Post Theatre Company Presents
Third Child, a Performance Based on the Myth of Orestes

Brookville, NY – The Post Theatre Company, the not-for-profit resident theatre company of the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, will present three performances of Third Child, an original production based on the myth of Orestes. The performances, conceived and directed by C.W. Post Theatre Professor Maria Porter, will run nightly from September 8 to September 10, 2006. Performances begin at 8 p.m. at the Little Theatre Mainstage on the C.W. Post Campus in Brookville.

Post Theatre Company presented its production of Third Child at the International University Theater Association’s World Congress in Urbino, Italy in July 2006. The piece is inspired by the life of Orestes as told in Aeschylus’ Oresteia. Escaping from his mother at the age of 12, Orestes is compelled by Apollo to return to his homeland and take his mother’s life. Duty binds him to this act, and perhaps destiny. What is the role of exile in a world, once familiar, that he no longer understands? What is our responsibility to destiny? Juxtaposing modern cultural icons and archetypal figures, the production examines these questions. Student actors collaborated with Porter to create the production, grounded in the company’s Suzuki training—a rigorous physical discipline designed to increase an actor’s focus and concentration.

PTC’s entire 2006 Fall Season, inspired by Third Child, will be built on the Oresteia. All of the Fall 2006 productions will feature traditional texts examined through a contemporary lens. Each performance will contribute to the next, ultimately incorporating the entire company in one cohesive theatrical process.

Tickets for performances of Third Child are $10 for the general public; $5 for students and seniors. Parking is free. All ticket revenue benefits a scholarship fund for theatre students at C.W. Post.

The C.W. Post Campus is located on Northern Boulevard (Route 25A) between Glen Cove Road and Route 107. For more information about the performance or to purchase tickets, call the Post Theatre Company Box Office at (516) 299-2356.

Posted: August 22, 2006