Lyra Theater's Election-Year Satire THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI Begins Tonight

Lyra Theater presents the U.S. Premiere of Jennifer Wise's translation of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui in 1941 by German playwright Bertolt Brecht.

In this election year, Arturo Ui is ripped from the headlines as a brash outsider with no political experience runs for office, takes over a party and rises to power. Featuring eight actors playing over forty roles and a non-traditional space, the plays takes audiences on a theatrical roller coaster ride that rivals the best CNN has to offer.

Noam Shapiro directs a cast of eight including Matt Biagini*, Aurora Heimbach*, Alexander Rafala, Amanda Thickpenny, Matthew Van Gessel, Malka Wallick, Brittany N. Williams*, and Kyle Michael Yoder. Twelve Performances will be staged at The Cave at St. George's, 209 East 16th Street in NYC 10003 from tonight, October 20, through November 5, 2016.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is a play about a demagogue coming to power in a democratic state. Any resemblance to living persons is entirely coincidental. Written by Bertolt Brecht in 1941, Arturo is simultaneously a satirical explanation of the rise of nationalism in Germany and a warning against allowing the events of the 1930s to repeat themselves. While waiting for a visa with which he could escape the Nazi regime, Brecht wrote this play for the Americans with whom he was hoping to take refuge. He chronicles the rise of Arturo Ui, a fictional hustler, and his attempt to take over Chicago by any means necessary. Through a combination of force, political maneuvering, and sheer charisma, Ui seizes control of the Windy City and sets his sights on the rest of the country.

"I love plays that ask a question," states director Noam Shapiro. "Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui challenges us to imagine how we would act in the face of demagoguery, hate, and fear. Seventy-five years after it was written, Brecht's warning to Americans is as timely as ever. As we head to the polls, Lyra's relocated take on Arturo Ui asks what happens when democracy becomes a circus."

Noam Shapiro (Director) is a Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Lyra Theater. His directing credits include the U.S. premiere of Caroline Bird's The Trojan Women, the world premiere of Eric Sirakian's Ermeni presented by the Yale Dramat, an immersive production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible with music, a production of Kander & Ebb's Cabaret inspired by theatrical documents from the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and a site-specific production of Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation. His work was featured in Playbill.com's list of "Innovative College Productions from 2014-2015." He has enjoyed working with the Pearl Theatre, Transport Group, Ars Nova, the Jewish Plays Project, the Cape Cod Theatre Project, New Dramatists, and the 24 Hour Company. Noam is a 2016-2017 Manhattan Theatre Club Directing Fellow and a member of the 2016-2017 Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation Observership Class. In development: Deadheads by Ali Viterbi. For more, visit www.noamshapiro.com.

Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.artful.ly/lyratheater.

The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is presented by Lyra Theater. Producer: Hope Chavez; Asst. Producer: Amanda Milone; Production Stage Manager: Grace S. Peñaranda*; Scenic Designer: Brendan Boston; Lighting Designer: Katy Atwell; Sound Designer: Adrian Bridges; Props Designer: Brett Warnke; Press Representative: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

Lyra Theater is the creation of New York City-based artists Hope Chavez, Noam Shapiro, and Kyle Michael Yoder. With backgrounds in cognitive science, history, media, directing, acting, and producing, we are on a mission to create theater by and for emerging artists. Lyra Theater exists to launch the next generation of theater artists onto the American stage. As a constellation of artists, we strive to build a creative home for emerging theater makers in New York City and to pay our artists for their valuable work. Through our productions, workshops, and open-submission policy, Lyra creates theater that aims to challenge audiences, start conversations, build communities, and reflect the diversity of our world.

Olmsted Salon is connecting culture and community with programs including Jazz in the Cave, literature and conversation, readings and theatrical productions all in "The Cave," a stone room in the basement of St. George's Church. For more information, visit www.olmstedsalon.com.

Meet the Cast:

Matt Biagini* (Butcher/Actor/Dulfeet/James Greenwall/Fish) is a NYC-based actor and teacher, whose NY credits include The Misanthrope (title role, Performance Space 122), Galileo (Urban Stages), The Merchant of Venice (Secret Theatre), Cyrano (workshop of English/ASL adaptation, New York Theatre Workshop/Deaf West), Exquisite Potential (NY premiere, Project Rushmore/ArcLight Theatre), Learning Russian (NY premiere, The Flea), The Christmas Mouse and Data Dump (NY premieres, Access Theater). Regional includes: As You Like It and Rose Mark'd Queen (Yale Summer Cabaret), How To Bury A Saint (Schoolhouse Theater), The Lion in Winter (Barnstormers Theatre), Richard II and Tartuffe (u/s, Yale Rep), and The Fairy Garden (Williamstown). Matt is a graduate oF Brown University and the Yale School of Drama, and is a proud AEA member. www.mattbiagini.com

Aurora Heimbach* (Clark/Young Dogsborough/Defense Counsel/Inna) has most recently been working on film projects including the independent features "Loud Places" and "My Soul to Keep." Her previous stage roles have ranged from classical theatre to new work to performance art collaborations halfway around the world with artists in Tbilisi, Georgia. auroraheimbach.com

Alex Rafala (Givola/Goodwill/Bowl/Jones) - Richard III (Gallery Players), The Iceman Cometh Lab (Target Margin Theater), Soldiers and Other Living Things (2015-2016 Venus/Adonis Theater Festival); Short film credits include The Man Upstairs, The Carpenter's Son (NYU Tisch), Beantown (Independent). B.A. Drama from the University of Virginia. http://alexanderrafala.wix.com/alexrafala

Amanda Thickpenny (Dogsborough, Ragg, Prosecution, Shorty, Mulberry). Off-Broadway: Don Juan, A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Pearl Theatre Company). New York: A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival), The Tempest (First Day Productions), Two Gentlemen of Verona, Cymbeline (Hip to Hip Theatre Company), Love's Labors Lost, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Comedy of Errors (Accidental Shakespeare), Pick-Your-Poison Reading Series (The Pearl Theatre Company), Company member of New York Times-recommended immersive company 8Players. Regional: The Shakespeare Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, The Folger Theatre, Rorschach Theatre. National Tours: A Christmas Carol, Prince Caspian (Hampstead Stage). Education: Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London. Proud member of SAG-AFTRA. www.amandathickpenny.com

Matthew Van Gessel (Arturo Ui/Judge) is a New York based actor. Recent credits include Robert in the original play Planet Heart by Hong Yi Tian, presented at the Signature Theater, Melchior in Springs Awakening, Jene in Miss Julie, and Bobby Gould in Speed the Plow. Matthew also works as a director, having recently directed Romeo and Juliet for the Brick Theaters Summer Shakespeare festival. More of Matthew's work and information can be found at www.matthewvangessel.com

Malka Wallick (Giri/Gaffles/Sheet/Hook) most recently she appeared as Viola in Twelfth Night, in a tour with the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Other credits include Paulina (The Winter's Tale), Juliet (Romeo and Juliet), Solange (The Maids), Miranda (The Tempest), Vasquez ('Tis A Pity She's a Wh*re), and J in R+J. She is the first runner up of the Warwick Shakespeare Writing Competition (London). She has worked abroad in London, Greece and Italy as well as in NYC and regionally. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College. malkawallick.com

Brittany N. Williams* (Betty/Flake/Dockdaisy/O'Casey/Mabel)Unimpressed Shakespearean Blerd, Belter of High Notes, & a New Yorker by way of Baltimore, DC, Hong Kong, and London. Favorite credits: Bob Marley's Three Little Birds (Nansi - Helen Hayes Award Nom.), Mac Rogers Universal Robots (Helena), Antony and Cleopatra (Soothsayer/Clown), & Lear (Cordelia/Fight Captain). MA: Royal Central School of Speech & Drama; BFA: Howard University. Twitter & Instagram: @BrittanyActs www.brittanynwilliams.com

Kyle Michael Yoder (Roma/Doctor/Roma Ghost/Crocket) is an actor, writer, director, and teaching artist. He was the recipient of the 2015 Susan J. Smith Prize for Outstanding Contribution in the Arts at Yale, where he wrote his thesis in Cognitive Science on the cognition of acting and performance. He is also a Co-Founder & Artistic Director of Lyra Theater, and he is so very happy to share our first show with you. Credits include Spread The Gospel (Russell), Richard III (Lovel), Troilus and Cressida (Pandarus), Icarus (Beau), The Crucible (John Proctor), In the Next Room or the vibrator play (Mr. Daldry), The Seagull (Dorn), Translations (Doalty), and The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Davey Claven). www.kylemichaelyoder.com

* Member, Actors' Equity Association. AEA Showcase.

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