Photo Coverage: Gyllenhaal, Sarsgaard et al. in CSC's THREE SISTERS

Classic Stage Company (CSC) under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, has extended the run of its highly-anticipated production of Anton Chekhov's THREE SISTERS through Sunday, March 6 due to strong ticket demand. The production, which began previews on January 12, features Maggie Gyllenhaal (Masha), Josh Hamilton (Andre), Jessica Hecht (Olga), Marin Ireland (Natasha), Juliet Rylance (Irina) and Peter Sarsgaard (Vershinin). Also featured in the cast are Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Tuesenbach), Anson Mount (Solyony), Roberta Maxwell (Anfisa), Louis Zorich (Chebutykin), George Morfogen (Ferapont), Paul Lazar (Kulygin), Gabe Bettio (Rode) and James Patrick Nelson (Fedotik). No further extension will be possible.

Production shots appear below!

THREE SISTERS will be directed by Austin Pendleton, who also directed Gyllenhaal and Sarsgaard in CSC's acclaimed 2009 production of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The production will feature a translation by Paul Schmidt. The official opening for THREE SISTERS is scheduled for Thursday, February 3 at 7pm .

The creative team for THREE SISTERS will include set design by Walt Spangler, costume design by Marco Piemontese, lighting design by Keith Parham, sound design and original music by Christian Frederickson and Ryan Rumery and hair design by Paul Huntley.

THREE SISTERS, Chekhov's immortal masterpiece of thwarted dreams, continues CSC's commitment to its Chekhov Initiative, which began five years ago during their FIRST LOOK FESTIVAL reading series. This continued with their first main production of The Seagull, starring Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming, followed by their acclaimed production in 2009 of Uncle Vanya, which featured many of the cast members who will be appearing in THREE SISTERS.

THREE SISTERS will perform Tuesdays through Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $75 for weekday performances and $80 for weekends. For tickets and information, visit www.classicstage.org or call (866) 811-4111, or (212) 352-3101, or visit the CSC box office at 136 East 13th Street, Monday through Friday 12 pm to 6 pm.

Now in its 44th year as one of New York's most exciting theatres, Classic Stage Company is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Led by Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, they recently presented David Ives' highly acclaimed Venus In Fur, directed by Walter Bobbie as well as Ostrovsky's The Forest, adapted by Kathleen Tolan, starring Dianne Wiest and John Douglas Thompson, and directed by Brian Kulick. In the previous season the company presented three sold-out acclaimed productions: Shakespeare's The Tempest, starring Mandy Patinkin; Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Denis O'Hare, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard; and Anne Carson's An Oresteia. Recent productions: critically acclaimed sold-out runs of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, starring Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming; the world premiere of David Ives' New Jerusalem, directed by Walter Bobbie; Hamlet, Richard II, and Richard III starring Michael Cumpsty and directed by Brian Kulick; and Zoe Caldwell in Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, directed by John Turturro.

CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As CSC returns to works of the past, it endeavors to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences. Founded in 1967, CSC has received wide recognition for its significant contributions to theatre as an art form through productions of classic plays, translations and adaptations and a long-standing commitment to the identification and nurturing of leading and emerging artists. Classic Stage's artists are the finest established and emerging theater practitioners working in this country. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in New York and American theatre, Classic Stage has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Memberships to Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible MasterPass membership, which in addition to prime seats entitles members to participate in CSC special series, including their sold-out Open Rehearsal events. For more information on Classic Stage Company visit the theatre's website at www.classicstage.org.

For further information on Classic Stage Company, call (212) 352-3101, visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street, or go to www.classicstage.org.