PHILADELPHIA, HERE I COME! to Play T.Schreiber Theatre, 10/15-11/22

A young man looks toward the future even as he finds himself remembering the past in Brian Friel's comedic drama Philadelphia, Here I Come!, presented by T. Schreiber Theatre at 151 West 26th Street on the 7th floor. Directed by Jake Turner, Philadelphia, Here I Come! will run from October 15 through November 22 with performances Wednesday-Saturday at 8pm.

Artistic Director Terry Schreiber calls Philadelphia, Here I Come! "...a play for anyone who has ever left home...a joyous and personal journey that touches the hearts and souls of anyone who stretches their wings to leave the nest for the first time."

In 1964, in the village of Ballybeg, Ireland, twenty-five year-old Gar O'Donnell, disgusted with his life and prospects, is about to move to the United States and work in a hotel in Philadelphia, having lost the girl he loves and living with his emotionally closed-off father, who treats him no better than a servant. Yet as the time of his leave-taking draws nigh, Gar finds himself searching for a reason to stay, even as he's confronted by opportunities missed, former mates who now seem vapid and shallow, and a dad with more similarities to his son than either will admit. In the end, it may all come down to a long-ago childhood memory, as Gar strains to reconnect with the ties of home, even as he finds himself opening the door that will start him on his journey.

The cast of Philadelphia, Here I Come! features Daniel Leonard, Jackson Mercado, Lucy Avery Brooke*, Terrence Keene*, Hollis Fox, John Fennessy*, John Mulcahy, Noelle McGrath*, Mike Horan, Albert Dabah, Jack Tynan, Alex Carmine, Brian Reyburn, Jim Cyborowski*. Set Designer: D. Schuyler Burks, Lighting Designer: Gilbert "Lucky" Pearto, Costume Designer: Hope Governali, Sound Designer: Andy Evan Cohen. Producing Director: Janet Bentley, Stage Manager: DaVonne Onassis Bacchus, Assistant Director: Ashley E. Jordan, Associate Set Designer/Technical Director: Nathan Frieswyk, Graphic Art/Design: Jonathan Ashley.

The approximate running time of Philadelphia, Here I Come! is two hours and fifteen minutes. Tickets are $10.00 for Wednesday, October 15, Thursday, October 16, and Friday October 17. October 18 tickets are $30.00 (general admission) and $40.00 (reserved seats) and include a fully catered party after the show. Starting October 22, tickets are $20.00 (general admission) and $30.00 (reserved seats). Reservations: 212-352-3101 or http://tschreiber.org/productions/now-playing/

Brian Friel has written more than thirty plays in his six decade career. He first attracted widespread attention with Philadelphia, Here I Come!, which was first presented in Dublin in 1964 and then in America and London. Other works include Translations, Faith Healer, Wonderful Tennessee, Lovers, Molly Sweeney, Aristocrats, Making History, and Dancing at Lughnasa. Mr. Friel has had nine of his works produced on Broadway, as well as three revivals, and won the Tony Award in 1992 for Dancing at Lughnasa, which was subsequently made into a film in 1998 starring Meryl Streep. Mr. Friel is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, The British Royal Society of Literature, and The Irish Academy of Letters.

Jake Turner's New York directing credits include Theatre: The Darling Siblings (Cherry Lane Theatre), Hole in His Heart (Atlantic Theatre), Lady Liberty (McGinn/Cazale Theatre), Brothers & Strange Romance (both with Sun Dog Theatre), Lenny and Lu (Flea Theatre). He directed a fully staged reading of Natural Life at the T. Schreiber Studio in 2013. Film: Waiters; Panic in the Wilderness. Television: All My Children, Another World, Guiding Light, As The World Turns. As a movement and fight director, he has worked on Broadway in Richard III, Peter Pan, and The Three Musketeers. Off Broadway: Night at the Fights (co-creator), ATA Theatre; Strawberry Fields, Manhattan Theatre Club; One Tiger to a Hill, Manhattan Theatre Club; Coach, WPA Theatre; Two, Primary Stages; Bover Boys, Primary Stages; Turn of the Screw, Primary Stages.

Begun in 1969, the mission of T. Schreiber Studio and Theatre - under the direction of Artistic Director Terry Schreiber and co-Artistic Director Peter Jensen - is to support and advance the art of acting, and to share this with audiences through presenting full-scale professional productions that join together actors and audiences for an intimate and challenging theatrical experience. One of the preeminent theatre conservatories in the New York metropolitan region, helping actors such as Edward Norton, Peter Sarsgaard, and Annabella Sciorra to hone their craft, past productions include: The Pillowman, a world-premiere new musical Jack's Back!, Lobby Hero, The Changing Room, Balm in Gilead (NYIT winner), The Night of the Iguana, Joking Apart, and many others. http://tschreiber.org/.

* - appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association