Bay Area Premiere of BY THE WATERS OF BABYLON at Phoenix Theatre this Fall

Catherine is a professor's widow, living as a recluse in Austin, TX, the object of much gossip and suspicion in her neighborhood, due to events surrounding her husband's death. Arturo is an Afro-Cuban refugee, a writer who moonlights as a gardener, summoned to tame Catherine's chaotic back yard. Both are haunted by the ghosts of their previous lives, and both are victims of actions done in service of survival. Through an intense afternoon and evening, Arturo and Catherine will embark on a journey through their deepest fears and desires, and ultimately, find themselves on the shore of a new beginning.

An engrossing contemporary drama from Pulitzer Prize winner Robert Schenkkan ("All the Way" HBO, Bryan Cranston; and Broadway's "The Kentucky Cycle") By the Waters of Babylon examines two cultures and their meeting together on common ground.
By the Waters of Babylon previews September 29 and opens September 30. The production runs through October 15 at the Phoenix Theatre, 414 Mason Street (one block off Union Square) in San Francisco. Please note adult themes.

By the Waters of Babylon by Robert Schenkkan is presented by special arrangement with Playscripts Inc. and under the auspices of the Actors Equity Association Members Project Code. It was originally commissioned and had a World Premiere produced by The Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Robert Schenkkan (Playwright) In his long career, Schenkkan has written for the stage, television, and film. He is the author of The Kentucky Cycle, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama. He has written and published fourteen other full-length plays, among them Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates, The Marriage of Miss Hollywood and King Neptune, Handler, and By the Waters of Babylon.

His television credits include: four episodes of The Pacific (Emmy award winner for Best miniseries.) Other TV work includes The Andromeda Strain (A&E - nominated for six Emmys, including "Best Miniseries"), Crazy Horse (TNT), and Spartacus (USA). Most recently he adapted his own Tony Award Winning Play, All The Way, for HBO. He has written plays for children, numerous short plays, and two musicals for which he provided book and lyrics.

By the Waters of Babylon was commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and premiered there in 2005. It was produced in Los Angeles at The Geffen Playhouse in 2008, and later at Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Schenkkan received a B.A. in Drama from the University of Texas at Austin and an MFA in Theatre Arts from Cornell University.

Bruce Bierman (Director) is an award-winning playwright, director, actor and choreographer. His original plays and literary dramatic adaptations have been produced in Los Angeles and the Bay Area including Wade in the Water (Odyssey Theater Ensemble); Passion of Carmen (Celebration Theater);The Blue Dress'(New Conservatory Theater) and Stella Adler on the Art of Acting (The Marsh.) He is founder and co-artistic director of New Stages-a groundbreaking performing arts training program serving LGBT seniors at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. Bruce currently serves on the teaching faculty of the Stagebridge Theater Company in Oakland and has directed and choreographed numerous plays and musicals for the company. Bruce is a graduate of the U.C. Santa Cruz Theater Arts program. He participated in the "Theater of Sources" workshops with Jerzy Grotowski in Pontedera, Italy.

Neva Hutchinson* (Catherine) has acted and directed in over 60 productions in the Bay area and New York. She has had the opportunity to work with Francis Ford Coppola, Jon Voight, Lee Sankowich and Libby Appel, among others. Her work has included roles at San Jose Repertory, Marin Theatre, Encore Theater, Golden Thread, Pear Avenue Theatre and 5th Floor Productions. In New York, she performed in several soap operas and on a double bill with John Kelly in a one-woman show, The Journey to the Neva, by Kendall Merriam. She also founded TheatreTweed, currently operating in New York. She is a member of AEA and SAG/AFTRA.

Michael Angelo Gonzalez (Arturo) is an American Afro-Cuban actor-singer based in Miami (FL) with performance credits in both English- and Spanish-language theatre. He has a degree in theatre from Miami Dade College and the New World School of the Arts. He has trained at Teatro Prometeo, one of the first all-Hispanic acting conservatories in U.S. Michael's credits include lead performer for Cirque Dreams Productions in WE: The 100-year celebration at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. A bass-baritone, he played the lead in the premiere of the opera Melancholaland, which won the James L. Knight foundation award for best original work. He played Garnet in Oliver Mayor's Filo al Fuego (Fuel to the Fire) which premiered in the International Hispanic Theatre Festival, was a principal in the operas Il Matrimonio Segreto (The Secret Marriage),and Cenerentola (Cinderella.) He has appeared as Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, as well as in A Grand Night of Singing, Cabaret, I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, Oklahoma, and As the World Goes Round.

TICKETS: Preview - Sept. 29th, 8:00 pm, $20; Mojito Celebration Opening Night - Sept. 30th, 8:00 pm, $40; Oct. 1st, 8:00 pm, $35; Oct. 2nd, 2:00 pm, $30; Industry Night - Oct. 6th, 8:00 pm, $30 ($20 for actors); Oct. 7th - 8:00 pm, $35; Oct. 8th, 8:00 pm, $35; Oct. 9th, 2:00 pm, $30; Oct. 13, 8:00 pm, $30; Oct. 14th, 8:00 pm, $35; Closing Night - Oct. 15, 8:00 pm, $35. www.BrownPaperTickets.com 1-800- 838-3006

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