Sean McNall To Lead Richard II At The Pearl 11/8-12/24

THE Pearl Theatre Company (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director) released today that Obie Award winner and Pearl company member Sean McNall will portray the doomed king in Shakespeare's poetic and powerful RICHARD II. The second production in The Pearl's 2011-2012 season, it will begin its limited engagement at New York City Center Stage II on November 8 and run through December 24. Single tickets will be on sale beginning August 15.

A member of The Pearl's resident company since 2003, Sean McNall's most recent appearances at The Pearl were as Alceste in The Misanthrope and Prince Hamlet in Wittenberg. Other featured roles with the company include Christy Mahon in The Playboy of the Western World, The Writer in Vieux Carré, and the title role in Hamlet. McNall was seen in Orson's Shaddow at the Barrow Street Theatre, understudied for T.R. Knight on Broadway in A Life in the Theatre, and has appeared regionally at The McCarter Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, and The Actors Theatre of Louisville. He received a 2008 OBIE Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance.

"Sean McNall has excelled in one Shakespearean role after another at The Pearl," according to artistic director J.R. Sullivan, who will also direct Richard II. "His remarkable facility with the language of the plays has been exemplified, perhaps most notably with his memorable Hamlet in 2007. Richard is a complex, enigmatic creature and his characterization is a thrilling challenge for an actor of Sean McNall's talent and experience."

William Shakespeare's great tale charts the descent of one leader and the meteoric rise of another with the crown of England as prize and the future of the nation perilously in the balance. Richard II is a powerful and provocative study of a king and a nation caught in the upheaval of social change and political turmoil. Written entirely in verse and epic in its sweep, Richard II easily classifies as one of Shakespeare's greatest plays. No other casting has been announced at this time.

The Pearl Theatre Company plays a vital role in the cultural life of New York City and its surrounding region by creating productions that explore and illuminate the human condition. Dedicated to bringing the classics of world theatre to broad audiences, The Pearl is an artistic home for a diverse company of theatre professionals, especially a core company of resident actors. The Pearl provides engagement opportunities that both educate and enrich the experiences of artists, students, and audiences.

The 2011-2012 season at The Pearl begins September 13 with Ionesco's bizarre and hilarious THE BALD SOPRANO. Following Richard II will be THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw in January 2012. The season will conclude in March with A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN by Eugene O'Neill.

The Pearl is currently offering subscription packages for the season. For subscription tickets and information, please visit www.pearltheatre.org or contact 212-598-9802.

Single tickets are currently on sale through NYCityCenter.org and CityTix® at 212-598-1212. Tickets will be available at the New York City Center box office after September 6, 2011.