'TYPHOID MARY' Begins Tonight at New Ohio Theater

New Ohio Theatre presents the world premiere of Glass Bandits Theater Company's AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY, written by Carl Holder and directed by Knud Adams, which begins performances tonight, March 18, and continues through Saturday, March 26 at the New Ohio Theatre (154 Christopher Street between Greenwich and Washington Streets).

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY will be performed tonight, March 18, 8 pm; Saturday, March 19, 8 pm; Sunday, March 20, 5 pm; Monday, March 21, 7 pm; Thursday, March 24, 7 pm; Friday, March 25, 4 pm and 8 pm; and Saturday, March 26, 8 pm. Tickets are $18 and can be purchased online at newohiotheatre.org or by calling 1-212-352-3101.

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY is inspired by Carl Holder's fascination with the notorious disease-spreading cook Mary "Typhoid" Mallon, his interest in complicated life stories of drag queen performers, and a personal experience of surviving a life-threatening illness. In his last moments at a mysterious hospital ward, a man enacts the story of his life with Typhoid Mary as his muse. He gives us the show of his life and literally every last thing he has, while the parade of nurses and doctors makes the audience aware that his great performance is happening only in his imagination.

AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY was developed, in part, as part of Ice Factory 2015, a program of New Ohio Theatre, and marks Glass Bandits' first collaboration with the director Knud Adams. Knud joined forces with the ensemble for the Ice Factory presentation, which was an audience favorite, and is returning to lead the revised production in its world premiere at the New Ohio. "I've never had a more thrilling dialogue with any director. Knud possesses a laser sharp focus and keen ability to see what a piece is actually trying to get across. He is deeply insightful, sensitive, and tasteful without ever the risk of being safe or boring." - says Carl Holden about their collaboration. The result, in director Knud Adams' words, "made the production less about staging the patient's cabaret fantasy and more about grounding the character in the realities of the grim hospital and witnessing his attempts to finish writing his final work of art against incredible mental and physical obstacles."

The show is produced by Glass Bandits and performed by Ephraim Birney, Carl Holder, Justin Kuritzkes, Molly McAdoo, and Sofiya Cheyenne Perez. The production features set design and props by James Ortiz, lighting by Oona Curley, costumes by Andrea Hood, and sound design by Peter Mills Weiss.

Glass Bandits Theater Company develops and produces new work for the theater. They are interested in unusual, thrilling stories told in ways that boldly question existing theatrical forms. They embrace collaborative, experimental creation with an emphasis on the working process of multidisciplinary theater artists. Within both the development and presentation of their material, they strive for an inclusive environment that builds community between artists and audiences. www.gbtheater.com

Carl Holder (Writer, Performer) is a playwright and actor. He's performed and/or developed work with Incubator Arts Project, EST, FringeNYC, The Tank, House of Yes, Standard Toykraft, Allegra LaViola Gallery, The Gene Frankel, The Gym at Judson, Ice Factory and The New Ohio. Regionally, he appeared in David Muse's all-male Romeo and Juliet at The Shakespeare Theater, Speech+Debate at Hartford Theaterworks, and Batboy: the musical with The Hippodrome State Theater. As Artistic Director of Glass Bandits, he has written, acted, and directed on both sides of the East River in various festivals, basements, warehouses, and loft apartments. He studied under Lisa Benavides at The Actor's Center and Reed Birney at The Scott Freeman Studio and holds a BFA degree from SUNY Purchase.

Knud Adams (Director) is a director of experimental and new plays. His recent productions include Celine Song's Tom & Eliza (JACK), Max Posner's Snore (Juilliard) and Gun Logistics (Drama League), Eliza Bent's Asleep at the Wheel (Brooklyn College), Sam Alper's Loveplay/Playmoney (La MaMa), Torrey Townsend's A Night Out (site specific), his own concept concert The Highwayman (Ars Nova's ANT FEST) and Nick Jones' Salome of the Moon (Waterwell). After graduating from Kenyon College, he continued his training by assisting some of the nation's foremost theater artists, including André Gregory, Elizabeth LeCompte, Richard Foreman, Sam Gold, and Sarah Benson. He was a Drama League Directing Fellow, a member of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab, and a Playwrights Horizons Directing Resident. www.KnudAdams.com

New Ohio Theatre is a two-time OBIE Award-winning theatre under the leadership of Robert Lyons, Artistic Director, and Marc Stuart Weitz, Producing Director. The New Ohio serves New York's most adventurous theatre audiences by developing and presenting the boldest, most innovative work of today's vast independent theatre community. They believe the best of this community, the small artist-driven ensembles and the daring producing companies who operate without a permanent theatrical home, are actively expanding the boundaries of where American theatre is right now and where it's going. New Ohio Theatre nurtures, strengthens, and promotes this community; as they reestablish the West Village as a destination for mature, ridiculous, engaged, irreverent, gut wrenching, frivolous, sophisticated, foolish and profound theatrical endeavors. The theatre is accessible from the #1 train to Christopher St. or A, B, C, D, E, F or M train to West 4th St. For info, visit NewOhioTheatre.org.

Pictured: Carl Holder in AN INTIMATE EVENING WITH TYPHOID MARY. Photo by Knud Adams.

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