EgoPo Classic Theater Announces DELIRIUM

When a modern Irish playwright meets a Russian classic - all hell breaks loose. On October 28, EgoPo presents the Philadelphia premiere of Theatre O and Enda Walsh's raucous revisioning of The Brothers Karamazov. Through an explosion of light, sound and puppetry, this theatrical outburst of toxic masculinity will grab audiences by the throat. Three brothers are locked in an eternal family struggle with their abusive patriarch culminating in an epic theological battle. Delirium previews October 26-27 and opens Friday, October 28. The show runs three weeks, closing on Sunday, November 13. Tickets start at $25. Performances are at the Latvian Society Theater on 7th and Spring Garden.

EgoPo carries on their tradition of producing annual themed festival seasons. This year, they celebrate the influence of the Russian Masters. Russia is, in many ways, our closest cultural sibling. Russian art, literature, music, dance and theater have heavily influenced the American Theater. Naturalism, Expressionism, and Surrealism in theater, as well as psychological and physical acting, all have their roots in the Russian avant-garde. To honor these roots, EgoPo will bring new, innovative approaches to tackle classic texts from Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoy, and Nikolai Gogol.

The Russian Masters Festivals kicks off with celebrated Irish playwright Enda Walsh's collaboration with the experimental Theatre O on Delirium. This raucous revisioning distills this great novel to its brutal essence. Through an explosion of light, sound and puppetry, this theatrical outburst of toxic masculinity grabs audiences by the throat. Three brothers are locked in an eternal family struggle with their abusive patriarch, played by the incomparable Robert Smythe, culminating in an epic theological battle. The play will be directed by Brenna Geffers (Machinal, Hairy Ape).

Enda Walsh is an Obie Award-winning playwright and screenwriter known for his plays Disco Pigs, Penelope, and The Walworth Farce, along with the book for the Tony Award-winning musical Once, and his collaboration with David Bowie on the musical Lazarus. The Irish Independent called him "the most exciting and original Irish writer of this time." Theatre O has toured work all over the world, pursuing collaborative projects that the New York Times has called "vivid and enlightening, inventive and compelling theatre."

EgoPo continues to pursue unique collaborations with universities. Following their partnership with Rowan University on The Women, Stairs to the Roof, and GINT, EgoPo is excited to be co-producing Delirium with Indiana University of Pennsylvania's Theater by the Grove. Delirium director Brenna Geffers, whose bold, physical style has been most recently seen at EgoPo in Sophie Treadwell's Machinal and Eugene O'Neill's The Hairy Ape, is an IUP alum, along with four members of the cast. As part of this collaboration, EgoPo went to IUP for a two-week workshop with IUP students, where they worked on the Delirium script together - the students shadowing EgoPo actors. IUP professor BrIan Jones is the set and puppet designer for the show.

Delirium features four IUP alumni. Chris Anthony (Machinal, Hairy Ape) and Johnny Smith (GINT, Anne Frank) return to EgoPo, with Kayla Anthony and Kelly McCaughan making their EgoPo debuts. The cast also features EgoPo favorite Ross Beschler (Machinal, Lady from the Sea, Waiting for Godot), Anthony Crosby, and Robert Smythe (Mum Puppettheatre) as Fyodor Karamazov.

The artistic team for EgoPo's Delirium includes IUP professor BrIan Jones (Set, Puppetry), Natalia de la Torre (Costumes), Eric Baker (Lights), and Lucas Fendlay (Sound).

Delirium will be staged at the Latvian Society Theater. Previews begin October 26, with Press Opening on Friday, October 28; the show will run three weeks, closing on November 13.

For more information, visit: www.egopo.org

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