Marc Geller Cast as 'Madame Irma' in Horizon Theatre Rep's THE BALCONY, Beg. 10/11

Marc Geller has been cast as Madame Irma in Horizon Theatre Rep's production of Jean Genet's "The Balcony" at the ArcLight Theatre.

Geller was most recently seen at New Stage Performing Arts Center in the Berkshires as Dr. Roberto Miranda in "Death and the Maiden" and in NYC in Marvell Rep's productions of "Nora" as Dr. Rank", "The Dybbuk" as Reb Sender, and "Professor Bernhardi" as DR. Lowenstein.

Originally written in 1956, "The Balcony" is a mind-blowing trip into a menacing and hilarious world of political intrigue, violent revolution and distorted eroticism. In a city aflame with revolution, Madame Irma runs a brothel in which men from all walks of life act out S&M games while dressed up like powerful figureheads of the regime: the Bishop, the Judge and the General of the Army. The play offers perhaps the ultimate statement on the relationship between sex, power and iconography when Madame Irma and her patrons appear on the Balcony in their costumes in order to calm the city after its royal palace and rulers are destroyed. Outside the brothel, an uprising threatens to engulf the streets.

Horizon Theatre Rep is dedicated to producing work from the international repertory.Its past productions include "Benito Cereno" by Robert Lowell, "The Misunderstanding" and "Caligula" by Camus, "Vassa Zheleznova" by Gorky, "Nights Of Wrath" by Armand Salacrou, "Powder Keg" by Dejan Dukovski, "Man Without Shadows" by Sartre, "In The Solitude Of Cotton Fields" by Bernard-Marie Koltès, and "3XPirandello," three plays about betrayal by Pirandello.

The production is being directed by Frank Licato and features music by Donald Stark, costume design by Kathleen Doyle, set design by Rebecca Lord-Surrat and lighting design by Lucrecia Briceno. The stage manager is Norah Scheinman.

The cast also includes: Kristen Lazzarini as Carmen, Kevin Gilmartin as The Envoy, L.B. Williams as The Bishop, Sheilagh Weymouth as The Judge, Frank Palmer as The General, Rafael De Mussa as The Chief of Police and Victor Joel Ortiz, Lyndsey Anderson, Tara Cioletti, Crawford M. Collins, Mitzi Peirone, Orlando Rivera, Andreas Damm, Hunter Macnair, Timothy Mele, and Imran W. Sheikh.

"The Balcony" will be performed at the ArcLight Theatre on West 71st Street beginning on October 11th. Showtimes are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm. The box office is SMARTTIX, which may be accessed at (212) 868-4444 or at www.smarttix.com.

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