Terrorism Begins Off-Broadway Previews on May 9

In a first-time co-production, The New Group and The Play Company are pleased to present the American premiere of Terrorism. Written by the Presnyakov Brothers and directed by Will Frears, Terrorism will play a limited Off-Broadway engagement Monday, May 9th through Sunday, June 26th at The Clurman Theater/Theatre Row. Official Opening Night is set for Monday, May 23rd @ 8 PM.

Terrorism, written by Siberian brothers Vladimir and Oleg Presnyakov, was originally produced at the Moscow Arts Theatre in November 2002. It was subsequently translated by Sasha Dugdale and produced in 2003 by the Royal Court in London and has enjoyed productions throughout Europe. In six interconnected scenes, the play takes a startlingly humorous look at a society in which an imminent threat looms on The Edges of everyday life.

Directed by Will Frears, Terrorism features Adam Alexi-Malle (B'way: Titanic; Other stage credits: Sakharam Binder/The Play Company, Goose-Pimples/The New Group, Measure for Measure/Shakespeare Project), Alex Draper (Off-B'way: Golden Boy, Waiting for Lefty, The Seagull, Oedipus, Scapin, The Triumph of Love; Regional: Three Days of Rain/Westport, Rocket to the Moon & La Ronde/Williamstown, Arcadia/Arena Stage, Three Sisters/McCarter; Film: Hysterical Blindness, Simply Irresistible, The Photographer), Laura Esterman (B'way: The Show Off, The Suicide, Metamorphosis, I.B. Singer's Teibele and Her Demon; Off B'way: Marvin's Room/Playwrights Horizons - Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk & Obie Awards, Cranes & Curtains/The New Group, Two Rooms/Signature, Good As New/MCC, A Midsummer Night's Dream/BAM), Anna George (Off-B'way: Sakharam Binder/The Play Company, It Takes Ovaries, Dust, Adoring Gertie), Darren Goldstein (Off-B'way: Intimate Apparel, St. Crispin's Day), Daniel Oreskes (B'way: Aida, Electra; Off-B'way: Roar/The New Group, Henry V/NYSF, Romola and Nijinkski/Primary Stages, The Fourth Sister/Vineyard, Quills/NYTW; Regional: Tartuffe/NJSF, Richard III/Hartford Stage, The Skin of Our Teeth/Goodman), Elizabeth Marvel (B'way: An American Daughter, Taking Sides, The Seagull; Off-B'way: Ivo van Hove's Hedda Gabler, Henry V, King Lear, Troilus & Cressida, Silence, Cunning, Exile; Regional: Arts & Leisure/Playwrights, As You Like It & The Rover/Guthrie; What the Butler Saw & Touch of the Poet/American Rep), Lola Pashalinski (Off-B'way: Gertrude & Alice/Signature, Quills/NYTW, Highest Standard of Living/Playwrights; The Skin of Our Teeth & A Dybbuk/NYSF) and R.E. Rodgers (B'way: Any Given Day; Off-B'way: Stonewall Jackson's House/ American Place, Suburbia/Lincoln Center; Regional: Dedication/Williamstown, The Wheat & The Moon/Circle Rep). This production includes set by David Korins, costumes by Sarah Beers, lighting by Marcus Doshi and sound by Bart Fasbender.

The Presynakov Brothers, born in Sverdlovsk, Siberia, have taught literary theory and psychology at Gorky Urals State University, where they created the University's Youth Theatre dedicated to producing new and experimental work. They are connected with the new writing project in Russia inspired by the Royal Court and the British Council. Other credits include We Shall Overcome, commissioned by the Royal Court and seen as part of the International Playwrights Season 2002, as well as Playing the Victim seen at the Traverse Theater as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (co- produced with the Royal Court) in 2003.

Director Will Frears' Off-Broadway credits include Omnium Gatherum (Variety Arts), Where We're Born (Rattlestick), Get What You Need (Atlantic 453), Kid Simple (Summer Play Festival). Other New York credits include Naked Angels, Manhattan Theater Club, The New York International Fringe Festival, HB Playwrights Foundation, New Dramatists. Regional credits include The Price (Baltimore Center Stage), The Water's Edge, A Servant of Two Masters (both at Williamstown Theatre Festival), Our Lady of 121st Street (Steppenwolf), Omnium Gatherum (Actor's Theatre of Louisville). Artistic Director, Yale Cabaret 1999 - 2000 season. MFA, Yale School of Drama.

After winning the Tony® Award for last year's Avenue Q, The New Group kicked off its 2004-2005 season with Michael Murphy's Sin (A Cardinal Deposed) directed by Carl Forsman and starring John Cullum. Next up was David Rabe's Hurlyburly, which began performances on January 11. Initially set for a limited eight-week engagement, the production extended in a sold-out run through March 19 at Theatre Row's Acorn Theater and is currently enjoying a 12-week limited Off-Broadway engagement in its commercial transfer to 37 Arts. This season also marked the debut of a second production division of the company, The New Group (naked). Last year, the company presented an extended run of Wallace Shawn's Aunt Dan and Lemon directed by Scott Elliott and starring Kristen Johnston and Lili Taylor (Obie) and the world premiere of Roar by Betty Shamieh, directed by Marion McClinton. The New Group is a theatre-in-residence at Theatre Row.

The Play Company is an interNational Theatre for new writing that develops and produces adventurous new plays by writers from all over the world including the U.S. The Play Company's work links American theatre with world theatre, American artists with the global community of artists, and American audiences with a whole world of plays. Recent productions include the American premiere of Vijay Tendulkar's Sakharam Binder directed by Maria Mileaf, Gary Mitchell's Trust directed by Erica Schmidt, the world premiere of Brooke Berman's Smashing directed by Trip Cullmann and the American premiere of Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt's Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Koran directed by Ms. Mileaf. The company was launched in 1999 by Kate Loewald, Jack Temchin and Mike Ockrent.

Terrorism will play as follows at The New Group @ Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street between 9th & 10th Avenues): Monday – Saturday @ 8 PM with Saturday matinees @ 2 PM. There will be no performance on Monday, June 13 or Monday, June 20. Additional performances are scheduled for Sunday, June 19 & Sunday, June 26 @ 3 PM. Tickets are available at www.TicketCentral.com or (212) 279-4200 or the Theatre Row box office (410 West 42nd Street). Tickets are $51.25 (includes $1.25 theatre restoration fee). For more info, check out www.TheNewGroup.org and www.playco.org.