TACT/The Actors Company Announces CHILDREN Post-Show Discussions

TACT/The Actors Company Theatre (Scott Alan Evans, Cynthia Harris and Jenn Thompson, C0-Artistic Directors), the critically-acclaimed company dedicated to presenting neglected or rarely produced plays of literary merit, have announced a series of post performance discussions to follow select performances of its production of Children, by A. R. Gurney. TACT Co-Artistic Director Scott Alan Evans directs.

In the summer of 1970, a wealthy family celebrates the Fourth of July in their ancestral summer home on an island off the coast of New England. When an estranged son unexpectedly arrives, traditions are questioned, secrets revealed and the course of the future changes for them all. Loosely based on a short story by John Cheever, this early work crackles with witty repartee, repressed feelings and everything we've come to expect from this preeminent chronicler of the American WASP.

In addition to regularly scheduled talk-backs with the director and cast following every Sunday 2pm matinee performance of Children, the company will present a unique talkback series with a panel of experts who will discuss the various themes addressed in the play. The series is as follows:

Friday, November 4 (Following the 8:00pm performance)
PREPPY FASHION
Fashion statements come and go, but there is one look which will never leave us high and dry: the classic American silhouette. Come join us as we talk with Ann Weiser, former Senior Creative Director for Showtime Networks, and VP/Creative Director at Lifetime Television, scholar in Design Criticism, and blogger of The Style of Elements; and Giuseppe Timore, whose search for a cure to the current epidemic of "Eternal Teen-Ager Syndrome" led him to start a wildly popular blog, An Affordable Wardrobe, as they investigate the phenomenon surrounding "Preppy" fashion.

Saturday, November 5 (Following the 2:00pm performance)
WOMEN IN THE 70'S
The women's movement in America was mocked in the 1960's as silly and irrelevant by both politicians and news commentators alike, but in the summer of 1970, the New York City march of the nation-wide Women's Strike for Equality, took that smirk off of America's face and gave women a political voice. Join director Scott Alan Evans; Karen Weisberg, former Treasurer of NY state for "NOW"; Sarah Hall Sternglanz, PhD., a developmental psychologist and former Undergraduate Director of the Women's and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University; and scholar Nancee Moes as they discuss the women's movement of the seventies and today.

Friday, November 11 (Following the 8:00pm performance)
MEET PETE
Join TACT Artistic Director, Scott Alan Evans, and playwright A.R. Gurney, whom Romulus Linney proclaimed America's "boldest and most adventurous" for an in-depth discussion about his career, John Cheever, and the world of Gurney's play, Children.

Every Sunday Afternoon (Following the 2:00pm performance)
TALK TO TACT
Plays always have some kind of agenda - and playwright's weave these agendas deep inside the text and conversation of their characters; why? So that TACT can help you decode the hidden messages. Please join us for an informal discussion with the cast and the director immediately following every 2:00pm Sunday matinee.

The talk backs are free with the purchase of a ticket to Children. For those who have already seen the show but would like to attend one of these events, please call the TACT office at (212)645-8228 to make a reservation. Seating is limited and subject to availability. Programs and dates subject to change without notice. All speakers appearing are subject to availability.

Performances of Children began at The Beckett Theatre (410West 42nd Street - between 9th & 10th Avenues) on Tuesday, October 18th, 2011. Opening night is Thursday, October 27th at 8:00 pm. Performances will continue through Sunday, November 20th.

Children will have the following performance schedule: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8:00pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm; Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are $36.25 during previews and $56.25 after opening and are available 24/7 through Ticket Central www.ticketcentral.com or from 12 - 8:00pm daily at 212-279-4200.

They may also be obtained at the Theatre Row box office (410 West 42nd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues) between 12pm and 8pm daily.