Ethan Hawke Directs Zoe Kazan & Entire Original THINGS WE WANT Cast in Benefit Reading Tonight

The New Group celebrates its 20th Anniversary Season with a one-night-only benefit reading of Jonathan Marc Sherman's Things We Want, reuniting director Ethan Hawke with the complete original cast of the critically-acclaimed 2007 world premiere production at The New Group: Paul Dano, Peter Dinklage, Josh Hamilton and Zoe Kazan. This special event takes place tonight, January 5 at The New Group at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street).

Tickets: $75 general reserved seating; $250 premium seating & exclusive post-reading reception with the cast & creative team. $50 tickets are available to audience members under 30 years of age (1 ticket per audience member under 30; reading only; valid ID required upon pick-up). For tickets to the Things We Want benefit reading & related information, please contact: Daniel Rattner at 212-244-3380 x305 or Daniel@thenewgroup.org.

In Things We Want, three brothers reunite in their inherited childhood home. Forced to live together again as adults, they struggle to redefine themselves as they pursue the things they want in life. While facing their own personal obstacles, a drastic shift in dynamics occurs when a sexy young neighbor suddenly enters their lives. This dark comedy by Jonathan Marc Sherman paints an insightful and bittersweet picture of the illusions people have about what makes them happy and what is within their power to change.

Things We Want enjoyed its world premiere in an extended engagement at The New Group, as the first production of the company's 2007-2008 Season (October 22-December 23, with Opening Night on November 7, 2007). Directed by Ethan Hawke, the original production featured Paul Dano, Peter Dinklage, Josh Hamilton and Zoe Kazan, who return to The New Group in the company's 20th Anniversary Season for this one-night-only benefit reading on January 5, 2015.

The New Group opened its current 2014-2015 Season with David Rabe's Sticks and Bones, a recent Critics' Pick by The New York Times and Time Out New York, directed by Scott Elliott and featuring Richard Chamberlain, Nadia Gan, Holly Hunter, Morocco Omari, Bill Pullman, Ben Schnetzer and Raviv Ullman, playing in a limited Off-Broadway engagement through December 14. Up next in the company's season is Joel Drake Johnson's Rasheeda Speaking, directed by Cynthia Nixon and featuring Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest, to be followed in Spring 2015 by the world premiere of The Spoils, a new play written by and featuring Jesse Eisenberg, directed by Scott Elliott. The New Group productions take place at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

The New Group, led by founding Artistic Director Scott Elliott and Executive Director Adam Bernstein, is an award-winning, artist-driven company with a commitment to developing and producing powerful, contemporary theater. Founded in 1995, The New Group was born of Artistic Director Scott Elliott's desire to develop a place for artists to experiment, take risks and learn from each other without the pressures of commercial theater. Notable productions at The New Group include Ecstasy, This is Our Youth, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Hurlyburly, Abigail's Party, Rafta, Rafta..., The Starry Messenger, A Lie of the Mind, Blood From a Stone, Marie and Bruce, and many more. The company has received over 90 awards and nominations for excellence. The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony® Award for Best Musical (Avenue Q). In 2011, The Kid received five Drama Desk nominations and the Outer Critics Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. That year, The New Group and Scott Elliott were honored with a Drama Desk Special Award "for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions." The company's 2013-2014 season included the New York premiere of Beth Henley's The Jacksonian, directed by Robert Falls, featuring Ed Harris, Glenne Headly, Amy Madigan, Bill Pullman and Juliet Brett; the world premiere of Thomas Bradshaw's Intimacy, directed by Scott Elliott; and the New York premiere of Sharr White's Annapurna, directed by Bart DeLorenzo, starring Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman. The New Group is a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) cultural arts organization.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and Signature Café and Bar, open to public from noon-midnight Tuesdays-Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals. Tickets to the one-night-only benefit reading of Things We Want are extremely limited. Tickets: $75 general reserved seating (fully tax deductible); $250 premium seating & exclusive post-reading reception with the cast & creative team. $50 tickets are available to audience members under 30 years of age (1 ticket per audience member under 30; reading only; valid ID required upon pick-up). For tickets to the benefit reading & related information, please contact: Daniel Rattner at 212-244-3380 x305 or Daniel@thenewgroup.org. Tickets to The New Group's current production Sticks and Bones may be arranged at www.thenewgroup.org, or by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12-8pm daily). Regular tickets are $77.00. Premium tickets are $97.00. Schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 7:30pm; Saturday at 2:00pm & 8:00pm; Sunday at 2:00pm, with Wednesday matinees at 2:00pm from November 12 through December 10.

Subscriptions for The New Group 2014-2015 season available now. For subscriptions & info, please visit www.thenewgroup.org. Subscriptions also available by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12-8pm daily). For more info, visit www.thenewgroup.org.

Photo Credit: Serge Nivelle