John Cullum, Shuler Hensley Join Playwrights Horizons Season; Casting Complete for THE WHALE and DETROIT

Playwrights Horizons has announced additional casting for its 2012/2013 Season.

Two-time Tony Award winner John Cullum (for Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century; additional nominations for Urinetown, 110 in the Shade and On a Clear Day You…; Wilder at PH), Darren Pettie (This and Spatter Pattern at PH, Butley on Broadway, “Mad Men”) and Sarah Sokolovic (Drama Desk Award nominee for The Shaggs at PH) comprise the complete cast of the New York premiere of DETROIT, a new play by Lisa D’Amour (2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist for this play, 2011 Steinberg Playwright Award winner for her body of work, Obie Award winner for Nita and Zita).

They join the previously-announced Oscar and Tony Award nominee Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone, “The Office,” On the Mountain at PH) and Emmy Award nominee David Schwimmer (“Friends,” “Band of Brothers,” PH debut). Directed by Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman (Maple and Vine at PH, The Thugs, Stunning, Naked Angels’ This Wide Night), previews will begin Friday, August 24 at Playwrights Horizons’ Mainstage Theater as the first production of the theater company’s new season.

In other casting news, Theatre World Award winner Cassie Beck (The Drunken City and Prayer for My Enemy at PH, The Norman Conquests), Reyna de Courcy (Burning), Tony Award and Obie Award winner Shuler Hensley (Oklahoma!, Sweet and Sad, Young Frankenstein), Tasha Lawrence (Wilder, Wilder, Wilder; Good People), and Cory Michael Smith (The Shaggs at PH, the current Cock) comprise the complete cast of the New York premiere of THE WHALE, a new play by Obie Award winner Samuel D. Hunter (A Bright New Boise). Directed by Davis McCallum (A Bright New Boise, Queens Boulevard, Elliot: A Soldier’s Fugue), previews will begin Friday, October 12 at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sharp Theater.

In addition to DETROIT and THE WHALE, the four other productions of the 2012/2013 Season will be:

THE GREAT GOD PAN – the World Premiere of a new play by Amy Herzog (After the Revolution at PH, 4000 Miles), directed by Carolyn Cantor (After the Revolution and Essential Self-Defense at PH, Pumpgirl, Orange Water Flower). The production will begin previews in November 2012 at Playwrights Horizons’ Mainstage Theater.

THE FLICK – the World Premiere of a new play commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds from the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, by Obie Award winner Annie Baker (Circle Mirror Transformation at PH, The Aliens, her upcoming adaptation of Uncle Vanya), directed by Obie Award winner Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation, Kin and The Big Meal at PH; Seminar on Broadway, The Aliens). The production will begin performances in February 2013 at Playwrights Horizons’ Mainstage Theater.

THE CALL – the World Premiere of a new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at PH), directed by Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door for PH; Chinglish, Well, In the Wake). The production will begin performances in March 2013 at Playwrights Horizons’ Peter Jay Sharp Theater. THE CALL will be presented as a co-production with Primary Stages.

FAR FROM HEAVEN – the World Premiere of a new musical featuring book by Tony Award winner & two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Richard Greenberg (Take Me Out, Three Days of Rain), music by Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel (Grey Gardens at PH, Happiness), lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie (Grey Gardens at PH, The Grapes of Wrath, Happiness), directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif (Grey Gardens at PH, Rent, Next to Normal, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide…) and featuring four-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O’Hara (The Light in the Piazza, The Pajama Game, South Pacific and the current Nice Work If You Can Get It; My Life with Albertine at PH). The musical is based on the Focus Features / Vulcan Productions motion picture Far From Heaven, written and directed by Todd Haynes. FAR FROM HEAVEN was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons under the auspices of the Playwrights Horizons Musicals in Partnership Initiative with leadership funding provided by the The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Through this initiative, the musical will have a Preview Production run at the Williamstown Theatre Festival this summer, also featuring Ms. O’Hara. The production will begin performances at Playwrights Horizons in May 2013 on the Mainstage Theater.

Bios and production details for each of the six productions of the 2012/2013 Season can be found starting on page 3 of this release. Additional casting, information and dates for the four other shows will be announced in the coming months.

Three subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons’ 2012/2013 season are now available: a 6-show Subscription package ($230, four Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater Productions); FlexPass (4+ tickets, $45-50 per ticket); and Membership ($55 membership fee + one ticket at $40 or less for each show, as desired). In addition, the company will continue to offer 30&Under Membership ($20 membership fee + one $20 ticket for each show, as desired); and Student Membership ($10 membership fee + one $10 ticket for each show, as desired). In addition to discounts on all Mainstage season attractions, subscribers receive priority booking and seating, ticket exchange privileges, parking and dining discounts, and exclusive mailings of Playwrights Horizons Bulletins. Packages are available at www.TicketCentral.com.