Cyclops: A Rock Opera (2011)

Psittacus is a group of collaborators in the theatrical art form. Representing actors, directors, designers, and writers, Psittacus is an LA-based nonprofit producing mainstage theatrical events, multi-media presentations, development and readings of new work, and educational and outreach activities.Collectively, Psittacus’s artists have several decades' worth of experience in the professional theater nationwide and internationally, and have collaborated to bring innovative theater to thousands. Drawing from their shared experience, the company works in a physical-based, cinematic style which looks to our past to help us understand our present. The central philosophy of Psittacus’s work is to seek out points along the human continuum wherein “who we were then” intersects with “who we are now.”

Co-founder, Psittacus Productions.  Off-Broadway:  Twelfth Night, Othello, The Man Who Would Be King (Baruch PAC); Agamemnon (John Jay); A Midsummer Night's Dream (New Victory); Comedy of Errors (CSC/New 42nd Street); Much Ado About Nothing (45 Bleecker/MET); Regional: includes, Shakespeare Festival LA, La Jolla Playhouse, Shakespeare Theatre DC, Folger Theater, Theater J, Yale Rep, Long Wharf, Two River Theater, Seaside Shakespeare, Alpine Theater Project, Orlando Shakespeare Festival; TV includes, Law & Order, L&O: Criminal Intent (NBC); The Unusuals, All My Children (ABC); National Tours to 49 States; International tours to Japan, Italy, Greece, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, and the Edinburgh Fringe. For Psittacus: Guy Fawkes in "A Tale Told By An Idiot," and Silenus in "CYCLOPS." He was recipient of 2010 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Performer and is currently on faculty at University of Southern California.

Chas Libretto was born in Manhattan and raised in northern New Jersey. He received BAs in drama, English Literature, and Creative Writing at Washington College in Maryland, traveled and studied in Europe, and trained in a variety of disciplines at the Atlantic Theater Company’s two-year conservatory in New York. As an actor, he’s performed in New York and at regional theaters, in classical and modern work alike. As a director, he has staged David Mamet’s “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” R.C. Sherriff’s World War I play “Journey’s End,” and a long-form, structured improvisation based on transcripts from Brecht and Miller’s testimonies to HUAC.  He’s worked behind the scenes at “Saturday Night Live,” “Late Night with Conan O’Brian,” “The Today Show,” and “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” He writes fiction and drama, and is a proud member of the Screen Actors’ Guild.  He co-founded Psittacus Productions in 2010, and “Cyclops” is the second show he’s produced through the company, the first being last summer’s “A Tale Told By An Idiot.” He lives in Los Angeles.

From Glen Rock, NJ, Ben was born with music in his ears.  After graduating SUNY New Paltz, he worked at Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, NY as a sound engineer and stage manager for hundreds of local and national music acts.  His talents caught the eye of Todd Rundgren's management, with whom he would tour as stage manager, guitar tech, and monitor engineer for nearly 50 performances around the USA and Europe.  He relocated to San Francisco after recording his debut album "First Dream" in Brooklyn and Woodstock, NY.  He has toured with Jefferson Starship for 50+ performances, all while continuing to write, record, and perform.  Ben joined Psittacus Productions as Technical Director in June 2010 during staging of "A Tale Told By An Idiot."  His natural musical abilities were called upon by Psittacus to adapt Cyclops into a rock opera, and to perform in the show as lead guitarist.  He lives in Los Angeles.

Jayson Landon Marcus was born in Brooklyn, New York and raised on a nearby beach.  He's a Scorpio and enjoys fingerpainting and writing in his diary.  Largely self taught in all arenas, he reckons himself something of a modern hunter/gatherer, seeking out and collecting bits of cosmic effluvia and arranging them into what he calls "compelling kaleidoscopic patterns."  While acting is a relatively new endeavor, he is no stranger to the stage having fronted several bands throughout the years.  His latest solo album, due this fall, is a robust blend of samba and glam-rock inspired songs in a genre he aptly titles "Glamba."  The role of the Cyclops is deeply resonant with Jayson.  Sometimes he wonders if he is playing the Cyclops, or if the Cyclops is playing him.  Either way he is enjoying his experiences in the theatrical continuum and hopes to continue his actor-quest as long as he is able.  He hopes to live out his elder years meandering on a foggy beach, painting and reflecting on a life well spent with the ones he loves and has loved and will always and eternally love.  He is quite comfortable as a guest of the mother Earth and thankful for all she provides.