LEWIS & TOLKIEN: OF WARDROBES AND RINGS to Come to The Sheen Center

Lewis & Tolkien: Of Wardrobes and Rings, written by and featuring David Payne and directed by Marc Whitmore,will make its New York debut at the Black Box Theater at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture. Performances began on May 23 with opening night scheduled for May 31, the engagement runs throughJune 14.

J.R.R Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were lions of 20th century British fantasy, giants of a literary genre that reached millions of readers, young and old alike, with mystifying adventures to entertain and deep truths to move people's hearts. C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia) and J.R.R. Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings) were also distinguished faculty members at Oxford University and participants in a literary group known as The Inklings. Their robust philosophical discourse served an uncommon friendship that was not without its differences. Life's circumstances and unresolved disagreements forced an uncomfortable season of estrangement. InLewis & Tolkien we join "Jack" and "Tollers," as they knew each other, at Oxford's historic Eagle and Child pub for one last visit, tempered by thawing humor, confession and reconciliation.

The cast of Lewis & Tolkien: Of Wardrobes and Rings features David Payneas C.S. Lewis, Gordon Tett as J.R.R. Tolkien, Audrey Ney as Hattie. The play features music by Bill Myers, scenic design by Gregory Brown and lighting design by Henry Beach.

LISTING INFORMATION:

Lewis & Tolkien: Of Wardrobes and Rings plays at The Sheen Center in The Black Box Theater (18 Bleecker Street). Performances are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:30pm, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2:30pm (there is no matinee on May 23) & 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:30pm. Opening night is Thursday, May 31 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35 for preview performances, after May 31 tickets are $39.Tickets/reservations for all events at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture are available online at SheenCenter.org, by phone at 212-925-2812, and in-person at The Sheen Center box office (Monday through Friday 11:00am to 5:00pm and one hour before shows).

Bios:

David Payne (Playwright / C.S. Lewis) has been dazzling audiences across the world with his one-man drama An Evening with C.S. Lewis with over 700 performances over almost twenty years. It all began in 1996 when auditions for the play Shadowlands, based on the life of Lewis, came about with the notice, "British accents help!" Well that he had, and it won him the role of Lewis. After the show closed, Payne created a one-man production based on Lewis' novel A Grief Observed which opened to sold out audiences. This lead Payne to his An Evening show and then on to write a multitude of Lewis inspired productions. If you have ever wished to sit in a room with Jack himself speak, Mr. Payne is as close as you can get.

Gordon Tett (J.R.R. Tolkien) has worked in professional theatre and TV as an actor, writer, and director since the age of thirteen. English by birth, his career has brought him around the globe, from Australia, to London's West End, and across the U. S. He formed the Arts Centre Theatre Studio in London and ran his own company, Cornerstone Theatre Studio. His C.S. Lewis journey began in 2003 with his one-man staged version of The Great Divorce, and later created the role of Warnie, Lewis' brother, in St. Jack and the Dragon by David Payne. Now living in Hampshire he enjoys guest performing in the local theatre groups.

Audrey Ney (Hattie) is the newest member of the Rising Image crew. Her first stage performance was a one-woman skit from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in her fifth grade talent show, so working with Lewis and Tolkien on the daily has been quite a dream. She recently graduated from Long Island University- C.W. Post with a degree in Musical Theatre.

MARC WHITMORE (Director) has been collaborating with David Payne for over fifteen years, so when David wrote Lewis & Tolkien: Of Wardrobes and Rings, it seemed natural for Payne to ask Whitmore to direct the play. Marc has a long background in the entertainment business but he got his start at Missouri State University, studying theatre with John Goodman, Kathleen Turner and Tess Harper, amongst others where his focus was on producing and directing. Although he did work as professional actor onstage with Grove Theatre Company and the Grove Shakespeare Festival, he was always more interested in being behind the scenes. He formed the Swan Repertory Theatre (originally with William Ball of American Conservatory Theatre, but Ball died before the first production). He has directed a number of classical and new works, as well as television and film pieces. He resides in Los Angeles and London.

BILL MYERS (Music). His credits read like a who's who of American music; Justin Timberlake, Babyface, Whitney Houston, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, Donna Summers, Earth, Wind & Fire, Madonna, Rod Stewart, Brian McKnight and many more. As if this weren't enough, he's also conducted, arranged or composed music for films such as DreamGirls, (starring Jamie Foxx & Beyonce Knowles), Armed & Dangerous (starring the late John Candy) and Dick Tracy (starring Madonna).

RISING IMAGE (Producer) is a theatrical company based in the USA and UK and was originally founded to present stage productions based on the life and writings of C.S. Lewis. Throughout the years many shows have been produced and performed across the world including Relative Surprise, Prisoner of Passion, Weep for Joy, St. Jack and the Dragon, Target Practice, and now Lewis and Tolkien: of Wardrobes and Rings as well as The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew. An Evening with C.S. Lewis which has had over 700 performances.

Gregory Brown (Scenic Design) is a stagehand a set builder in the New York City area. He has recently begun his own custom scenic company, Mako Scenic.

HENRY BEACH (Lighting Designer) is a senior BFA Theatre Production Design student with an emphasis in lighting design at Belmont University. Henry was born and raised in Nashville, TN and developed a fascination with lighting and theatrical design in high school. After studying at Ithaca College's Department of Theatre for a year and a half, Henry moved back to Nashville to work at 4Wall Entertainment Lighting for 9 months as a moving light technician before transferring to Belmont University. Henry specializes in theatrical lighting design, CAD design in Vectorworks, technical lighting repair, and projection design.

The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture (www.sheencenter.org) is a New York City arts center located in NoHo that presents a vibrant mix of theater, film, music, art and talk events. An initiative of the Archdiocese of New York, The Sheen Center serves all New Yorkers by presenting performances and artists that reflect the true, the good, and the beautiful. Named for the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best remembered as an inspirational author, radio host and two-time Emmy Award-winning television personality, The Sheen Center reflects his modern-day approach to contemporary topics. The Sheen Center is a state-of-the-art theater complex that includes the 273-seat off-Broadway Loreto Theater, equipped with five-camera high-definition TV and live-stream capability and a multi-track recording studio; the 80-seat off-off-Broadway Black Box Theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery.