THE COMMON PURSUIT to Play Roundabout's Laura Pels Theatre in May

Roundabout Theatre Company has just announced a new Off-Broadway production of Simon Gray's comedy-drama The Common Pursuit directed by Moisés Kaufman. The Common Pursuit will begin performances May 4, 2012 and officially open on May 24, 2012 at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre / Laura Pels Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through July 29, 2012.

The full cast and creative team will be announced shortly.

The Common Pursuit chronicles twenty years in the lives of six friends, from their ambitious collegiate days to their surprising discoveries in the real world. Idealistic Cambridge student Stuart Thorne enlists some of his classmates to help him launch a new literary magazine. With the pursuit of great literature as their common thread, they become lifelong friends. But when damaging secrets crop up and business demands creep in, Stuart is faced with some unexpected decisions. Delightfully witty and remarkably poignant, The Common Pursuit is a captivating journey from who we think we are...to who we turn out to be.

Quote from Todd Haimes, Artistic Director: "This is Roundabout's first time producing the work of Simon Gray as well as working with the extraordinary Moisés Kaufman. I always look forward to showing our audiences infrequently revived plays, from the cannon of a brilliant playwright like Simon. For Roundabout, it's gratifying to do plays like The Common Pursuit on the Laura Pels stage, where we can explore these hidden gems in an intimate space. This play is beautifully crafted and it showcases incredibly vivid characters, some of the most memorable ones Simon has written. I think audiences who are new to The Common Pursuit will find it captivating and surprising. And I know Moises' talent and vision will be particularly well-suited for this play."

Moisés Kaufman most recently directed the Broadway productions of The Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, 33 Variations and I Am My Own Wife. Kaufman is currently represented off-Broadway as one of the playwrights of Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Play.

The Common Pursuit had its American premiere at Long Wharf Theater in 1985. The off-Broadway production in 1986 ran 352 performances and received the 1987 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play and the 1987 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Play.

TICKET INFORMATION:
Only Roundabout subscribers have first access to tickets. To become a Roundabout Subscriber, visit www.roundabouttheatre.org or call Roundabout Ticket Services (212) 719-1300 today. Single Tickets will be available to the general public in the winter of 2012.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
The Common Pursuit will play Tuesday through Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m. with Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.

The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre reflects Roundabout's commitment to produce new works by established and emerging writers as well as revivals of classic plays. This state-of-the-art off-Broadway theatre and education complex is made possible by a major gift from The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. The Trust was created in 1986 by Harold Steinberg to promote and advance American Theatre as a vital part of our culture by supporting playwrights, encouraging the development and production of new work, and providing financial assistance to theatre companies across the country. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded over $45 million to more than 100 not-for-profit theatre organizations.

Simon Gray (Playwright) was born on Hayling Island on 21st October 1936. He began his writing career with Colmain (1963), the first of five novels, all published by Faber. He is the author of many plays for TV and radio, also films, including the 1987 adaptation of J L Carr's A Month in the Country, and TV films including Running Late, After Pilkington (winner of the Prix Italia) and Emmy Award-winning Unnatural Pursuits. He wrote more than 30 stage plays amongst them Butley and Otherwise Engaged (which both received Evening Standard Awards for Best Play), Close of Play, The Rear Column, Quartermaine's Terms (winner of 8 Obie Awards), The Common Pursuit, Hidden Laughter, The Late Middle Classes (winner of the Barclay's Best Play Award), Japes, The Old Masters (his ninth play to be directed by Harold Pinter) and Little Nell, which premiered at the Theatre Royal Bath in 2007, directed by Peter Hall. Little Nell was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2006, and Missing Dates in 2008. His acclaimed works of non-fiction are: An Unnatural Pursuit, How's That for Telling 'Em, Fat Lady?, Fat Chance, Enter a Fox, The Smoking Diaries, The Year of the Jouncer, The Last Cigarette and Coda. The dramatisation of his Diaries, The Last Cigarette, co-authored with Hugh Whitemore and directed by Richard Eyre, played in the West End in Spring/Summer 2009. In 1990 Simon Gray was awarded the BAFTA Writer's Award. He was appointed CBE in the 2005 New Year's Honours for his services to Drama and Literature. He died on August 7th 2008. www.simongray.org.uk

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