Orange Theatre' HERAKLES Opens Tonight

Orange Theatre will present their latest work-in-progress, "Herakles," based on the Greek tragedy by Euripides, this month at their performance space off of Grand Avenue in downtown Phoenix.

In Orange Theatre's unique multimedia reimagining of the play, live video and sound effects help tell the story of Herakles, the famous hero who returns home from his adventures to save his family from a tyrant, only to be stricken by a madness that causes him to murder his wife and children. This new work incorporates contemporary texts, live music, and the company's personal material into the original story, offering a striking, modern take on the age-old tragedy.

Orange Theatre will offer a sneak peek at 20 to 30 minutes of material from this new piece for three nights only this weekend, May 8, 9 and 10, 2015 at 8 p.m. This will be the first show at Orange Theatre's newly renovated warehouse performance space at 1711 W Culver St. (between 19th and Grand Avenues) in Phoenix. All tickets are pay-what-you-can with cash or credit card, and they are available at the door or in advance via the company's website, orangetheatre.org. Free street parking is available near the venue. The performance on Saturday, May 9 will be followed by an after-party with bar and DJ.

Director/scenic designer Matt Watkins explains, "This work-in-progress showing is the first step in the long-term development process we recently began using to create all of our work. It lets us build each show in stages, take artistic risks and really engage with our audience, letting them in on our process as a piece develops. The audience response has been great; people say they love watching our shows change with each iteration. We've wanted to tackle 'Herakles' for over two years, and we're really excited to show our audiences what we've been working on."

Watkins leads the "Herakles" artistic team, with media design by Tucker Bingham and sound design by Stephen Christensen. Joya Scott is the production dramaturg, and John Perovich is the script dramaturg. The production features choreography by Liliana Gomez and original music by Joshua Hill and Jordan Tompkins. The acting ensemble includes Katrina Donaldson as Herakles, William Cook as Amphitryon, and Carrie Fee as Megara.

This new project is only the latest in a recent string of exciting events for Orange Theatre, one of Phoenix's few experimental performing arts groups. In January, the ensemble won the top award - a grant of $10,000 - at Arizona Art Tank, an initiative of the Arizona Commission on the Arts that rewards innovative arts-based ventures. They were also the winner of Phoenix New Times' 2014 Big Brain Award for Performing Art.

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