THE DUCHESS OF LES: An AI Musical From Little Ukraine to Have World Premiere At The Kraine Theatre

Step into a time capsule and travel back to the electric era of the 1980's and Little Ukraine on the Lower East Side in the new musical The Duchess of LES: An AI Musical From Little Ukraine by Denis Woychuk. The World Premiere of the production opens on November 16 and runs until December 3 at The Kraine Theatre in the East Village. The production is directed by Randy Simon, music direction by Dana Che, with choreography by Sarah Shah.

As with any production set in the 1980's, music features heavily. This production is innovative in that it blends AI music created by programmer/composer Kyle Williams and original music created by composer Darrell Lawrence. Lisa Franklyn-Zaidi, one of the producers behind RFSwolf Entertainment LLC shared her thoughts on the production and the use of AI: "We used a composer to understand and identify the specific elements that we wanted to incorporate from a compilation of 80's music. The composer created the score. We then used AI to create something entirely new, synthesizing the vision of our composer with those of the 80's artists. 80's music is a composite of disco, rock and roll, punk rock, rap, and R&B. With AI, you are able to program all of these genres and harmoniously create beats that signify that era. It's like having 10-20 composers on one track, each with their distinct style yet perfectly blended to create something original."

She went on to say: "Although AI did not exist in the 1980's, we see a direct parallel between technological innovation in the 80's and in 2023. In the 80's sampling music became a thing. DJs back then took something and remade it into their own sound. AI does the same thing. We are embracing that nuanced viewpoint. We see AI as an opportunity to create, not as a limitation on creativity. In the 80's many thought graffiti artists were creating a mess and breakdancers weren't considered "real" dancers. Fast forward to now, both are revered art forms. We think AI music will be as well in the near future. We're on the cutting edge of normalizing its usage."

About The Duchess of LES: An AI Musical From Little Ukraine

The Duchess of LES is a story about love, betrayal of the Code, and the power of temptation. Simon, a young breakdancer, falls in love with her psychotic brother's wife. The play is set in the 1980s in Little Ukraine, NYC, the edgy, grungy side of NY that encapsulates all the broken dreams and grand hopes that make America, America. It is home to as many as 60,000 Ukrainian immigrants and their progeny living within a few square blocks-along with the great mosaic of people from around the world. From the synth arpeggios to the driving drum beats, the music will transport you back to the 80s. So put on your leg warmers and your "Members Only" jacket and get ready to laugh and dance to the sounds of the 80s, as imagined by AI.

The all female cast features Allison Brooke Clark, Stalinada "Stalina" Gurbechenko, Sarah Shah, Marion Stenfort, and Amanda Vazquez. Understudy Romy Turner.

The creative team includes costume designer Desiree Conston, assistant director Vasco Wellington, social media director Travis Harris, stage manager Nikhil Chirumamilla, casting director/productions manager Lisa Franklyn-Zaidi. Executive Producer, Lori Schwarz. Produced by RFSwolf Entertainment LLC.

Performances run November 16 - December 3, Thursdays - Saturdays at 7pm, Sundays at 3pm. The Kraine Theatre is located at 85 East 4th Street, between 2nd Avenue and Bowery- accessible from the F train to 2nd Avenue, 6 train to Bleecker Street, and B/D/M trains to Broadway/Lafayette. Tickets are $20 (senior/students), $30 (adults), $15 (live streaming), sliding scale tickets are also available at www.duchess.nyc. Running time: 80 minutes.

Denis Woychuk (Playwright/lyricist) is a writer, lyricist, photographer, painter, interdisciplinary artist, and entrepreneur. He's had four musicals produced, most notably ATTORNEY FOR THE DAMNED, A Rock Musical, about which the New York Times said, "Maybe what musical theater, at its best, can still be." It was based on his experience as a lawyer for the criminally insane at a maximum security hospital.

Woychuk has an M.F.A. in fiction from Brooklyn College and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. He's had two children's books in series published by Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, and his memoir, Attorney For The Damned: A Lawyer's Life With The Criminally Insane, often under option for a TV series, was published by The Free Press. He's written for the New York Times Book Review (Roald Dahl, Toni Morrison) and his work has been anthologized, most notably in American Monsters, edited by Jack Newfield and Mark Jacobson. He has also been credited as Series Editor for some of the KGB Bar Readers, of which there were five. Woychuk is also the founder of the famed literary watering hole KGB Bar, as well as the Kraine Gallery and the Kraine Theater.

Randy Simon (Director) is an Emmy-nominated Assistant Director who produces and directs projects from concept to creation. From Casey Affleck, Joe Brewster, Giancarlo Esposito, Madison Davis Lacy, and Mos Def to name a few, Mr. Simon has made it important to produce and distribute socially relevant entertainment. In 2004, Mr. Simon established RFSwolf Entertainment LLC, working with New York Yankees Joe Torre and Jorge Posada's Foundations, NIH, National Park Services, NYCHHC, Children's Aid Society, NYC Board of Ed, Community Capacity Development (CCD), and Department of Energy, among many others, to create projects addressing Anti-Gun Violence, Voting Initiatives, Child Abuse Prevention, HIV Awareness, Stroke Awareness videos, Climate Change Solutions, and School Based Health Initiatives. Mr. Simon's experience and contacts have guided projects for Theatrical Distribution, Network Broadcast, Live Events and Off Broadway Theater. Other notable projects included AMERICA I AM with Tavis Smiley, "FITNESS FIGHTERS," an animated pilot series for the National Institute of Environmental Health and Sciences and the National Park Services' "AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND" installation, which commemorated the more than 50,000 slaves buried in the Wall Street area in New YorkCity.

Additional info available at www.duchess.nyc

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