Eleusyve Productions Presents Musical Mysteries Of Eleusis

Seattle based players release their DVD of a literary classics set to a different tune. Aleister Crowleys The Rite of Venus, a rock opera. End Quote

Venus Receives a Tribute. Carolyn Stirling, Melissa Holm, Dakini Amitabha. Photo c 2007 Eleusyve Productions The Rite of Venus.

(1888PressRelease) February 14, 2008 - Eleusyve Productions, an independent theater company dedicated to reinterpreting the plays of English poet Aleister Crowley, released a DVD presentation of their summer 2007 run of The Rite of Venus. In an effort to introduce late Victorian era poetry and prose to modern audiences, the production was staged as a musical. Staying true to the original play, the poetic verse in The Rite of Venus is unchanged and unedited from Sir Aleister Crowleys 1910 performance at Caxton Hall in London, outside of the addition of the musical score.

“The original works are brilliant, but not very accessible,” says Jon Sewell, executive producer at Eleusyve productions. “We want to share the material with an audience who might otherwise find it hard to follow. Imagine the educational potential of taking classical poetry and making it timely, not by altering the words, but by enhancing the delivery. Our goal is to make these works contemporary and engaging for everyone.”

While the words and imagery are taken from the works of Aleister Crowley, Algernon Charles Swineburne, and Percy Bysshe Shelley the music is the original composition of producers Jon Sewell, Melissa Holm, and a variety of local talent. The Rite of Venus represents their second collaborative production, following the 2005 production of The Rite of Luna. The addition of music is not the only significant departure from the original script, as they have expanded the cast to include several belly dancers, a chorus and a viola soloist.

“It is all part of creating a cohesive story”, continues Sewell. “The symbols Crowley used in his original production are very obscure. Understanding them from a dry reading practically requires the knowledge of a literature professor and a Bible scholar! Most people think of poetry as medicine—they don’t enjoy it. Adding music to poetry provides the key that opens people’s minds to understanding the meaning easily. We want to make a difference by making art for people.”

During the summer of 2007 The Rite of Venus was performed as an original musical for hundreds of supportive fans in Portland and Seattle and received critical acclaim. Since then a limited edition DVD of the production has premiered around the U.S. for a few exclusive engagements. The public release of the Rite of Venus on DVD represents another milestone in Eleusyve Productions stated goal of presenting all seven of Crowelys Rites of Eleusis as musical theater pieces. Gavin Borchert of The Seattle Weekly heralded the stage production, saying: “I've seen several local productions of these Rites over the years, and this one is by far the most elaborate and most successful... Eleusyve's Venus succeeds not only because of this devotion but because of the brains behind it.”

Eleusyve Productions is an amateur theater group based in Seattle, Washington. Our goal at Eleusyve Productions is to present Aleister Crowley's Rites of Eleusis (a series of seven ritual plays) as musical theater pieces in a manner that will render them more fully accessible to a broad audience, using music, light, dance and drama to enhance the poetry and symmetry of the original works. We also strive to make completed productions available in as many formats to as many markets as possible, more widely circulating our artistic interpretations of this material.

Contact Person: Courtney Landes, Production Manager
Company Name: Eleusyve Productions
Email Address: jonah777 ( @ ) comcast dot net
Web site address: www.eleusyve.com

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