Foster, Braff, Cannavale & Graynor Lead TRUST at 2nd Stage; Opens Aug. 12

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale, Sutton Foster, and Ari Graynor will co-star in the world premiere comedy TRUST, written by Paul Weitz, directed by Peter DuBois. Mr. Weitz returns to Second Stage Theatre, where his plays Privilege and Show People premiered in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Directed by Peter DuBois, who staged Second Stage's acclaimed production of Becky Shaw, TRUST will begin previews on Friday, July 23 at Second Stage Theatre (305 West 43rd street) and officially open on Thursday, August 12. The production runs through September 5.

Harry is rich. Harry is married. But when Harry doesn't trust any of it is enough, he looks to find something real in the most unlikely of places. Paul Weitz's dark comedy TRUST explores the corrosive effect of power on relationships and the hope we need to make them better.

TRUST will feature scenic design by Alexander Dodge, costume design by "Project Runway" runner-up Emilio Sosa, lighting design by David Weiner, and sound design by M.L. Dogg

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Zach Braff's stage experience includes roles in the Public Theater Productions of Twelfth Night and Macbeth directed by George C. Wolfe. His feature film writing and directorial debut, Garden State, premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and earned him a coveted WGA nomination for "Best Original Screenplay." The film also earned him an Independent Spirit Award for "Best First Feature" as well as a nomination for "Best First Screenplay." In addition, Braff was awarded "Best Directorial Debut" by the National Board of Review, "Breakthrough Director" by the Hollywood Film Festival and "Most Promising Filmmaker" by the Chicago Film Critics Association. Braff has recently wrapped the independent film, High Cost Of Living, for director Deborah Chow and will next direct the feature, Swingles. Braff was nominated for a 2005 Primetime Emmy Award and a 2005, 2006 and 2007 Golden Globe award for his portrayal of Dr. John "J.D." Dorian in NBC's comedy "Scrubs." His film credits include roles in The Broken Hearts Club, Getting To Know You, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Dreamworks' The Last Kiss and The Weinstein Company's The Ex. Zach is a native of New Jersey and graduate of Northwestern.

Bobby Cannavale made his Broadway debut in Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius and was nominated for a Tony Award in 2008. He also received rave reviews in the off-Broadway revival of Hurlyburly. On television Bobby won an Emmy for his performance as Will's boyfriend on "Will & Grace." He has appeared in many series including a recurring role in HBO's "Six Feet Under," as well as the starring role in the comedy series "Cupid." Bobby's film credits include The Station Agent, for which he and his co-stars were nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Other film credits include Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, The Take, Merry Gentleman, Diminished Capacity, Fast Food Nation, The Night Listener, Snakes On A Plane, Haven, Shall We Dance, Happy Endings, Romance and Cigarettes, The Postman, Night Falls On Manhattan, Gloria, The Bone Collector and Washington Heights. Upcoming films include the comedy The Other Guys with Will Ferrell, the independent film Weakness and Win Win for director Tom McCarthy.

Sutton Foster recently starred on Broadway as Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical, for which she was honored with Tony and Drama Desk nominations, and the Outer Critics Circle Award. Prior to that, Sutton was Inga in the Mel Brooks musical Young Frankenstein, Janet Van De Graaff in The Drowsy Chaperone (2006 Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations, LA Ovation Award) and Jo March in Little Women: The Musical (2005 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations). She is the recipient of the 2002 Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire  Awards for her performance as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie, a role she created in the 2000 La Jolla Playhouse premiere. Other Broadway credits include Les Miserables, Annie, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and Grease!. Regional productions include What the World Needs Now (Old Globe), Dorian (Goodspeed), The Three Musketeers (San Jose Musical Theater), Nellie Forbush in South Pacific and Sally in Me and My Girl (both at Pittsburgh CLO). She has toured nationally in The Will Rogers Follies, Les Miserables, and Grease!. She has appeared as Svetlana in Chess in Concert and as the "I'm the Greatest Star" Fanny Brice in Funny Girl in Concert, both Actors Fund of America benefits. On television, Sutton recently guest starred on "Law & Order: SVU." Other appearances include the Disney Channel's "Johnny and the Sprites" and several episodes of the HBO series, "The Flight of the Conchords." Sutton has performed in concert at Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, with the New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, at Feinstein's, Joe's Pub, and at concert halls and theaters across the country. Recordings include The Maury Yeston Songbook (PS Classics), Jule Styne in Hollywood, and the original cast recordings of Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein and Shrek. Her debut solo CD, Wish (Ghostlight Records), was recently released to critical acclaim and is now available in stores. She has just completed a sold-out limited run of the highly-anticipated City Center Encores! production of Stephen Sondheim's Anyone Can Whistle, starring as Nurse Fay Apple.

Ari Graynor returns to Second Stage Theatre, where she appeared in their production of the play Spanish Girl. She also appeared in Second Stage Theatre's Broadway production of The Little Dog Laughed. Graynor made her Broadway debut in Donald Margulies's Brooklyn Boy, for which she earned the 2005 Clarence Derwent Award for "Most Promising Female Actress." She also appeared in the hit off-Broadway play Dog Sees God. She is currently in production opposite Anna Faris and Chris Evans in What's Your Number and is starring in Holy Rollers, opposite Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha, which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Additional upcoming films include Betty Anne Waters starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, which will be released later this year, as well as the independent feature Lucky, in which she stars with Colin Hanks and Jeffrey Tambor. Graynor was last seen starring as Lacey, Steve Buscemi's tarty girlfriend, in Miguel Arteta's Youth In Revolt also starring Michael Cera and as Eva Destruction, captain of the Black Widows, in Drew Barrymore's feature directorial debut, Whip It!, alongside Ellen Page and Kristen Wiig. Her additional film credits include roles in the following: Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist, starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings; An American Crime (Sundance Film Festival 2007) with Catherine Keener and Ellen Page; Michael Hoffman's Game 6 (Sundance Film Festival 2005) with Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr; The Great New Wonderful with Maggie Gyllenhaal; Bereft, directed by Tim Daly and Clark Matthias; Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration; and Book Of Love (Sundance Film Festival 2004). Her feature film debut was in Clint Eastwood's Academy Award-winning film Mystic River. Known to television audiences for her portrayal of Meadow Soprano's troubled roommate, Caitlin, on "The Sopranos," she recurs on "Fringe" as the younger sister to the female lead played by Anna Torv. Her additional television credits include roles on "Law & Order: SVU," "Veronica Mars," "CSI Miami" and "Numbers." Graynor has been singled out by Entertainment Weekly as one of the "Top 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood" and received the "Comedy Award" at the 2009 Hollywood Life Young Hollywood Awards. Graynor was born in Boston, Massachusetts and currently resides in New York City.Paul Weitz is the author of the acclaimed plays Show People and Privilege, which both premiered at Second Stage Theatre. His play Mango Tea was produced Off-Broadway with Marisa Tomei and Rob Morrow by New York's Ensemble Studio Theatre, which also produced his next works, Captive, All for One, and the acclaimed ensemble comedy Roulette. He also wrote and directed the comedy American Dreamz, starring Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, and MAndy Moore, as well as the critically acclaimed film In Good Company, starring Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansen. With his brother and frequent collaborator Chris Weitz, he co-directed and adapted the screenplay from Nick Hornby's novel for the award winning hit, About a Boy. The screenplay received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as similar nominations from BAFTA, Writers Guild, Chicago Film Critics, and Humanitas. Prior to their screenwriting work on About a Boy, the brothers collaborated on several screenplays, including Antz. He made his feature directorial debut teaming with his brother on American Pie, the phenomenally successful first installment of the Pie franchise.

Peter DuBois is entering his third season as artistic director of the Huntington Theatre Company where he directed the world premiere of David Grimm's The Miracle at Naples; Gina Gionfriddo's Becky Shaw, after directing its Off Broadway production at Second Stage Theatre and its world premiere at The Humana Festival of New American Plays; and most recently, a production of Craig Lucas' Prelude to a Kiss. For five years he served as associate producer and resident director at The Public Theater, preceded by five years as the artistic director of Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska. Public Theater directing credits include Bob Glaudini's Jack Goes Boating with Philip Seymour Hoffman (NYT Critics' Pick) and A View from 151st Street (NYT Critics' Pick), both with LAByrinth Theatre Company; Measure for Pleasure (SSDF Callaway Award for Excellence in Direction; Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Production of a New Play); Richard III with Peter Dinklage (Newsday top-ten New York production of 2004); Adrienne Kennedy's Mom, How Did You Meet the Beatles (NYT Critics' Pick); and Biro (NYT Critics' Pick). Perseverance credits include The Seagull, The Winter's Tale, Romeo and Juliet, The Glass Menagerie, the West Coast premiere of Suzan-Lori Parks' In the Blood. Other regional credits include a revival of Sam Shepard's Curse of the Starving Class at American Conservatory Theater. Prior to leading Perseverance, Mr. DuBois lived and worked in the Czech Republic, where he co-founded Asylum, a multinational squat theatre in Prague.

ABOUT Second Stage Theatre

Second Stage Theatre is currently represented on Broadway by two acclaimed musicals: the Pulitzer Prize-winning Next to Normal, which celebrated its one-year Anniversary at the Booth Theatre On April 15th, and Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott's Everyday Rapture, currently at the American Airlines Theatre. The company's current mainstage production is the Pulitzer finalist, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by Edward Torres.

 

Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, Second Stage Theatre produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America's best Contemporary Theatre, including Tiny Alice and Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Little Murders by Jules Feiffer; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; Living Out by Lisa Loomer; This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by ReGina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Before It Hits Home, Jar the Floor and Birdie Blue by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Lemon Sky, Serenading Louie and Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Zimmerman.

The company's more than 130 citations include the 2010 Pulitzer prize for Next to Normal, the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 26 Obie Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, 12 Drama Desk Awards, nine Theatre World Awards, 11 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theatre Uptown" series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

Second Stage Theatre AT THE Helen Hayes

Second Stage Theatre has acquired the right to purchase the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. Second Stage will also become one of only four non-profit theatre companies that own and operate theatres on Broadway. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city's Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan.

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TRUST will be performed through Sunday, September 5 on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.

The following exceptions will be made to the regular performance schedule:

Sunday, July 25 - 2pm and 7pm performances

Wednesday, July 28 - no 2pm performance

Sunday, August 1 - 2pm and 7pm performances

Monday, August 9 - 8pm performance

Friday, August 13 - no performance

Wednesday, August 18 - 7pm performance

Thursday, August 19 - 7pm performance

Friday, August 20 - 7pm performance

Sunday, August 22 - no performance

Tickets are $70 and may be purchased by phoning 212-246-4422 or 800-766-6048 or online at www.2ST.com.

$30 UNDER 30 YOUTH ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE - patrons age 30 and under may purchase a limited number of specially-priced $30 tickets in advance. Proof of age must be shown at the box office.

For groups of 15 or more, special preview pricing is available for performances July 23 - August 11 for $42.00; and $56 for performances August 14 - September 5. $25.00 tickets for student groups are available for all performances.

A limited number of student rush tickets are $15 and are available one hour prior to curtain.

Group tickets are available by phoning 212-246-4422. Box-office hours are Monday, 10:00am - 6:00pm, Tuesday 10:00am - 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride for Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale and Ari Graynor