The Public Theater announced today that THE LIBRARY, a world premiere drama written by award-winning writer Scott Z. Burns and directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh, has been added to The Public's 2014 spring season. THE LIBRARY, featuring Chloë Grace Moretz, will run in The Public's Newman Theater from Tuesday, March 25 through Sunday, April 27; with an official press opening on Tuesday, April 15. Additional casting will be announced shortly.
"The Library is about one of the most disturbing and important issues of our times - gun violence. The theater, like our nation, needs to deal with this," said Artistic Director Oskar Eustis. "We are thrilled to welcome Steven Soderbergh and Scott Z. Burns, two magnificent cinematic masters, to The Public Theater. Chloë Grace Moretz is one of the most exciting young actors we have, and this production promises to be an extraordinary event."
"I wanted to write a play about the stories we tell each other in the face of calamity - the pretty lies and the brutal truths. This is something Steven and I have discussed over the last decade while making movies - What is the value of the truth? What is the cost of a lie? How does a story drift as it moves through time?" said Playwright Scott Z. Burns. "I am grateful for Steven and Chloë's collaboration - and we are all grateful that The Public Theater has given us a home. I can think of no better frame for what we are attempting than The Public."
After Caitlin Gabriel (Chloë Grace Moretz) survives a deadly shooting at her high school, she struggles to tell her story to her parents, the authorities and anyone who will listen. But there are other narratives that gain purchase in the media and paint her in a different light. Academy Award-winning Director Steven Soderbergh returns to the stage with this bold and chilling world premiere that asks us to examine our relationship to the truth and the lies that claim to heal us. This production is supported by the Kennedy/ Marshall Company.
Member tickets, priced at $45, go on sale Tuesday, January 21 for THE LIBRARY as well as for additional spring shows at (212) 539-8650. Single tickets, starting at $75, go on sale Tuesday, February 4, and can be purchased by calling (212) 967-7555,www.publictheater.org, or in person at the Taub Box Office at The Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street. The Library at The Public is open nightly for food and drink, beginning at 5:30 p.m., and Joe's Pub at The Public continues to offer some of the best music in the city.
SCOTT Z. BURNS (Playwright) is a screenwriter, director and producer. He most recently wrote the original screenplay for Side Effects, a psychological thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Jude Law, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Burns wrote the 2011 original screenplay for Contagion, directed by Steven Soderbergh, starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, and Jude Law. He penned the screen adaptation of Soderbergh's The Informant!, which starred Damon as well. Burns also co-wrote the Academy Award-winning Bourne Ultimatum, directed by Paul Greengrass, and was a producer on An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award-winning documentary, for which he received the Humanitas Prize and the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild of America. He wrote and directed HBO Films' critically acclaimed PU-239, which was produced by Soderbergh and George Clooney. Additionally, Burns is currently writing and executive producing "Conspiracy," a drama series for NBC based on Christopher MacBride's feature The Conspiracy. Burns is currently attached to direct his screenplay Deep Water, an adaptation of the documentary by the same name with Colin Firth and Kate Winslet attached to star in the summer of 2014. The film will be produced by Blue Print Pictures, BBC, and Studio Canal. Burns began his career in advertising, after graduating Summa Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota. He was part of the creative team responsible for the original "Got Milk?" campaign and his advertising work has been recognized by the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Festival. Burns has written for GQ Magazine, Condé Nast Traveler, The Wall Street Journal and theHuffington Post.
SODERBERGH (Director) is a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His television film "Behind the Candelabra," for which he won a 2013 Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing, debuted on HBO in May of last year. He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his directorial debut, sex, lies, and videotape, and the Academy Award in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich. Among his other credits are the films Side Effects, Magic Mike, Haywire, Contagion, And Everything is Going Fine, The Girlfriend Experience, The Informant, Che, theOcean's trilogy, The Good German, Bubble, Solaris, Full Frontal, The Limey, Out of Sight, Gray's Anatomy, Schizopolis, The Underneath, King of the Hill and Kafka. In 2009, he created and directed the play Tot Mom for the Sydney Theatre Company. While in Sydney he also directed the film The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg. His upcoming television series, "The Knick," will air on Cinemax.
MORETZ (Caitlin Gabriel) has been captivating audiences since she was five years old when she booked a lead role in Michael Bay's remake of The Amityville Horror for MGM opposite Ryan Reynolds. Her breakout role as 'Hit-Girl' in Matthew Vaughn's cult-classic film Kick-Ass, followed by a starring role in Matt Reeves' remake of Let Me In, landed her on TIMEMagazine's prestigious Top 10 Performances of the Year list, as well as, the New York Times Best Performances of 2010 list. She recently starred as Carrie White in the remake of the cult classic Carrie alongside Julianne Moore and reprised her role as fan favorite Hit-Girl in the sequel Kick Ass 2. Prior, Moretz starred in Martin Scorsese's Hugo alongside Sir Ben Kingsley. The film received much critical acclaim and was nominated for 11 Oscars. This was followed by a leading role in Tim Burton's Dark Shadows alongside Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer. Moretz will next be seen in lead roles opposite Denzel Washington in The Equalizer, Juliette Binoche in Sils Maria for Olivier Assayas, in Dark Places, an adaptation of Gillian Flynn's 2009 best-selling thriller with Charlize Theron, the indie film Laggies opposite Keira Knightley which premiered at Sundance 2014 and MGM's If I Stay based on Gayle Forman's 2009 young-adult novel.
THE LIBRARY features scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez and costume design by Gabriel Berry.
Photo by REX USA/Picture Perfect
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