Cihan Sahin helps takes Puck international in The Actors' Gang rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - Acclaimed theatre actor Cihan Sahin has been picked to play the magical, shapeshifting Puck in The Actors' Gang's critically acclaimed rendition of the Shakespeare classic A Midsummer Night's Dream directed by Tim Robbins (Shawshank Redemption, Mystic River). The Actors' Gang, based in Culver City, California, has produced the play in 2013, but plans for an international tour represent a higher stakes endeavor. Potential stops include China, Italy and Spain.

The production is unique in that in lieu of a set, it features 14 actors working together on-stage to fill in the background and play the characters with much of it improvised blocking. Sahin will be one of three actors tackling the central character Puck, who shape shifts between forms presenting them with a unique challenge in building coherence.

Sahin, who has previously appeared in other The Actors' Gang productions, enjoys the challenge. "It was all theatrically sacred," he said. "The actors become the set. Moving at the same time with heightened states gives a magical energy on stage. It's always moving and can change direction."

It's this energy that brings out Sahin's best work. "Cihan Sahin's physicality, imagination and commitment to discipline make him a unique talent," says the show's Director and Academy Award winner Tim Robbins. "He is an exceptional member of our ensemble and I am honored to work with him."

The Actors' Gang, which boasts a 30 year track record of bold stage productions, has featured an ensemble of accomplished actors such as Jack Black, John Cusack, John C. Reilly, Helen Hunt, Kate Walsh, Fisher Stevens, Jeremy Piven, Ebbe Roe Smith, Jon Favreau, Brent Hinkley, Kate Mulligan, Lee Arenberg and Kyle Gass. They've just finished wrapping a successful and critically acclaimed run of the comedic holiday show, The Queen Family's Very Special Holiday Special which featured a Sahin-created and performed movement piece called "Moon," about a lonely gravity challenged astronaut finding love with an alien. For more information, visit www.theactorsgang.com.

SOURCE CIHAN SAHIN