THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES Returns to the Flea, 6/6

Due to popular demand, The Flea Theater will bring back THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES this summer. This  theatrical adaptation of Sophocles' seven surviving plays (Oedipus, In Trachis, Philoktetes, In Colonus, Ajax, Elektra and Antigone) will return for a limited engagement June 6 through July 1.

Written by Sean Graney and performed by 38 members of The Flea's resident acting ensemble The Bats, this event, directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar, who just garnered a 2012 Drama Desk nomination for his work on THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES, includes dinner and dessert with ticket purchase.

As the House of Thebes falls, and eminent civil war in Greece dawns, THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES follows the stories of characters we all learned about in school. This witty & relevant modern interpretation of the classics, laden with dark humor, creates a stunning portrait of the human condition, where the intermingling of chance & fate yields disquieting results.

The Flea will again be partnering with the exotic eatery Macao Trading Co., to provide dinner for the show each night; and Billy's Bakery will be on hand with cupcakes for dessert. The main entrée will be vegan and gluten-free, and will be included in the cost of the ticket. The Bats will act as hosts, serving audience members at this unique event.

Ed Sylvanus Iskandar is Founding Artistic Director of Exit, Pursued by a Bear where he directed Amy Freed's Restoration Comedy, Sean Graney's These Seven Sicknesses, Jason Williamson's Lesser Mercies, King Lear and Dido, Queen of Carthage (both starring Billy Porter) and Arok of Java. Ed has staged over eighty plays in the U.S. and U.K., including Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond's Homemade Fusion starring Patina Miller (Zipper Factory); Goat Song for Asa Jacob (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Red Umbrella (Drama League); Translations and Don Juan (Stanford Summer Theater); and Brand, After Miss Julie and Don Carlos (Carnegie Mellon). Ed has taught at Stanford and Carnegie Mellon. He is a current Emerging Artist Fellow with the New York Theatre Workshop, a Drama League Directing Fellow, a two-time Resident Directing Fellow at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, an alumnus of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and the recipient of the Robert M. Golden Medal for distinguished achievement in the creative arts.

Sean Graney is the Founding Director of The Hypocrites, a Chicago theater company. As a playwright, Sean has received productions of his play The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Suicide at 59E59; Autophagy at the Drama League Director's Fest in 2007; Porno at the sideproject in Chicago; as well as several adaptations and short plays. As a director, Sean has worked at Steppenwolf, The Goodman, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis and Milwaukee Rep. He was a participant in the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors from 2004/6. He has won two Joseph Jefferson Citations for Outstanding Direction for Equus and Machinal. He currently teaches at University of Chicago and Lake Forest College. For more info visit seangraney.com.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea has presented over 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include the premieres of Anne Nelson's The Guys; six plays by A.R. Gurney (Post Mortem, O Jerusalem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth, A Light Lunch and Office Hours); Mac Wellman's Cellophane and Two September; Roger Rosenblatt's Ashley Montana Goes Ashore... and The Oldsmobiles; Elizabeth Swados' JABU and Kaspar Hauser; Karen Finley's Return of the Chocolate Smeared Woman; Adam Rapp's Bingo with the Indians; Will Eno's Oh, The Humanity and other exclamations; Dawn by Thomas Bradshaw; The Great Recession, Jonathan Reynolds' Girls in Trouble, Bathsheba Doran's Parents' Evening, Looking at Christmas by Steven Banks, and the Drama Desk nominated She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen.

Currently playing at The Flea is You Better Sit Down: Tales From My Parents' Divorce (through May 6) by Anne Kauffman, Matthew Maher, Caitlin Miller, Jennifer R. Morris, Janice Paran and Robbie Collier Sublett; The Electric Lighthouse (through May 15) by Ed Hime; The Wundelsteipen and Other Difficult Roles for Young People (through May 23) by Nick Jones; and A Letter From Omdurman (through May 27) by Jeffrey M. Jones.

THESE SEVEN SICKNESSES will run June 6 – July 1, Tuesday - Saturday at 6:30pm, and Sunday at 4:30pm. The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines. Tickets (including dinner) are $55 - $60 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org.

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