Karen Pittman and More Lead KING LIZ, Opening Tonight at Second Stage Uptown

Second Stage Theatre continues the 2015 Uptown Series with the World Premiere of King Liz, written by Fernanda Coppel (Chimichangas and Zoloft) and directed by Lisa Peterson. King Liz will feature MICHAEL CULLEN, JEREMIE HARRIS, RUSSELL G. JONES, CAROLINE LAGERFELT, IRENE SOFIA LUCIO, and KAREN PITTMAN. Previews began Monday, July 13th, for opening night tonight, July 27th, 2015. KING LIZ is presented at Second Stage Theatre's uptown home, the McGinn/Cazale Theatre on Broadway at 76th Street.

Sports agent Liz Rico has money and an elite client roster but a woman in a man's industry has to fight to stay on top. She's worked twice as hard to get where she is and wants to take over the agency that she's helped build. Enter Freddie Luna, a high school basketball superstar with a troubled past. If Liz can keep this talented yet volatile young star in line, she just might end up making not only his career, but her own as well. But at what price?

This production of King Liz features scenic design by Dane Laffrey, costumes by Jessica Pabst, lighting design by Tyler Micoleau, and sound design by Darron L West.

CAST

MICHAEL CULLEN (Mr. Candy) has been seen on New York stages in Finks (Ensemble Studio Theater); Bug (Barrow St. Theater-OBIE Award); Len, Asleep In Vinyl (Second Stage Theater); Cobb (Lucille Lortel Theater- Drama Desk Award, Best Ensemble); Dark Matters (Rattlestick Theater); One Shot, One Kill (Primary Stages); The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater); and Bus Stop (Circle In The Square). Michael has performed regionally at the Actors Theater of Louisville- Humana Festival, Denver Stage, Dallas Theater Center, Penguin Theater, Buffalo Studio Arena, and The English Theater of Frankfurt- Germany. Television credits include "Law And Order," "Law And Order- Criminal Intent," "Law And Order- SVU," "Life On Mars," "A Gifted Man," "Ed," "Third Watch," and "NY Undercover". Film credits include The Place Beyond The Pines, Margot At The Wedding, Dead Man Walking, Malcolm X, Clockers and the soon to be released Flesh and Bone.

JEREMIE HARRIS (Freddie Luna) has been seen Off Broadway at The Public Theater in Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1,2,3) and The Urban Retreat. Film credits include A Walk Among The Tombstones, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, Pariah, Evolution of A Criminal, and OrangeBow. Television credits include "Bessie" (HBO), "Blue Bloods", and "Person of Interest" (CBS). Jeremie was trained at The Juilliard School Drama Division.

RUSSELL G. JONES (Coach Jones) has been seen on stage in Father Comes Home From The War (The Public Theater), Ruined (MTC/Geffen/Intiman/Goodman - Obie Award), Our Lady of 121st Street, The Power of Duff (Huntington/NYS&F), The Call (Playwrights - Lucille Lortel Award Nominee), Whipping Man (Cleveland Play House), A View from 151st Street, and In Arabia We'd All Be Kings (Labyrinth). Film credits include Queen of Glory, The Ticket, Pinch, A Most Violent Year, Side Effects, Mania Days, Traffic (SAG Award), Companions, and Turntable. TV credits include "The Blacklist", "Louie", "Do No Harm", "Elementary", "Law & Order", and "Spin City." Russell is on the Board of Directors of Labyrinth Theatre Company and has been a member since 1995.

CAROLINE LAGERFELT (Barbara Flowers) has been seen on Broadway in The Real Thing, Betrayal, Otherwise Engaged, The Philanthropist, Lend Me a Tenor, The Constant Wife, Small Family Business, Jockey Club Stakes, and Four on a Garden. Off Broadway credits include Indian Ink; Summer Shorts Festival; Guantanamo, Honor Bound To Defend Freedom; Hamlet; Phaedra Brittanica; Quartermaine's Terms (Obie); The Creditors; Cloud Nine; Close of Play; and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Film credits include I'll See You in my Dreams, The Homesman, Minority Report, August, and All The Kings Men. Caroline has been in over a hundred TV shows, including recurring parts on "Gotham", "Gossip Girl", "Nash Bridges", and "90210". She also performed with artist Marina Abramovi? and did motion capture and voice on video game Dead Rising 3.

IRENE SOFIA LUCIO (Gabby Fuentes) was seen in Broadway's Wit. Off Broadway credits include Love and Information (NYTW), We Play for the Gods (Women's Project), and Estrella Cruz: the Junkyard Queen (Ars Nova). Regional credits include Bad Jews (Studio Theater), Pygmalion (Cal Shakes), Romeo and Juliet, Master Builder (Yale Rep), After the Revolution, Golden Gate (Williamstown), Amadeus, and Macbeth (Chautauqua). Television and film credits include "Gossip Girl", Stranded in Paradise (Hallmark Channel), and Casi Casi (HBO Latino). Irene holds a MFA from Yale and a BA from Princeton.

KAREN PITTMAN (Liz Rico) was recently seen on Broadway in Disgraced (Lyceum). Other Broadway credits include Good People (MTC/Friedman), and Passing Strange (Belasco). She was seen Off-Broadway in Domesticated (Mitzi Newhouse/LCT). Regional credits include Love in the Wars (Bard); Twelve Things (Denver Center); Neat, A One Woman Play (Kitchen Theatre). Television credits include "The Americans" (FX, guest star/recurring), "The Blacklist", "Law and Order", "30 Rock" (NBC); "The Good Wife" (CBS); "White Collar" (USA). Film credits include The Rewrite, Begin Again, The Bourne Legacy. Karen holds a BS in Voice in Opera from Northwestern University and a MFA in Acting from New York University.

CREATIVE TEAM

FERNANDA COPPEL (Playwright) is a playwright and screenwriter. Her play, Chimichangas and Zoloft, premiered at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2012 and was published by Samuel French. Her work has been developed at New York Theatre Workshop, Pregones Theater, INTAR Theatre, The Juilliard School, The Lark Play Development Center, the Flea, the Old Vic (London), Naked Angels, and at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. Fernanda is a member of the MCC Playwrights' Coalition and was a member of the Old Vic's US/UK T.S. Eliot Exchange Program. Her work has won the Asuncion Queer Latino Festival at Pregones Theater, the 2012 HOLA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting, and the 2012 Helen Merrill Award. She was a three-year Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School and received her MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University. Fernanda's television credits include "The Bridge" on FX and "Kingdom" on DIRECTV.

LISA PETERSON (Director). Recent NY credits include An Iliad, written with Denis O'Hare (NYTW-2012 Obie Award, Lortel Award, Drama Desk nominations); To The Bone by Lisa Ramirez (Cherry Lane); Patron Saint Of Sea Monsters by Marlane Meyer (Playwrights Horizons); Shipwrecked by Donald Margulies (Primary Stages); The Trestle At Pope Lick Creek by Naomi Wallace, Slavs by Tony Kushner, Traps by Caryl Churchill, The Waves adapted from Virginia Woolf by Peterson and David Bucknam (Drama Desk nominations), and Light Shining in Buckinghamshire by Caryl Churchill (Obie Award for Directing), all at New York Theatre Workshop; The Fourth Sister by Janusz Glowacki (Vineyard Theatre); The Poor Itch by John Belluso; The Square by 16 writers; Tongue Of A Bird (The Public); Collected Stories by Donald Margulies (MTC); The Chemistry Of Change by Marlane Meyer (Playwrights Horizons/WP); The Model Apartment by Donald Margulies (Primary Stages); and Sueno by Jose Rivera (MCC). Lisa has directed regionally at the Mark Taper Forum (where she was Resident Director for 10 years), La Jolla Playhouse (Associate Director for 3 years), Guthrie, Berkeley Rep, Seattle Rep, Arena Stage, McCarter, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Hartford Stage, Long Wharf, Yale Rep, Baltimore Center Stage, and many more.

KING LIZ will be performed at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre (Broadway & 76th Street, 3rd floor) now through Saturday, August 8 on the following schedule: Monday-Saturday at 7:30pm, and Saturday at 2pm.

KING LIZ is part of a four-play package available beginning at $170 which includes King Liz (playing July 13 through August 8 at 2ST Uptown) by Fernanda Coppel and directed by Lisa Peterson; Whorl Inside A Loop by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott and directed by Michael Mayer and Dick Scanlan, Invisible Thread by Matt Gould and Griffin Matthews and directed by Diane Paulus and Smart People by Lydia Diamond and directed by Kenny Leon.