DATE: July 1, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SITI COMPANY RETURNS TO THE GETTY VILLA

TO PERFORM PERSIANS BY AESCHYLUS IN THIS YEAR’S

ANNUAL OUTDOOR CLASSICAL THEATER PRODUCTION

Created and Performed by New York-based SITI Company,

Directed by Anne Bogart and Translated by Aaron Poochigian

Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays

September 4–October 27, 2014

At the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Villa

LOS ANGELES – The J. Paul Getty Museum announces Persians by Aeschylus, the ninth annual outdoor theatrical production in the Getty Villa’s Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater. New York-based SITI Company, one of America’s leading ensemble theater companies, will return to the Getty Villa this fall to perform the dramatic story of war, victory, and loss experienced by the Persian court. Directed by the company’s co-artistic director Anne Bogart, the play features a new translation by Aaron Poochigian and sound design by Tony Award winner Darron L. West.

 “In approaching Persians, we are attempting to chart nothing less than the birth of drama, the proverbial big bang of the theater, from procession and ritual celebration to acts of fictional embodiment of events and relationships,” says Anne Bogart.

First produced in 472 B.C., Persians is the sole surviving Greek tragedy about a historical event. Bringing to life the Persians’ defeat by the Greeks in 480 B.C. in the naval battle at Salamis, Aeschylus glorifies the Athenian victors but also humanizes the defeated Persians, emphasizing the universal impact of war on family and community.

Bogart continues, “As a company, we are attracted to the play not only for its historical significance and for its remarkable embodiment of a Greek society imagining the grief and sorrow of their recently defeated enemy the Persians, but we are also drawn to the fact that the protagonist of the play may, in fact, be the chorus.”

The cast includes SITI Company members Ellen Lauren as Queen Attossa, Stephen Duff Webber as King Darius, and Will Bond as Xerxes, with Akiko Aizawa, J. Ed Araiza, Eric Berryman, Gian-Murray Gianino, Leon Ingulsrud, and Emily Spalding as the Chorus.

“We are thrilled to have SITI Company, an extraordinarily innovative theater ensemble, return to the Getty Villa to perform this year’s outdoor classical theater production,” says Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum. “In ancient Greece, theater was a fundamental component of religious and social life, and as our theater program at the Getty Villa demonstrates, Classical drama still connects strongly with contemporary playwrights, actors, and audiences.”

Over the past five years, SITI Company has been in residence at the Getty Villa delighting and challenging audiences with re-visions of Antigone, Trojan Women, The Bacchae, and Ion.

Performances of Persians by Aeschylus will be held Thursdays through Saturdays, September 4—27, 2014, with previews from August 28—30. Tickets for Thursday night performances are $40.00 ($36.00 for students and seniors), Friday night performances are $42, and Saturday night performances are $45. Student and senior discounts available for Thursday night performances only. Ticket prices for the previews are $25. Tickets are available at (310) 440-7300 or www.getty.edu.

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The J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution devoted to the visual arts that includes the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Research Institute, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Foundation. The J. Paul Getty Trust and Getty programs serve a varied audience from two locations:  the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Getty Villa in Malibu.

The J. Paul Getty Museum collects in seven distinct areas, including Greek and Roman antiquities, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts, and photographs gathered internationally. The Museum's mission is to make the collection meaningful and attractive to a broad audience by presenting and interpreting the works of art through educational programs, special exhibitions, publications, conservation, and research.

Visiting the Getty Villa 

The Getty Villa is open Wednesday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with special Saturday hours until 9 p.m. May 30-August 23 (with the exception of July 19). It is closed Tuesday and most major holidays, open on July 4. Admission to the Getty Villa is always free. A ticket is required for admission. Tickets can be ordered in advance, or on the day of your visit, at www.getty.edu/visit or at (310) 440-7300. Parking is $15 per car. Groups of 15 or more must make reservations by phone. For more information, call (310) 440-7300 (English or Spanish); (310) 440-7305 (TTY line for the deaf or hearing impaired). The Getty Villa is at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, California.

Additional information is available at www.getty.edu.

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