Cullum And Roberts In NY Premiere Of 'HEROES' 2/24/09

Keen Company is thrilled to announce that Broadway legends John Cullum and Tony Roberts will play two of the three roles in its upcoming production of the New York premiere of Heroes by Gerald Sibleyras with a translation by Tom Stoppard. Tony Award-winner John Cullum starred in Keen's critically acclaimed The Conscientious Objector, and currently plays the father in August: Osage County. Tony Roberts was most recently seen on Broadway in Xanadu. The two actors will be under the direction of Carl Forsman (A.D. of Keen Company). Heroes, playing from February 24 - April 11, received London's Olivier Award for Best Comedy in 2006.

Of this celebratory news, Keen Artistic Director Carl Forsman says, "I am thrilled to be working with John Cullum for the third time, and Tony Roberts brings an extraordinary wealth of talent and experience to Keen Company. Not many groups make the jump from performing Off-Off-Broadway in little spaces in the East Village to working with actors of this caliber and writers like Tom Stoppard. It's a thrilling moment in our development as part of the Off-Broadway not-for-profit movement."

An evocative comedy about three World War I veterans living in a veterans home who plot a new assault - a trip to a stand of trees in the distance. But should they bring the stone dog with them? And does the stone dog move sometimes? Sibleyras calls it a play "about the universal desire to escape the confines of life."

Up next at Keen is Beasley's Christmas Party, a special holiday offering, running December 2 - January 3. Heroes will run February 24 - April 11. Keen Company productions are at The Clurman Theatre at Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street).

Keen Company produces sincere plays with the belief that theater is at its most powerful when texts and productions are generous in spirit and provoke identification. Inspired by the works of early 20th Century American playwrights, Keen Company demonstrates that an earnest intent can still be sophisticated and is unafraid of emotional candor, vulnerability, and optimism. Keen Company seeks to create a culture of artists, technicians, administrators and audiences who share a desire to invigorate the theater with productions that connect audiences through humor, heart and hope.

Tickets can be purchased at www.TicketCentral.com. For more information, visit www.KeenCompany.org. Keen Company is a theatre-in-residence at Theatre Row.