FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2009
Contact: David Henderson
Email: methodmachine@gmail.com
Phone: 585-319-7427
METHOD MACHINE: LIVING ON THE EDGE
Alexander’s EDGE, Takes us out of the Wedge
Sylvia said, new ground to tread
Gonna try our luck, On over at MuCC
ROCHESTER, NY: METHOD MACHINE, Rochester’s premiere performance and art
company opens Rochester’s newest performance venue, MuCCC at 142 Atlantic
Avenue, with a rare production of Paul Alexander’s EDGE. Marcy J. Savastano will bring
to life Sylvia Plath—a poet and author from the 50s and 60s, most famous for the novel
The Bell Jar—in this critically acclaimed play.
EDGE will mark the second one-woman show for METHOD MACHINE to open a new
venue. In May of 2008, the company opened The Method Lab at 650 South Avenue with
THE SECOND COMING OF JOAN OF ARC by Carolyn Gage, a one-woman play that
starred Savastano as a modern-day Joan of Arc. MuCCC will provide community groups
with a turn-key, handicapped-accessible performing space with the flexibility (due to a
moveable stage) to accommodate audiences up to 175. "We are exhilarated to be a part
of this project and look forward to future collaborations at MuCCC," says METHOD
MACHINE Artistic Director David Henderson.
Paul Alexander’s play EDGE is set on the last day of the poet’s life, in her kitchen, and
reflects on her childhood, her husband-poet Ted Hughes and her work. Plath takes
account of her actions as well as the actions of others and uses them to fuel her tragic
flaw: passion. The prolific writer took her life on a cold February day in 1963, after being
abandoned by the greatest thing and the worst thing that ever happened to her: her
husband, Ted Hughes. The play examines the events that led up to her turning on that
gas stove and passing into a sleep from which she would never wake.
Critics say: “Boldly dramatic and entertaining” -LA TIMES, “A resurrected Plath…the
showcase of a lifetime” –NY TIMES, “Troubling and powerful” –NEW YORKER
Alexander has authored several books, including Rough Magic: A Biography of Sylvia
Plath, Salinger: A Biography, and Boulevard of Broken Dreams: The Life, Times, and
Legend of James Dean. STRANGERS IN THE LAND OF CANNAN, directed by Rip
Torn, had a successful run Off-Broadway. Alexander is currently working on a Twentieth
Century Fox script called GOOD NIGHT, DOROTHY KILGALLEN, a political thriller
about Dorothy Kilgallen's investigation of the Kennedy assassination. Writers & Books is
offering a workshop with the playwright on Saturday, March 14th; details to follow.
METHOD MACHINE’s production of the play stars company founder Marcy J.
Savastano and is directed by Artistic Director David Henderson. These long-time friends
and theater artists team up to deliver an intimate portrayal of the damaged poet.
Company co-founder Michael O’Connor and Sarah Peters are associate producers on
this project; Peters is the Director of In Good Company at the VIP Studio in Village Gate.
“METHOD MACHINE continues to go out on a limb to try new things that push our
artistic boundaries,” says Henderson. “With great success we have excelled together to
present Rochester with first-rate performance and art, the best way we know how!”
Henderson worked as Alexander’s Assistant Director on the original production of
EDGE, which premiered in New York City at the infamous Actor’s Studio, in 2003.
Angelica Torn starred as the poet, and Henderson helped her memorize the 15,000word+ script that Alexander wrote, specifically for Torn to portray. The trio rehearsed the
play after hours at the famous acting school, mostly starting after midnight and going
until 2 AM or later. Torn and Alexander went on to tour the play around the world for over
400 hundred performances. “I wouldn’t let just anybody do this script,” the accomplished
Alexander comments. “Dave was there when this character was born, and knows what it
requires. If he has found an actress who can play Sylvia, then he can do this play.”
EDGE will perform Saturday, March 14, 2009 through Saturday March 28, 2009 at the
new MuCCC at 142 Atlantic Avenue. Tickets are $15, $12 for students and seniors. A
special “pay-what-you-can” performance will be presented on Sunday, March 15th at 2
PM. Advance reservations can be made by calling (585) 244-0960. The box office will
open one hour before each performance.
Founded by local performers Marcy J. Savastano, Michael O'Connor, and David
Henderson, METHOD MACHINE develops multi-disciplinary projects that integrate
multiple forms of expression, mount contemporary plays, and breathe new life into
classic productions. The Method Lab, opened to house experiments in performance and
art, is located at 650 South Avenue.
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Images of EDGE and past METHOD MACHINE projects are available upon.
Calendar Listing:
METHOD MACHINE presents
EDGE, a play by Paul Alexander
With Marcy J. Savastano
Directed by David Henderson
Paul Alexander’s play EDGE is set on the last day of the poet’s life and reflects on her
childhood, her husband-poet Ted Hughes and her work. Plath takes account of her
actions as well as the actions of others and uses them to fuel her tragic flaw: passion.
The play examines the events that led up to her turning on that gas stove and passing
into a sleep from which she would never wake.
Saturday March 14
Sunday March 15
Thursday March 19
Friday March 20
Saturday March 21
Sunday March 22
Thursday March 26
Friday March 27
Saturday March 28
8 PM
2 PM
8 PM
8 PM
8 PM
2 PM
8 PM
8 PM
8 PM
Price: $15; $12 for students & seniors (585) 244-0960
Venue: MuCCC, 142 Alexander Street in the Neighborhood of the Arts