Événement

The Porters of Hellsgate present Oedipus the Tyrant by Sophocles

One year on from their award-winning run of Shakespeare's Hamlet, The Porters of Hellsgate open their fifth season (Feb 20th) with the most famous Greek Tragedy, Sophocles' Oedipus the Tyrant, in a world premiere translation by company member Jamey Hecht, PhD). Combining dance, eclectic costuming, and Hecht's spirited translation, The Porters of Hellsgate aim to thrill audiences with this four-week run of Sophocles' uncanny drama.

A mysterious plague has come to Thebes. Corpses burn all night, pregnant women can't give birth, crops fail, cattle die, and the survivors are exhausted. Helpless, the Theban people turn to their beloved king Oedipuswhose own authority, family, and very identity are broken open in a relentless search for the truth that brings him down from brilliant ruler to homeless scapegoat within the span of ninety minutes.

The Porters of Hellsgate Theatre Company was founded in 2006 by Edward Castuera, Jack Leahy and Charles Pasternak. Their inaugural production of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar opened at the end of that year. Since then the Porters have produced ten more of Shakespeare's plays: Twelfth Night ('07), King Richard III ('07), Titus Andronicus ('07), Two Gentlemen of Verona ('07/'08), Much Ado About Nothing ('08), Macbeth ('08), Love's Labour's Lost ('08), King Richard II ('09), Hamlet ('10), and The Comedy of Errors ('10), as well as Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead ('10, in rep. with Hamlet) and an original work, Deity Clutch ('10), by Associate Artistic Director Gus Krieger. In 2010, Artistic Director Charles Pasternak was awarded "Shakespeare Performance of the Year" by StageSceneLA for his performance in the title role of Hamlet (which also received a "GO!" from the LA Weekly), directed by Associate Artistic Director Thomas Bigley (also awarded, earning "Outstanding Direction of a Drama"). The company's mission is to bring powerful productions of both classic and new works to the Los Angeles community.