Rorschach Theatre Announces REYKJAVIK

James is in Reykjavík for the Northern Lights, but they're not here. Instead he ventures into the 24-hour dark of the Icelandic winter and finds himself entangled with dangerous strangers, suspicious lovers, malevolent birds and the mysterious Huldufólk.

Playwright Steve Yockey, a genre-bending master of suspense, takes us to the end of the Earth to experience a dark, sometimes supernatural world populated with characters who defy expectations at every turn. Rorschach's previous collaboration with Yockey, VERY STILL AND HARD TO SEE (2015) garnered five Helen Hayes Award Nominations and was lauded as a "magnificent and utterly riveting production" by the MD Theatre Guide. The Washington City Paper said it "almost seems to breath in soft unholy pulses".

Rorschach is a new associate member of the National New Play Network (NNPN) and REYKJAVÍK is the company's first NNPN ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE. Rorschach is the second of five companies across the country producing their own productions of REYKJAVIK in 2018 and 2019. Collaborators include Actor's Express (Atlanta, GA), Kitchen Dog Theater (Dallas, TX), and Southern Rep Theatre (New Orleans, LA). The playwright is part of each process, seeing the play through the lens of a different team of artists for each production. (The ultimate Rorschach test!) REYKJAVÍK was developed at the NNPN/KCACTF MFA Playwrights' Workshop at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.

This production, also marks Rorschach's first foray into producing outside DC. The Silver Spring Blackbox, in Silver Spring, Maryland, will be transformed into the 360 degree, two-story world of REYKJAVÍK

REYKJAVÍK may not be appropriate for children under 18. (In fact he's earned the Instagram hashtag #SteveYockeyWritesSomeCrazyShit.) Parental discretion is advised: rorschachtheatre.com/reykjavik-content-information/

Steve Yockey is a Los Angeles based writer with work produced throughout the US, Europe, and Asia. His plays BELLWETHER, PLUTO, AFTERLIFE, OCTOPUS, LARGE ANIMAL GAMES, CARTOON, SUBCULTURE, VERY STILL & HARD TO SEE, THE FISHERMAN'S WIFE, WOLVES, DISASSEMBLY, and NIAGARA FALLS & OTHER PLAYS are published and available from Samuel French. Additionally, his play JOSHUA CONSUMED AN UNFORTUNATE PEAR (originally commissioned by Miami's City Theatre) was included in the 2015 Humana Festival of New American Plays and the subsequent published anthology. Other plays include BLACKBERRY WINTER, THE THRUSH & THE WOODPECKER, and MERCURY. Steve holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and currently serves as a writer/producer for the television series Supernatural.

Led by Helen Hayes Award winner Rick Hammerly directing with Rorschach Theatre for the first time, REYKJAVIK features a cast and creative team of both emerging and established local artists. The cast includes Josh Adams, Dylan Arredondo, Jenna Rossman, Carlos Saldaña, Dina Soltan and Robert Bowen Smith. The design team is Eric Grims (Set), Katie McCreary (Lighting), Sydney Moore (Costumes), and Thomas Sowers (Sound). This production will also be Rorschach Theatre's first outside of the District of Columbia, opening at the Silver Spring Black Box.

Rick Hammerly has enjoyed a successful stage career as well as work in film and television. He received a 2003 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical for his turn as Hedwig in Signature Theatre's production of HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, as well as nominations for his work in ANGELS IN AMERICA, as Prior Walter and ME AND JEZEBEL, as a post-stroke Bette Davis. His directing credits for the stage include productions of VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM, A MANUAL OF TRENCH WARFARE, ETTA JENKS and THE NEW WORLD ORDER.

In April 2009, Hammerly founded Factory 449: a theatre collective with six other DC-based artists. He produced Factory 449's award-winning workshop production of Sarah Kane's 4.48 PSYCHOSIS for the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival ("Best Drama" & "Best Overall Production" by the Festival, "Favorite Festival Play" by DC Theatre Scene), as well as the company's inaugural production of 4.48 PSYCHOSIS at The Warehouse in October 2009. He serves as Factory 449's Producing Artistic Director.

The company's upcoming OTHER PEOPLE'S INK: AN ENTERTAINMENT CURATION SOCIETY (OPI) events will connect with the themes and ideas of REYKJAVÍK. OTHER PEOPLE'S INK consists of monthly events in which Rorschach artists and audience come together to explore art galleries, cinema, author events, and other adventures that feature work with a Rorschach flavor: Other People's Ink.

On January 29, Rorschach and Solid State Books will continue their book club partnership with an event featuring staged readings from both REYKJAVÍK and I REMEMBER YOU: A GHOST STORY by Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Attendees are encouraged to read the book in advance to join in on a discussion with the group, but all are welcome. The locations of the February and March OPI events related to REYKJAVÍK will be announced soon.

Through uncommon uses of environment and intimate, passionate performances, Rorschach Theatre seeks to lure its audiences beyond the limits of ordinary theatrical experience so that they may discover new elements of their own humanity.

Rorschach Theatre tells stories that allow for innovative design and visceral performances. The company treats productions as "installations" that surround the audience with the world of a play. Our work centers on the intersection of magic or impossible moments and every day human experience. Without proselytizing, it provides a complex, intellectual catalyst for self-exploration of challenging subjects.

Rorschach is a vital launching pad for emerging artists. By trusting early-career actors, directors, playwrights and designers with substantive artistic responsibilities, and surrounding them with established professionals and ample resources, the company has become an essential showcase for new talent. In addition to its regular season, Rorschach produces "Magic in Rough Spaces," an annual new play development series; "Klecksography," an annual new artist development event (for actors, local playwrights, and directors); and "Fight Camp," a stage combat training program held every summer. The company also organizes "Other People's Ink," a monthly offering of non-theatre social events that speak to the company's aesthetic.

The Helen Hayes award winning Rorschach Theatre has produced more than fifty plays seen by tens of thousands of people in the Washington area. The company has been recognized more than a dozen times by the Helen Hayes Awards; won a Mary Goldwater Award; been a finalist for the Mayor's Arts Award; and has been the recipient of multiple grants and awards from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The company's work has garnered the attention of The New York Times, The Washington Post, American Theatre magazine and National Public Radio, as well as countless local publications.

For Tickets: www.boxofficetickets.com/rorschach

For Information: 202-452-5538, www.rorschachtheatre.com

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