Tickets Now on Sale for Sarah Ruhl's STAGE KISS at Playwrights Horizons

Tickets are now on sale to the general public and rehearsals begin this Friday, January 10 for Playwrights Horizons' (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) New York premiere production of STAGE KISS, a new play marking the eagerly-anticipated return of two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl (Dead Man's Cell Phone at PH; The Clean House, In the Next Room..., Eurydice) to the theater company. Directed by Rebecca Taichman (Milk Like Sugar at PH; Marie Antoinette, Orlando, The Scene, Luck of the Irish), the production will begin previews Friday evening, February 7 at 8PM with an Opening Night set for Sunday, March 2 at 7PM. The limited engagement will play 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 will feature 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 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 (Ms. Hecht and Mr. Fumusa) with a history 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 and choreography is by Sam Pinkleton. 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 and the Tuesday, February 25 evening performance has an 8PM 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).

A ticketing initiative created as part of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes available $5 tickets for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for STAGE KISS will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday, February 7 at 8PM. Details for the lottery are as follows: beginning Wednesday, January 29 at 10AM, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Monday, February 3 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Tuesday, February 4 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email to a limited standby list starting at 12 Noon on Wednesday, February 5 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. A limited number of tickets will be available for Mainstage shows via the lottery.

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.

LIVEforFIVE, FIRST ROW SUNDAYS and HOTtix are three 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 event with Sarah Ruhl will be held at the Drama Book Shop (250 West 40th Street) on Thursday, February 13 at 6:30 PM. Featuring Ms. Ruhl discussing her work with Playwrights Horizons' Adam Greenfield, Director of New Play Development, the event is free. Reservations are required and may be made online at www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org or by calling (212) 564-1235 x3154.