The Buddha Play at the Baruch Performing Arts Center

Ascetic Productions and Baruch Performing Arts Center will present the New York premiere of The Buddha Play, written and performed by Evan Brenner and directed by David Fuhrer, opening at BPAC on 26 Sep 2009, following previews fron 10 Sep and running through to 1 Nov 2009

The life of the Buddha in his own words - the evolution of his thought, his triumphs, and the rarely portrayed tragedy at the end of his life. The man we know as the Buddha lived in Northern India around 500BC and introduced the teaching known as Buddhism. Approximately 300 years after his death, an extensive oral history of the movement was written down, carried and copied throughout Asia, and this canon became the taproot of the entire Buddhist tradition. Framed in a most unusual and personal context,The Buddha Play brings to the stage these texts to enact the life of the man, start to finish.

The press release says "The Buddha considered his own life a model for all our spiritual struggles saying, "He who knows me, knows the Dharma." It's no dry tale -- The Buddha's life stands among the great archetypal adventure stories."

Evan Brenner (Writer, Performer) is interested in the Buddha�s life as an expression and example of spiritual struggle, achievement, and ongoing challenge. He has a B.A. in Drama and Religion from Vassar College, and an M.A. in Dramatic Writing from Loyola Marymount University. He is a veteran writer and actor in New York independent film and theater. Brenner has practiced meditation and studied Buddhism for 20 years and, since 2003, has pursued canonical sutra studies in the Therevada tradition.

David Fuhrer (Director, Producer) spends most of his days producing and directing corporate and commercial videos, and otherwise servicing the film and media industry through his Manhattan-based studios and production company called Production Central. After graduating Brown, went to conservatory and studied acting and directing with Mike Nichols and Paul Sills. His short (mostly comedic) films have shown worldwide and he has won many awards including Best Comedy Film at the Suffolk County Film Festival, the Andrea Zahler Award, First Place at National Black Programming Consortium, and many others.