THE BENCH, A HOMELESS LOVE STORY Comes to The East Village Playhouse

The Off-Broadway hit show, The Bench starring Robert Galinsky, directed by Jay O. Sanders, will extend its sold-out run for a third time. After a successful run at the Cherry Lane Theatre and ten sold-out weeks at The East Village Playhouse (340East 6th Street), The Bench will continue an open-ended run, playing Friday evenings at a new time at 7pm beginning May 4, each show is followed by a unique talk-back.Tickets are $29 - $39 and can be purchased by visiting TheBenchPlay.com or by calling 866-811-4111.

Based on true stories, The Bench, set in urban decay and rubble, explores the emotional heartbreak of five homeless characters and the catastrophic hysteria surrounding AIDS in the 1980's.

Audiences have the option of staying for the show's unique post-show event, features a conversation with the star/ writer of The Bench, Robert Galinsky ANDthe characters in the show. Audiences members have said "As if the show itself isn't mind-blowing enough, Galinsky brings the characters back on stage to take questions from the audience, after the performance. It's thoughtful, provocative, raucous and a redefines what a "Talk Back" is!" Janet Collins

"After seeing this show, I can never look at another homeless person again and not think of what their story is. The Bench should tour and be shown in universities and colleges." Presenter Chris Noth

"It is all there. Sadness, confusion, joy, rage. Galinsky steps into the characters and you feel the bizarre levels underneath. Galinsky does it. He embraces it. He accomplishes it." Director Jay O. Sanders

The East Village Playhouse is located at 340 East 6th Street. Tickets are $29 - $39 and can be purchased by visiting TheBenchPlay.com or calling Ovation Tix/866-811-4111. For more info on The Bench visit TheBenchPlay.com and for Robert Galinsky visit www.galinskyplace.com. Art work/ set design by Daphne Arthur.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS
BackStage Magazine has called Robert Galinsky's acting "extraordinary & effortless" while High Times Magazine says Galinsky is "manic, deadpan & takes aim with psychotic precision." Galinsky is a contributing editor to The Fresh Toast, is Head Speaker Coach for TEDxTeen, TEDxFultonStreet, and teaches writing and performance at Rikers Island Jail, through the non-profit Literacy for Incarcerated Teens and GalinskyCoaching.com. His work as an artist activist has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and on "The VIEW," NPR, "ABC Nightline News" and many media outlets. More at www.galinskyplace.com.

Jay O. Sanders (Director) most recently appeared at The Public Theater in a trilogy of new plays written and directed by Richard Nelson called The Gabriels; Election Year in the Life of One Family, with a company including his wife, Maryann Plunkett. The productions then toured the world, were filmed by WNET, and livestreamed on BroadwayHD. Recent television includes "Sneaky Pete," "True Detective," "Blindspot," "The Good Wife," "American Odyssey," and "Person of Interest". His voice can be frequently heard narrating a long list of PBS documentaries, from WGBH's NOVA to WNET's "Secrets of the Dead".