Sarah Ruhl's STAGE KISS Begins Previews this Week at Playwrights Horizons

Previews begin this Friday, February 7 for Playwrights Horizons' New York premiere production of Stage Kiss, a new play marking the eagerly-anticipated return to PH of two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee Sarah Ruhl (Dead Man's Cell Phone at PH; The Clean House, In the Next Room..., Eurydice).

Directed by Rebecca Taichman (Milk Like Sugar at PH; Marie Antoinette, Ms. Ruhl's Orlando, The Scene, Luck of the Irish), the production has an Opening Night set for Sunday, March 2 at 7PM. It will play a limited engagement through Sunday evening, March 23 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

Stage Kiss marks the return of both Ms. Ruhl and Ms. Taichman to Playwrights Horizons and reunites the pair following their collaboration on the New York premiere of Orlando at CSC in 2010.

The cast features Todd Almond (Public Works' The Tempest, People Are Wrong!, composer/lyricist of On the Levee), Clea Alsip (L(y)RE), Michael Cyril Creighton (The Vietnamization of NJ, Blood Play, WGA winner for "Jack in a Box"), SAG Award nominee Dominic Fumusa (Ms. Ruhl's Passion Play, Tape, Take Me Out, [sic], Kevin Peyton on "Nurse Jackie"), Emma Galvin (Lidless, Our Town, Blood Play), Tony Award nominee Jessica Hecht (Lobster Alice and Plunge at PH, The Assembled Parties, A View from the Bridge, Harvey, The Last Night of Ballyhoo), Tony Award nominee Daniel Jenkins (Big, Big River, Golden Boy, Billy Elliot, Mary Poppins, Angels in America) and Patrick Kerr (The Ritz, Endgame, The Warrior Ant, Jeffrey, The Devils).

Art imitates Life. Life imitates Art. When two actors with a history (Ms. Hecht and Mr. Fumusa) are thrown together as romantic leads in a forgotten 1930s melodrama, they quickly lose touch with reality as the story onstage follows them offstage. Sarah Ruhl's singular voice returns to Playwrights Horizons with Stage Kiss, a charming tale about what happens when lovers share a Stage Kiss - or when actors share a real one.

The production features scenic design by Obie Award winner Neil Patel, costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Peter Kaczorowski and sound design by Matt Hubbs. Original music is by Todd Almond, choreography is by Sam Pinkleton and wig and hair design is by Tom Watson. Production Stage Manager is Cole P. Bonenberger.

Stage Kiss had its World Premiere at The Goodman Theatre in Chicago in May 2011. Writing on that premiere, Steven Oxman of Variety called it, "Wickedly clever, with breezily elegant dialogue and Ruhl's pleasingly loopy logic." John Lahr in The New Yorker called it among the Best Theater of that year

The performance schedule for Stage Kiss will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 PM & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM. The Thursday, February 20 evening performance has a 7PM curtain to accommodate the special performance and party for Playwrights Horizons 30&Under members. Additionally, the Tuesday, February 25 evening performance has an 8PM curtain and the Sunday, March 2 matinee has a 2PM curtain.

Single tickets, $75-95, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) and in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

For the new ticketing program FIRST ROW SUNDAYS, Playwrights Horizons makes available front row tickets for all Sunday evening performances. Tickets, $25 each, will be available for those age 30 years and younger and can be purchased in advance online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues). Tickets are limited to one per customer and are subject to availability. Purchased tickets for FIRST ROW SUNDAYS can be picked up one hour before curtain on the day of the performance, with proof of age required at the door.

Also reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $25 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. Cash only.

FIRST ROW SUNDAYS and HOTtix are two of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. This program is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, McGraw Hill Financial and an Anonymous Individual Donor.

A special open captioned performance of Stage Kiss for theatergoers who are deaf and hard of hearing will be held on the Saturday, February 22 matinee at 2:30 PM. Funding for this program is provided, in part, by the Theodore H. Barth Foundation, and TDF and TAP Plus, which is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

How to order tickets for the open captioned performance:
Online: log on to www.TicketCentral.com
Phone: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 421-1220
TTY: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 662-1220

In addition, special Post-Performance Discussions with members of the creative team will take place immediately after the following three performances: Wednesday evening, February 19 at 7PM; Sunday matinee, February 23 at 2:30 PM; and Friday evening, March 7 at 8PM.

Following Stage Kiss, the Playwrights Horizons' 2013/2014 Season will continue with YOUR MOTHER'S COPY OF THE KAMA SUTRA, the World Premiere of a new play by Kirk Lynn, directed by Anne Kauffman (March 28-May 11); and conclude with the New York premiere of FLY BY NIGHT: A NEW MUSICAL, conceived by Kim Rosenstock, written by Will Connolly, Michael Mitnick and Ms. Rosenstock, directed by Carolyn Cantor (May 16-June 29).

Two ticket packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2013/2014 season are still available: FlexPass (4+ tickets, $45-50 per ticket); and Membership ($55 membership fee + one ticket at $40 or less for any or all shows, as desired). In addition to discounts on all season productions, 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.

Patron Program Memberships begin at $1,500 (all but $550 is tax-deductible) and include two house seats to all Playwrights Horizons productions, reserved only for Patrons, as well as a variety of exclusive benefits including invitations to attend special events with artists, staff and board members.

Stage Kiss has received generous support from the Tobin Theatre Arts Fund, the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation and the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater.