Pam MacKinnon to Direct Atlantic Theater Company's THE LYING LESSON

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) just announced that Tony Award nominated director Pam MacKinnon (Clybourne Park, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) will direct actress Mickey Sumner (film Frances Ha, Showtime's "The Borgias") in the world premiere of Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee Craig Lucas's new comedy The Lying Lesson, joining previously announced star Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Carol Kane (Wicked, "Taxi").

THE LYING LESSON will begin previews Wednesday, February 20; officially open Wednesday, March 13; and play a limited engagement through Sunday, March 31 Off-Broadway at Atlantic's main stage Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20th Street).

In a remote seaside village in Maine, a legendary film star who may or may not be Bette Davis (Carol Kane) shows up to buy the home of an elderly couple. When she encounters a young local woman (Mickey Sumner) who appears never to have heard of her, "Ruth" stakes a claim on her distant past, and plays a relentless game of cat and mouse with her new "assistant."In this hilarious and unsettling comic thriller, Craig Lucas, celebrated author of Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless and The Light in the Piazza and twist and turn the audience around essential questions about memory, identity and truth-telling in The Lying Lesson.

Obie Award winning director Pam MacKinnon was nominated for a Tony Award for her staging of the acclaimed production of Clybourne Park and is currently represented with the hit Broadway revival of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. She is a frequent interpreter of the plays of Edward Albee, having also staged his plays Peter and Jerry; Occupant; A Delicate Balance; The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? and Play About the Baby.

Actress Mickey Sumner will make her Off-Broadway and Atlantic Theater Company debut after recently appearing on the New York stage in the Culture Project workshop of The Seagull. Other theater credits include the recent 24 Hour Plays on Broadway and Think Global, F**k Local at The Royal Court in London. She has recently drawn critical praise for her co-starring role opposite Greta Gerwig in the new Noah Baumbach film Frances Ha, which has been acclaimed at the 2012 Toronto, New York and Telluride film festivals, and will be released by IFC this May.
She has also appeared on television in the Showtime series "The Borgias."

Craig Lucas was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for The Light in the Piazza as well as his celebrated Broadway play Prelude to a Kiss, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist before being adapted into the hit film comedy starring Meg Ryan and Alec Baldwin. His plays include Missing Persons, Reckless, Blue Window, God's Heart, The Dying Gaul, Stranger, Small Tragedy, Prayer for My Enemy and The Singing Forest.

Beloved comedic actress Carol Kane most recently appeared on Broadway in the critically acclaimed revival of Harvey and has starred in the Broadway productions of Wicked and Sly Fox. She has appeared in over 100 motion pictures and television series and was honored with a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for her role in the film Hester Street and two Emmy Awards for her role in iconic series "Taxi."

The design team for The Lying Lesson will feature scenic design by Neil Patel, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Russell H. Champa and original music and sound design by Broken Chord.

Anna D. Shapiro, previously announced to stage The Lying Lesson earlier this season, is now unable to direct the production due to scheduling.

Atlantic Theater Company's New York premiere of Rolin Jones' play The Jammer, featuring Patch Darragh, Dan Domingues, Christopher Jackson, Billy EuGene Jones, Keira Naughton, Kate Rigg, Jeanine Serralles, Greg Stuhr and Todd Weeks directed by Jackson Gay, is now playing at Atlantic Stage 2 (330 16th Street).

Photo Credit: Jennifer Broski