directing credits include: GHOST BIKE (LA's Pan African Film Festival 2021) starring Tamara Tunie, and Portuguese short ASSASSINO AMERICANO AMNÉSICO (World Premiere in Shorts Competition at Torino LGBTQI 2023) starring Paula Guedes. As an actor, Mark can be seen in 6 episodes of the JJ Abrams produced AppleTV+ show LITTLE VOICE, directed by Jessie Nelson (I AM SAM) and Chris Storer (THE BEAR). He also recently acted in several readings and workshops of Preston Crowder's new play BOCKING directed by Stevie Walker-Webb. Mark is currently in development for their second feature film, a dramatic thriller set on a dysfunctional film set in Portugal. Mark is repped by Tyler Kahl at Allegory, and Nelson Paredez at The ESI Network. He is a proud member of The Producer's Union and SAG-AFTRA.

FRIGID New York's mission is to provide both emerging and established artists the opportunity to create and produce original work of varied content, form, and style, and to amplify their diverse voices. We do this by presenting an array of monthly programming, mainstage productions, an artist residency, and eight annual theater festivals that create an environment of collaboration, resourcefulness, and innovation. Founded in 1998, the aim was and is to form a structure, allowing multiple artists to focus on creating and staging new work and providing affordable rental space to scores of independent artists. Now in our third decade we have produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. www.frigid.nyc

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