AWARD WINNING WORLD PREMIERE FOLK OPERA EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Daughters of Elysium present the extended run of the world premiere production, The Cave: A Folk Opera
http://www.thecavefolkopera.com

FROM THEIR SOLD-OUT PRODUCTION AT THE 2014 HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL:

WINNER OF BEST FIRST PLAY AND THE ENCORE PRODUCERS AWARD

Bitter Lemons’ Lemon Lounge “Potluck Pick of The Fringe” and “Encore Award’s Pick”

“This little gem playing over at the 3 Clubs is my fave show so far. …
Catch this while you can. I see awards and a long extended run in their future. And I hate opera! But not this one.” – Colin Mitchell, BITTER LEMONS

“If you love or appreciate lyrical folk music you will not be disappointed in Melanie Rose Thomas’s hauntingly beautiful folk opera.” Ashley Steed, STAGE RAW and LA BITTER LEMONS

“Finally, something both unique and good comes unto the musical landscape. A mesmerizing evening of music and poetry. … it is some of the best music and performing I’ve seen in a modern opera.” – Hollywood Fringe Audience Review

“[I] visualize it on the Broadway stage. It’s that good!” – Hollywood Fringe Audience Review

CONTACT: [email protected]. Melanie Rose Thomas: 805.403.3777. Katrina Mattson: 206.850.1633. Brit Wigintton: 310.404.9279. (Director, Writer, Producer, and Actors all available for interview)

SHOW DATES:
July 5th at 4pm
July 12th at 4pm
July 26th at 4pm
August 2nd at 4pm

Running time is 90 minutes.

WHERE:
The Three Clubs Cocktail Lounge
1123 Vine St. Hollywood, CA 90038

Tickets available for $12 at the door or http://encores.stagey.net/1671

Show is 21+

A new story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and The Persephone Myth told entirely through original folk music. Set in an opium den at the turn of the 20th century, Willow sacrifices her life to pay off her father’s debt and goes to work and live in an underground society called The Cave. The Cave is a decaying, bohemian, stone palace where people leave the grit of the everyday mundane to live a life of pleasure. The sinners and lovers, beggars and bluebloods who find their way into The Cave, come to play hard, work hard, and live in their smoke filled fantasies. However, those who enter, have no way back to the outside world. Willow, is earthy and full of light, but can’t see past the stars in her eyes. So when she enters The Cave, where the subconscious slinks its way into reality and daemons lurk in every corner, she has to not only confront the darkness of the new world and characters that surround her but also the darkness within. When she meets The Master, the menacing and masked owner of the opium den who seems to be constantly on the edge, about to seduce or slaughter all those around him, Willow realizes she may have bitten off more than she can chew. The Master is constantly testing the loyalty and strength of those who live in The Cave, and those that fail, meet a wrath and darkness unlike anything else. Can Willow survive the brutality and insanity of The Cave long enough to save her quickly fading father? In this strange realm of perpetual night, where blood flows like wine and magic is palpable, Willow must find light in darkness to save her family and herself.

“Love is like water.
It will hold you while you drown
To the bottom of the endless.
No way of breathing now.” –Willow; My Father, The Sailor

Reviews from the London Reading in December 2013:

“I was amazed at how musically sophisticated and confident it was. I loved every minute.” –Jake Murray, West End Director

“A very impressive piece of work, full of energy and passion” –Ian Wooldrige, Dean and Director of The British American Drama Academy

“This will revolutionize musical theatre.” –Audience member at the London reading

The Cave has been in development since 2012 but had its first fully staged performance and world premiere at The Hollywood Fringe Festival. The Cave has been work-shopped at Sarah Lawrence College, Vassar College, and in London at The British American Drama Academy.

The Cave is deeply engaging, darkly poetic, and sultry. It is an immersive and visceral experience. Come on down, and join the creatures of night.

About the Artists:
Melanie Rose Thomas is the creator and writer of The Cave: A Folk Opera and co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She is currently earning her BA at Sarah Lawrence College where she studies Theatre, Music, and Psychology. Last summer she apprenticed at Vassar’s Powerhouse Theatre Program with New York Stage and Film. She most recently spent a year abroad studying Shakespeare and experimental theatre in London.

Ariana Howell is the director of The Cave: A Folk Opera and a co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She will graduate with aBFA in Theatre from Southern Methodist University in the spring of 2015. She has directed and devised original in the Dallas area, as well as worked as an intern for Hollywood Fringe and Jewish Women’s Theatre in Los Angeles.

Brit Wigintton is the producer of The Cave: A Folk Opera and a co-founder of Daughters of Elysium. She currently attends Savannah College of Art and Design. She has written, directed and produced multiple films and productions. Winner of multiple awards for her original films including Closing Night Audience Award at The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (April, 2012), and The Alexis Echavarria Cinestory Award.

DAUGHTERS OF ELYSIUM is a new all-female production company that seeks to create thought provoking, deeply visceral, and immersive productions filled with meaning and passion.
Please visit http://www.thecavefolkopera.com for more information.