Our pals at The Butane Group, creators of The Loneliness of Noam Chomsky, are finally back with a new piece.

IRAN. 1953.
THE CIA’S FIRST COVERT COUP AGANST A FOREIGN DEMOCRACY.
THE ULTIMATE GAMBLE.

The Butane Group presents

OPERATION AJAX
(a game of skill and chance)

FEBRUARY 14 THROUGH MARCH 10
Wednesdays through Saturdays
8:15 PM

WHERE EAGLES DARE
347 WEST 36TH STREET (between 8th and 9th Avenues)
1, 2, 3, A, C, E to 34th Street
13TH FLOOR BLACKBIRD THEATER

$18 RESERVATIONS: (917) 916-1307

Constructed from more than 25 text sources (memoirs, documentaries, plays, poetry, novels, films, reality tv shows), the piece tells the story of the CIA’s 1953 coup against Iran’s first democratically-elected government. Placed in a casino context, the densely layered performance explores how the addiction to risk and gambling has become a potent metaphor for U.S. foreign policy.

JAY SMITH as CIA Senior Officer KERMIT “Kim” Roosevelt
GAVIN STARR KENDALL as Grand Ayatollah KHOMEINI
ALBERT AEED as Secretary of State John Foster DULLES
NICHOLAS WARREN-GRAY as The SHAH of Iran
KELLY MARKUS as British U.N. Representative Gladwyn JEBB
DOROTHY ABRAHAMS as Prime Minister Mohammad MOSSADEGH
RODNEY HAKIM as dissident writer and poet Reza BARAHENI

Sets and Costumes: ARNULFO MALDONADO
Lights: BENJAMINH LUCAS KRECH
Sound: DUNCAN CUTLER

Text Constructed by NOEL SALZMAN and TAMARA SCHMIDT
with Meghan Frank, Mireya Lucio, Armistead Johnson and Rodney Hakim

Directed by NOEL SALZMAN

info@thebutanegroup.org
www.thebutanegroup.org