Christina Ricci Joins Cast of Classic Stage Company's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM Opposite Bebe Neuwirth

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick, has announced that acclaimed actress Christina Ricci will join two-time Tony Award winner Bebe Neuwirth in the company's upcoming production of William Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Directed by Tony Speciale, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM will begin performances Wednesday, March 28 and play a limited engagement through Sunday, May 6. Neuwirth will play the role of Titania and Ricci the role of Hermia. Additional casting will be announced early in the new year. Tickets will go on sale to the general public February 6. CSC is currently presenting the highly-acclaimed, sold-out production of Anton Chekhov's THE CHERRY ORCHARD (through January 8 only) and will next present Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham in Bertolt Brecht's GALILEO, directed by Brian Kulick, beginning performances Wednesday, February 1.

She is currently starring in ABC's new drama "Pan Am" and will co-star in Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod's adaptation of Guy de Maupassant's short story "Bel Ami" opposite Robert Pattinson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman in 2012.

Ricci's film credits include Richard Benjamin's "Mermaids," Barry Sonnenfeld's "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values," Brad Silberling's "Casper," Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm," Don Roos' "The Opposite of Sex," a performance which garnered her a Golden Globe nomination and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress, Vincent Gallo's "Buffalo 66, "John Waters' "Pecker," Larry and Andy Wachowski's "Speed Racer;" Mark Palansky's "Penelope;" Craig Brewer's "Black Snake Moan," a critically acclaimed performance in Patty Jenkins' "Monster," opposite Academy Award winner Charlize Theron; Woody Allen's romantic comedy "Anything Else," Sally Potter's "The Man Who Cried" and a memorable cameo in Terry Gilliam's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." Additionally, Ricci starred opposite Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow."

On television, Ricci's credits include a recurring role on "Ally McBeal;" a guest appearance on "Grey's Anatomy," for which she received an Emmy nomination; and a guest appearance on "Saving Grace."

Now in its 45th year Classic Stage Company is the award winning theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Past seasons have included critically acclaimed productions of Chekhov's Three Sisters with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Hecht, Juliet Rylance and Peter Sarsgaard, directed by Austin Pendleton (Obie Award); David Ives' The School for Lies with Hamish Linklater (Obie Award), directed by Walter Bobbie; Unnatural Acts, conceived and directed by Tony Speciale; Ostrovsky's The Forest with Dianne Wiest and John Douglas Thompson, directed by Brian Kulick; David Ives' Venus In Fur with Nina Arianda and Wes Bentley, directed by Walter Bobbie; Shakespeare's The Tempest with Mandy Patinkin, directed by Brian Kulick; Chekhov's Uncle Vanya with Denis O'Hare, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, directed by Austin Pendleton; Anne Carson's An Oresteia (International PENN Award for Poetry); Chekhov's The Seagull with Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming; David Ives' New Jerusalem with Richard Easton, directed by Walter Bobbie; Hamlet, Richard II, Richard III with Michael Cumpsty (Obie Award as Hamlet), directed by Brian Kulick; and Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play with Zoe Caldwell, directed by John Turturro.

CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor 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.