FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Matt Mitler | [email protected] | 718 638 6037 Festival Press Contact: Emily Owens PR | [email protected] | 972.743.3746

THE BRICK THEATER, INC. IN ASSOICATION WITH Theatre Group Dzieci PRESENT Cirkus Luna! AS PART OF THE NEW YORK CLOWN THEATRE FESTIVAL SEPTEMBER 3-26 @ THE BRICK

Cirkus Luna! - Friday, September 10th at 7:00PM Tuesday, September 14th at 7:00PM & Wednesday, September 15th at 9:00PM

Marvel at the Death-defying Titrope Walker! Thrill to the Amazing Human Cannonballs! Clowns! Acrobats! Clog Dancers! And More!

Hailing from East Molvenia, Cirkus Luna may be the worst circus act ever to perform in public. There is nothing this family troupe does that comes even remotely close to demonstrating skill. So, the audience becomes tantamount in creating some semblance of a performance. Dzieci uses team building and trust techniques under the guise of inspired idiocy to create community between themselves and their audience. For Cirkus Luna, this audience is most often children with severe disabilities, but has also on occasion included late night revelers in NYC nightclubs. Cast: Matt Mitler, Rebecca Sokoll, Megan Bones, Yvonne Brecht, Jesse Hathaway, Vanessa Brown, Zachary Koval & Golan

Conceived & Directed By: Matt Mitler

Cirkus Luna! will run Friday, September 10th at 7:00PM, Tuesday, September 14th at 7:00PM & Wednesday, September 15th at 9:00PM as part of the New York Clown Theatre Festival at The Brick (575 Metropolitan Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street, Brooklyn). Tickets ($15 / $10 for Weekend Matinee Family Shows) may be purchased online at www.bricktheater.com or by calling 1-866-811-4111.

Matt Mitler (Director) has directed over 70 original theatrical productions in the US and Europe, as well as creating a number of award winning films and videos. As a student, Matt had the good fortune to work with such masters as Jerzy Grotowski and Eugenio Barba in theatre; Carl Rogers and R.D.Laing in psychotherapy; and Jean Huston and Michel DeSaltzman in more esoteric disciplines. While continuing to act, teach, and direct, Matt‘s primary focus is on Theatre Group Dzieci, which he founded in 1997. Mr. Mitler is featured in the book, Working on the Inside: The Spiritual Life Through the Eyes of Actors by Retta Blaney. Dzieci is profiled in the current edition of The Encyclopedia of Religion.

Theatre Group Dzieci (djyeh-chee) uses techniques garnered from Jerzy Grotowski and the Polish Theatre Laboratory, Peter Brook, humanistic psychology, and ritual forms derived from Native American and Eastern spiritual disciplines in its search for the "sacred" through the medium of theatre. Dzieci has presented its work in schools, hospitals, and houses of worship, including The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, where their signature piece, Fools Mass, has been an annual presentation for seven seasons.

On Dzieci's Fools Mass-

“Moving easily between the sublime and the ridiculous, drawing its audience through laughter toward participation and contemplation, the work resists being categorized as either theater or religion, becoming both at once in an event experienced by many as transformative." - Rex Deverell - The Encyclopedia of Religion 2005

"The lovely singing voices help give a quality of holiness that lets this performance really ring of simple souls reaching for the divine.” - nytheatre.com

On Dzieci’s Makbet-

“A greatly enjoyable show for anyone of any age with a love of theatre, an open mind and a sense of fun.” - Only the Blog Loves Brooklyn

“Wonderful!” “Unexpected!” “A true experience.” “Wowing, engulfing, just wow!” “Spellbinding!” “Wow!” “Romantic!” “Amazing!!!” “The best!” “My God!!!” “Wow!” “Remarkable!”! - Students from The International Schools Theatre Association

THE BRICK was founded in 2002 by Robert Honeywell and Michael Gardner. Formerly an auto-body shop, a yoga center, and various storage spaces, this brick-walled garage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was completely refurbished as a state-of-the-art performance space. Since then, The Brick has launched, produced and presented hundreds of world-premiere stage works from New York emerging artists and theater- makers from around the globe. The theater company is a proud member of New York’s burgeoning Indie Theater community and informal home to an ever-expanding family of artists and avid theatergoers. Winner of the New York Innovative Theater Awards Caffé Cino Fellowship Award 2009.

http://dziecitheatre.org www.bricktheater.com