Oracle Theatre Opens BROOKLYN LABYRINTH Tonight

Due to an overwhelming audience response, Oracle Theatre Inc. will revive its production of BROOKLYN LABYRINTH for an extended run at the Chain Theater in Long Island City. BROOKLYN LABYRINTH premiered at the 2011 BoCoCa Arts Festival, and director Sara Wolkowitz returns to guide the production's cast through a two-week run beginning tonight, September 25.

BROOKLYN LABYRINTH presents three interwoven narratives that recount the Minotaur myth with a contemporary voice, and show us that monsters are rarely who we expect -- and that safety might not be outside the maze looking in, but the other way around. In DUMBO, by Kate Kertez, a powerful family uses unusual means to protect their reputation after one of their own does the unspeakable. Isaac Rathbone's BENSONHURST finds a working class family, unable to escape the choices from their past, who must survive amidst their own chaos and dysfunction. DAEDALUS AT THE NAVY YARDS by Sergei Burbank is a reworking of the Minotaur myth is told through the prism of Daedalus' point of view, with salty contemporary language, revealing that much of what is received as the truth of the story has, in fact, been distorted over time.

Under the direction of Sara Wolkowitz, the cast includes: Michael Criscuolo, Mikalena Kenyon, Aaron Matteson, Erin Salm*, Collin Smith*, and James T. Ware [*appearing courtesy AEA / Equity approved showcase].

Sergei Burbank (playwright, Daedalus at the Navy Yards) Writing credits include All's Fair (Six Western), War Crimes, Wrestling the Alligator, The Danish Mediations/Slots, Chords, The Third Seat, and Other Than Emily. He has narrated and/or produced various audiobook titles. His articles have appeared in College Literature and DramaBiz Magazine. Member, Actors' Equity. He is currently literary manager of Oracle Theatre Inc.

Kate Kertez (Playwright, Dumbo) is pleased as punch to have been asked by the good folks at Oracle Theatre Inc and Conflict of Interest Theatre Co to come on board BROOKLYN LABYRINTH as a playwright. Originally from Chicago, she moved to NYC after getting her MFA in Acting from the University of Florida and now works as an actor, playwright, and teacher. Playwrighting credits include THREE RING PLATFORM, which was produced in the fall by Second Fig Theatre Co.

Isaac Rathbone (Playwright, Bensonhurst) is the author of Captain Ferguson's School For Balloon Warfare (59E59 Theaters, UK Premiere at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Breakfast For Dinner (NYC Fringe Festival), The System (Kraine Theatre), There's Always A Band (Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theater Lab), Jon Katsberg (Sam French Festival), Nice Paper (Teatro Iati), Finnegan's Wake (Triskelion Arts Center), Welcome Back, Lloyd (Harvest Festival). Historical plays include: Undeclared History and The Bonus Army (Both commissioned by Hofstra University), Little Eva (Greater Milford Historical Association) and Violet to Ruth Ann (National Baseball Hall Of Fame). His two ten-minute plays The Guests At Table 11 and Prodigal Father were selected as finalists for the Actor Theater of Louisville's Heideman Award. Many of his plays are published by JAC Publishing and Promotions. He is a co-founder of Oracle Theatre Inc. and a member of the playwriting collective Lather, Rinse, Repeat. He is a graduate of Hofstra University. For more information, visit www.isaacrathbone.com.

Sara Wolkowitz (Director) is an independent filmmaker and theater director. New York theater credits include The Ultimate Stimulus (Dixon Place, Under St Marks), Really Rosie (The Mint Theater), Eleanor Is Sibling Challenged (The Magnet Theater), War Crimes (Planet Connections Festivity), and Brooklyn Labyrinth (the BoCoCa Arts Festival). She has also been recognized for her short films, which have appeared in such festivals as the SXSW Interactive Festival, the Los Angeles Women's Film Festival, and the Hawaii International Film Festival. She has directed videos for non-profit organizations including LitWorld and NARAL Pro-Choice. In 2011, Sara directed a new documentary web series, "Diary Of A Chorus Girl" about Alex Ellis, who made her Broadway debut in the musical Catch Me If You Can. Marrying her two loves, film and theater, she directed her first feature documentary, Still on the Road, about America's longest touring theater company, The Acting Company. It premiered at Lincoln Center in January 2011 and is currently airing nationally on PBS. She has a BA in film from Vassar College. www.sarawolkowitz.com.

Oracle Theatre Inc. Presents BROOKLYN LABYRINTH, three plays by Isaac Rathbone, Kate Kertez, and Sergei Burbank, directed by Sara Wolkowitz at The Chain Theater, 21-28 45 Rd Long Island City, NY 11101. Tickets: $18; Students $12 (with ID). For tickets: http://brooklynlabyrinth.brownpapertickets.com/ LIMITED ENGAGEMENT -- Opens: 9/25; Closes: 10/6 . Visit www.facebook.com/BrooklynLabyrinth for project updates.

Show times are: Wednesday September 25 @ 8p, Thursday September 26 @ 8p, Friday September 27 @ 8p, Saturday September 28 @ 8p, Sunday September 29 @ 2p, Tuesday October 1 @ 8p, Wednesday October 2 @ 8p, Thursday October 3 @ 8p, Friday October 4 @ 8p, Saturday October 5 @ 2p, Saturday October 5 @ 8p, and Sunday October 6 @ 2p.

Oracle Theatre Inc is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit New York City Theatre Company that provides an artistic platform for new voices and old stories. Our goal is to preserve the experience of storytelling through the cultural traditions of myths and histories. Founded in 2003, Oracle Theatre has had performances in the NYC Fringe Festival, the Vaclav Havel festival, the Sam French One-Act Festival, 59E59 Theaters, and most recently at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Website: [oracletheatreinc.com].

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