ANTHONY RAPP, DEE ROSCIOLI and JAMES KAUTZ TO STAR IN DEDALUS LOUNGE

By GARY DUGGAN
Directed by CHRIS HENRY

With Original by ANTHONY RAPP & DANIEL A. WEISS

Presented By INTERART THEATRE
and ROYAL FAMILY PRODUCTIONS

Performances will begin January 8
Opening January 12
At Interart Theatre Annex

New York: Interart Theatre and Royal Family Productions (RFP) are proud to announce that Anthony Rapp (RENT) and Dee Roscioli (Wicked) and James Kautz (Amoralists) will star in the US premiere of Dedalus Lounge written by Irish playwright Gary Duggan, directed by RFP’s Chris Henry, with original musical by Anthony Rapp and Daniel A. Weiss. Dedalus Lounge will begin performances January 8 and will open on January 12 and will initially run through January 30, 2012 at the Interart Theatre Annex (500 West 52 Street, 2nd Floor). Tickets are $18 and can be purchased by visiting www.brownpapertickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

In Dedalus Lounge, Danny (Rapp), Delphine (Roscioli) and Daragh (Kautz) are trying to survive in Dublin’s fair city. Their usual haunt is the Dedalus Lounge – best bar in the city. Danny’s trying to get a Queen tribute band off the ground. Delphine’s struggling with a high profile affair and the fact that her granny’s dying and Daragh, well, he can be seen in all places dark and dangerous. A jet-black Christmas tale of desperation, casual sex, bereavement, shoplifting, bisexuality, rampant disloyalty, copious drinking and Freddie Mercury impersonations.

Bios
GARY DUGGAN (Playwright) an Irish playwright and screenwriter based in Dublin, won the Stewart Parker Trust Award for his first play, MONGED (Fishamble, Project Arts Centre, April ‘05. Revival tour: Autumn ‘06. UK production: Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Nov ’07). MONGED has been published in New Island Books’ second anthology of Fishamble First Plays. Gary’s other plays include DEDALUS LOUNGE (Pageant Wagon, 2006 Dublin Fringe Festival, Irish tour ‘07/’08), STOP/OVER (part of Abbey Theatre’s 20:LOVE season, March ’08), MISSION (commissioned as part of an anthology show END OF LINES, Origin Theatre Company, New York, Sept ‘08) and TRANS-EURO EXPRESS (Pageant Wagon / Ireland, Nov ’08 and Irish Arts Center / Fundamental Theatre Project / New York, Sep ’10). Both MONGED and DEDALUS LOUNGE have had public readings in New York with Origin Theatre Company and the Irish Repertory Theatre. Both plays have also been translated into Romanian and produced in Bucharest in 2007 and 2008. In 2008, Gary collaborated on a mixed-discipline, site-specific show called ROCK PAPER SCISSORS for the Dublin Fringe Festival, with director Louise Lowe, visual artist Owen Boss and choreographer Emma O’Kane. In 2009, Gary again collaborated with director Louse Lowe and Anu Productions for their award winning site-specific show BASIN (Absolut Fringe ’09). Gary co-devised and produced NEUROPOLIS with Gavin Logue, the show premiered in Dublin as part of Absolut Fringe 2010. Gary also writes for film and TV. AMBER, a major four part mini-series co-written by Gary and directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan will premier on RTE (Ireland’s national network) in 2012. The Abbey Theatre will premiere a new play by Gary in 2012.

CHRIS HENRY, (Director/ RFP Artistic Director) is an award-winning professional theatre director in New York City. The Zelda Fichandler Award finalist Henry recently directed Gary Duggan’s Trans-Euro Express at the Irish Arts Center with the Fundamental Theater Project. With Royal Family Productions, she has collaborated with Jazz Legend Wycliffe Gordon on a new musical, Louie, Red and the Jazzman, at Lincoln Center’s Clark Theatre. Recently, she was awarded the NETC Regional Award for Excellence in Theatre along with Richard Dresser Her most recent project, is based on a feature film treatment she wrote for Ross Greenburg President of HBO Sports, is Nobody Suspects a Butterfly. An Off-Broadway version is planned in the Spring of 2014. Favorite NYC Directing credits include Art of War at Madison Square Garden, Glory and the Juniper Queen at Symphony Space, Sharpen Your Blade (“Time Out” Critic’s Pick) at Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Fishbowl (New York Magazine Critic’s pick) at the Michael Weller Theater, The Tuesday Shane Show at American Place Theatre, Suicide Society (Winner Best Director) at The American Globe Theatre, The Lovetalker at The New 42nd Street Theatre, Burn This at American Theatre of Actors, and over 50 others. Royal Family Productions, Inc. and Henry has been privileged to direct new work by John Cariani and William Mastrosimone.

THE INTERART THEATRE (Producer) Interart Theatre, established as one of the programs of the Women’s Interart Center, Inc. in the early ‘70’s, produces innovative work, including new plays and reinterpretations of existing texts. Main stage productions, formerly housed at its primary location at 549 West 52n Street on the 10th floor, have included the award winning premieres of: Franz Xaver Kroetz’s, Request Concert and Through the Leaves directed by JoAnne Akalaitis, Mercenaries by James Yoshimura directed by Margot Lewitin, a bi-lingual Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare directed by Estelle Parsons, Dress Suits to Hire by Holly Hughes directed by Lois Weaver, Magic and Lions by Ernestine Walker directed by Glenda Dickerson and Acrobatics by Joyce Aaron and Luna Tarlo directed by Ms. Aaron. Other notable productions produced by Interart at other venues include Meredith Monk’s Quarry, Wendy Kesselman’s Becca, and Myrna Lamb’s Ballad of Brooklyn at BAM, Deb Margolin’s O Wholly Night and Other Jewish Solecisms at the Jewish Museum, Lee Nagrin’s Dragon’s Nest at LaMaMa, Nagrin’s Sky Fish and Bone Orchard at St. Marks’, and the transfer of Through the Leaves to the Public Theater. In 1996, Interart had to abandon its main stage at 549 due to the deteriorating conditions in the building. Under the direction of two of its young artists Paul Smithyman and Sonja Rzepski the Interart Theatre Development Series was launched at Interart’s Annex space at 500 West 52nd Street. This programming has continued without interruption throughout this period and has served as a safe space for the development of new work, artists and companies. Royal Family Productions’ Artistic Director, Chris Henry directed many productions under the auspices of the Development Series before leaving to launch RFP. Although the main stage at 549 may yet, like a phoenix, rise again, since 2005, the Annex has housed both the Development Series and main stage productions. In 2010, RFP in association with Interart presented Safe Home here. Now the Interart Theatre is pleased to be able to join with RFP once again, this time as co-producer of Dedalus Lounge.

ROYAL FAMILY PRODUCTIONS (Producer) most recently, Royal Family Productions (RFP) presented the New York Workshop of Fundamental Theater Project’s 3D Hamlet: A Lost Generation in association with Irish Arts Center in July 2011. Featuring an international cast and including rotating special guest artists Scott Adsit, Anthony Rapp and a special video performance by Alec Baldwin as the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, 3D Hamlet explores the devastating consequences of one generation’s actions on another. The show went on to receive great reviews in its appearance in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. In Fall 2010, RFP successfully presented a sold-out run of Anthony Rapp’s Without You at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. In the New York Times round up of the festival, David Rooney wrote “…the sincerity and rawness of this very personal piece make it deeply moving.” Royal Family enjoyed working with artists including Tom Kitt, Brian Ronan, and Justin Townsend, among others. Also 2010 RFP presented Sean Cullen’s Safe Home which was extended three times. Anita Gates of The New York Times wrote “This is a bare-bones production in a tiny theater, but the cast and the director, Chris Henry, give it texture and depth.” RFP’s additional NYC producing credits include Nobody Suspects A Butterfly (Workshop, TBG Theatre), Painted Ladies (Symphony Space), a 10-Minute Play Festival, featuring new works by William Mastrosimone (Emmy Winner) John Cariani (Tony-Nominee), and Josh Liveright, as well as numerous staged readings and the creation of the Maine Exchange Series. Katie Avebe, Mary Bernardi, Chris Henry and Andy Theodorou officially founded Royal Family Productions in August 2007 after producing multiple shows together. RFP’s Advisory Committee include Melissa Canaday, Josh Fiedler, J.B. Miller, Amy Nederlander, Laura Piervincenzi, Joe Trentacosta. Royal Family Productions, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit theatre company which exists to serve the dual paths of fostering both artists and audiences to experience the most innovative theatre across all platforms. The company is comprised of both a Main Stage Theatre Program and an Educational Theatre Program.