Animal Experts and More Set for SYLVIA's Tuesday Talk-Back Series, Starting Tonight

SYLVIA, the acclaimed comedy by two-time Pulitzer Prize-nominee A.R. Gurney (The Dining Room, Love Letters) kicks off its TUESDAY TALK-BACK SERIES. Beginning tonight, November 10th, audiences will be invited to stay for post-show discussions that will feature members of the Sylvia cast and company, in addition to leading animal experts, authors, media personalities and animal- related non-profits.

Directed by Tony Award-winner Daniel Sullivan (Proof), Sylvia is currently playing a strictly limited, 16-week Broadway engagement at The Cort Theatre (138 W. 48th Street). Tickets for Sylvia are on sale now online at www.telecharge.com or by calling (212) 239-6200 or in-person at The Cort Theatre box office (138 W. 48th St.).

Funny and heartwarming, Sylvia is about what happens when a smart, sassy, captivating canine befriends a New Yorker in Central Park and changes his life - and his wife's life - forever. This wonderful look into the complexities of love and commitment asks what does it truly mean to be devoted to your partner . . . and how do you choose between the love of your life and man's best friend?

SYLVIA stars two-time Tony Award-winner Matthew Broderick (Brighton Beach Memoirs, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying), Tony Award-winner Julie White (The Little Dog Laughed), Drama Desk Award-winner Robert Sella (Stuff Happens), and 2015 Tony Award-winner Annaleigh Ashford (You Can't Take It With You) in the title role.

Presented by Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, and Daryl Roth, Sylvia has scenic design by Tony Award- nominee David Rockwell (You Can't Take It With You, On the Twentieth Century), costume design by Academy Award-winner Ann Roth (The English Patient), lighting design by Tony Award-nominee Japhy Weideman (The Visit, Airline Highway), sound design by Peter Fitzgerald (All the Way, Movin' Out), and music by Greg Pliska. Sylvia has wig and makeup design by Campbell Young Associates. James Fitzsimmons is the Production Stage Manager.

SYLVIA'S TUESDAY POST-SHOW TALK-BACKS:

- Tuesday, November 10th: Dr. Alexandra Horowitz

Dr. Alexandra Horowitz is the author of the New York Times best-selling book Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know. She teaches classes in psychology, animal behavior, and canine cognition at Barnard College, Columbia University, and conducts research as the head of the Dog Cognition Lab, where they are currently studying dog olfaction and play behavior. For more information visitinsideofadog.com. To sign up to participate in future research with your dog at the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab, visit dogcognition.com.

- Tuesday, November 17th: Angel on a Leash

Hosted by David Frei, founder and president of Angel On A Leash, co-host of USA Network's annual "The Westminster Kennel Club" telecast, and co-host of NBC's "The National Dog Show."

Angel On A Leash is an organization that creates and administers therapy dog programs in health care facilities, correctional facilities, schools, and rehabilitation, hospice, extended care, and crisis intervention programs across the country. Through advocacy, education, research and service, Angel On

A Leash promotes the role of the human-animal bond in enhancing human health and quality of life. Visit www.angelonaleash.org

- Tuesday, December 1st: Bideawee

Hosted by Jill Rappaport, former NBC News Correspondent, best-selling author and animal advocate.

Bideawee, which means "stay awhile," in Scottish, is one of the country's oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations. Founded in 1903, Bideawee has been cultivating and supporting the life-long relationships between pets and the people that love them for more than 100 years. Bideawee provides an array of high touch services including adoption centers, animal hospitals, pet therapy programs, and pet memorial parks that serve pets and pet lovers on their lifelong journey together. Bideawee is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 humane animal organization and 100% of Bideawee's funding comes from private sources. Bideawee operates one facility in New York City and two on Long Island, one in Wantagh, and one in Westhampton. For more information visit: www.bideawee.org.

Jill Rappaport is an award winning animal advocate and best selling author, best known as a correspondent on NBC-TV. Considered a "Voice for the Voiceless," Jill works tirelessly to make a difference for animals in need by shining a light on shelters across America. She launched her award winning segment "Bow To Wow" on "Today," and this beloved series which featured shelter animals getting a makeover and a second chance for life ran for over 6 six years and had a 100% adoption record! Recently she did rescue segments for "The View" called "Rappaport to the Rescue" and once again she has maintained a 100% adoption record! Jill's work has garnered her countless coveted honors including, three Genesis Awards from the Humane Society of the United States, The First Voice for the Animals Award from HSUS, The Presidential Service Award for Media Excellence from the ASPCA, and the Excellence in Journalism and Outstanding Contributions to the Pet Industry Award.

- Tuesday, December 8th: PACT For Animals Moderated by Buzz Miller, founder of PACT For Animals.

PACT For Animals is a nonprofit that provides free, long-term fostering of companion animals for all five branches of the U.S. military throughout the world, as well as hospitalized patients from infants to senior citizens. PACT prevents owners from having to lose their best friends to a shelter due to a temporary health crisis, military service, or homelessness. The goal of PACT's unique service is to reunite owners with their companions once their tour of duty or personal crisis is over and they can retake care of the pet they truly love. For more information visit: http://pactforanimals.org/.

- Thursday, December 10th: Petsmile hosts a special "ASK A VET" talkback

With Dr. Amy Attas (City Pets), Dr. Taylor Truitt (The Vet Set), and additional vets TBA.

Dr. Amy Attas is the founder of City Pets, a veterinary house call service for dogs and cats living, working or visiting in Manhattan. City Pets is Manhattan's premier veterinary house call practice providing care to more than 10,000 patients in the comfort of their own homes since starting in 1992. In addition to her veterinary practice, Dr. Amy is on the Board of the University of Pennsylania School of Veterinary Medicine, and the EcoHealth Alliance and has been awarded both the Merit Award and the Award for Outstanding Service to Veterinary Medicine by the Veterinary Medical Association of New York City. For more information visit http://citypetsvets.com/.

Dr. Taylor Truitt, along with his partner Dr. Eva Radke, founded The Vet Set to bring the best veterinary care to your home, office, or hotel in Manhattan and Brooklyn 7 days a week. Stress interferes with your pet's health, so you can now eliminate the anxiety of a hospital visit and let The Vet Set come to you. They offer preventative medicine, vaccines, diagnostic testing, health certificates, acupuncture, and hospice care. With an easy to use app and also telemedicine they make it easier than ever to keep in touch with your vet! For more info visit www.vetset.net.

- Tuesday, December 15th: The Good Dog Foundation

Moderated by Dr. Laurie Santos, Professor of Psychology at Yale University and director of the Canine Cognition Center at Yale.

A nationally recognized leader in animal-assisted therapy, The Good Dog Foundation's mission is to ease human suffering and promote healing among those experiencing trauma from disease, disability, disaster, aging and other stressful conditions. To achieve its mission, Good Dog trains and certifies hundreds of volunteer teams (dog and handler) annually. This past year, Good Dog fielded a corps of nearly 1,000 trained and certified volunteers, carefully matching teams with some 350 partner-facilities (hospitals, schools, nursing homes, etc.) in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The teams worked free-of-charge to help as many as 345,000 people - among them, children on the autism spectrum; patients recovering from surgery, stroke, heart disease and cancer; veterans with PTSD; students at all educational levels; and the aged. Good Dog regularly conducts scientific research on animal-assisted therapy working with institutions such as Yale University, Mount Sinai Beth Israel and others. New initiatives are underway to place specially trained Good Dog teams in businesses to help reduce stress and improve productivity among employees and to train healthcare practitioners in using therapy dogs to improve outcomes in their own practices. For more information visit: http://thegooddogfoundation.org/.

Dr. Laurie Santos's scientific research has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and The New Yorker, and has been featured on the History Channel and the television show "Brain Games." She has also won numerous awards, both for her scientific achievements and for her teaching and mentorship. She is the recipient of the Stanton Prize from the Society for Philosophy and Psychology for outstanding contributions to interdisciplinary research. She was recently voted as one of Popular Science Magazine's "Brilliant 10" young minds, and in Time Magazine as a "Leading Campus Celebrity."

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus