ODESSA - PRESS RELEASE

Odessa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

THE ILLYRIAN PLAYERS
present
THE WORLD PREMIERE of
ODESSA
Written by John Tyler McClain
Directed by Carly D. Weckstein

Los Angeles, CA. May 14, 2014 –

Set within the confines of an underground bunker in a surreal post-apocalyptic world, Odessa is a futuristic myth about the complex intersections of intimacy, isolation and identity.

Odessa revolves around the journey of a young woman named Alice. She lives inside the safety of her bunker, terrified of the barren and hostile world Outside, into which she has not ventured for a long, long time.
She is visited regularly by Cliff, who brings her the Clean she needs to survive, in exchange for physical intimacy. Each the other’s sole human connection, Cliff and Alice find their tired emotional contract threatened upon the arrival of Preacher, a volatile young girl, who exposes Alice to the greater possibilities of the Outside.

McClain illuminates, “The play is about trust; about changing your reality based on what someone says.”

This production is helmed by The Illyrian Players Artistic Director & Founder, Carly D. Weckstein, who is directing and producing the company’s debut at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Playwright McClain is working closely with the company to adapt his script for the World Premiere.

The Illyrian Players, LA’s sex-positive theatre company, is making waves in the local theatre scene, telling stories that haunt the audience long after the curtain call. This ensemble is earning a reputation for provocative theatre with grit, humor and heart.

“…[How I Learned to Drive], together with Weckstein’s impressive revival of Caryl Churchill’s Cloud Nine last year, is quickly establishing Illyrian Players as one of L.A.’s top interpreters of contemporary classics.” (Bill Raden, Stage Raw’s Top Ten)

Kim Rosenstock’s 99 Ways to F-ck a Swan, directed by special guest artist Caitlin Hart of The Vagrancy, is currently playing to sold out houses and great audience acclaim!

The Illyrian Players are committed having a sex-positive impact on the world, through the stories they tell on the stage and beyond. Director of Outreach & Applied Theatre, Madeline Harris, has spearheaded an on-going activist project through our company: “More Than No”. Illyrian artists use their talents as story-tellers to promote awareness and prevention of sexual abuse, advocacy for survivors, and to teach the concept of enthusiastic consent. In order to have an impact on how sex and gender are viewed & acted upon in our world, we must first confront what is currently there – especially that which is not sex-positive. Their first project is producing and creating intelligent, accessible PSAs on these issues, providing important information on heavy subject matter with a clever sense of humor.

Come get weird with the Illyrian Players – venture with us down Alice’s rabbit hole. And don’t forget to drink your Clean.

Hollywood Fringe Festival participants will receive a small discount on tickets for this productions.

O U R M A N I F E S T O

We are an ensemble
committed to unveiling the relevance of classics,
creating a haven for artists
and opportunities for women in the theatre,
promoting a message of sex-positivity and acceptance,
and reclaiming the power of theatre
as a subversive art form
with which to change the world.

We believe in using theatre as a medium to explore
both gender and sexuality as a spectrum, rather than a binary of opposites,
to stimulate open and compassionate discussion.
We aim to create work that reconnects sexuality with spirituality,
or questions their disconnect in our modern world.
Art opens minds and hearts.

We have founded a place for you to create and enjoy
non-commercial, provocative, fun, sexy, magical theatre
by a group of talented, passionate artists in Los Angeles.

Playing in THE LAB at THEATRE ASYLUM:

Fri. June 6 at 7:00pm
Fri. June 13 at 11:55pm
Tues. June 17 at 8:30pm
Sat. June 21 at 3:00pm
Sat. June 28 at 10:30pm
Sun. June 29 at 8:00pm

PRODUCTION TEAM:
Stage Manager – Robyn Lee
Scenic & Lighting Designer – Corwin Evans
Costume Designer – Alana Cheuvront
Sound Designer – Carly D. Weckstein
Dramaturg – Ben Shipley

STARRING: Joanna Bateman, Bethany Esfandiari, Bruce Lemon Jr.

Theatre Asylum Lab
6230 Santa Monica Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90038
Entrance around the corner on Lillian Way

Please arrive early enough to find street parking
NO LATE SEATING

$16.00 general admission
$14.00 Fringe participants

1 hour run time

BUY TICKETS: http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1686?tab=tickets
MORE INFO: www.illyrianplayers.com
Press Reservations/Inquiries, please contact: Carly D. Weckstein, [email protected]