CONSTELLATIONS, Starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Ruth Wilson, Begins Previews Tonight

Performances begin today, Tuesday, December 16, for the American premiere of Constellations, the acclaimed new play by Nick Payne, directed by Michael Longhurst, starring Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Golden Globe nominee for Nightcrawler; Brokeback Mountain) and two-time Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson (Golden Globe nominee for Showtime's "The Affair;" BBC's and PBS' Emmy nominated "Luther").

This strictly limited 13-week engagement opens on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre (261 West 47th Street).

Constellations is presented by Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director; Barry Grove, Executive Producer) and the Royal Court Theatre, by special arrangement with Ambassador Theatre Group and the Dodgers.

Production support for Constellations is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation as part of the MTC/Sloan Science Theatre Initiative. For more information on the foundation, visit: www.sloan.org.

Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Brokeback Mountain) and two-time Olivier Award winner Ruth Wilson("The Affair," "Luther") make their MTC and Broadway debuts in the first American production of Constellations, a new play by Nick Payne (If There Is I Haven't Found It Yet), which premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre to tremendous acclaim. Michael Longhurst (If There Is...) directs.

This mind-bending, romantic journey begins with a simple encounter between a man and a woman (Gyllenhaal and Wilson). But what happens next defies the boundaries of the world we think we know - delving into the infinite possibilities of their relationship and raising questions about the difference between choice and destiny.

When Nick Payne's Constellations opened at the Royal Court's Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in January 2012 under the direction of Michael Longhurst, it was hailed by London and New York critics. The Daily Telegraph called it "playful, intelligent, and bursting with ideas with a powerful undertow of emotion" and The Independent declared it "dazzling, exhilarating, and extraordinary." The New York Times said "This superb play gets into your head and under your skin," and The New Yorker said "Constellations is at once eloquent, mysterious, witty, and brilliant." The play subsequently transferred to the West End and won the Evening Standard Award for Best Play and received an Olivier Award nomination for Best Play.

The creative team for Constellations includes Tom Scutt (scenic and costume design), Lee Curran (lighting design),David McSeveney (sound design), Simon Slater (original music), Lucy Cullingford (movement director), andThomas Schall (fight director).

Get a first look at the production below!

Photo Credit: Walter McBride