Trudie Styler to Lead Culture Project's THE SEAGULL; Full Cast Announced

Thomas Kilroy's version of The Seagull is a reappraisal of Chekhov's first great comedy, a story of a distinguished actress and her passionate lonely son. Trudie Styler will play that actress under the direction of Max Stafford Clark.

Set in late 19th century Ireland during the time of the National Land League, a political movement advocating for poor tenant farmers, Thomas Kilroy unearths fascinating parallels to the shifts in Russian society that inform Chekhov's original. This acclaimed adaptation illuminates the play's universal themes while revealing new social and political angles.

Featured in this stellar cast, along with Ms Styler are Rufus Collins, Alan Cox, Stella Feehily, Slate Holmgren, Rachel Spencer Hewitt, Ryan David O'Byrne, Amanda Quaid, Tim Ruddy and Kenneth Ryan.

Previews begin Thursday, October 3rd and continue thru October 12th. Opening night is Sunday October 13th.

The Seagull will perform Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesday thru Saturday at 8pm with matinees on Saturday and Sunday at 3pm at the Lynn Redgrave Theater at the Culture Project, 45 Bleecker Street (at Lafayette Street). Tickets are $75 and Student Tickets are $25.

The Seagull has a scenic design by Peter Hartwell with costume design by Ilona Somogyi and lighting by William Hansen.

Called the "leading catalyst of British theatre's new writing and new talent since the mid-1970's,"Max Stafford Clark commissioned and directed the original production of The Seagull at the Royal Court in 1981. He founded Joint Stock Theatre group in 1974 where he helped develop seminal works by writers including David Hare, Howard Brenton, and Caryl Churchill. From 1979 to 1993 he was the Artistic Director of The Royal Court. In 1993 he founded the touring company, Out of Joint, which he still runs. In New York, he has worked for Joseph Papp's Public Theater, the Roundabout Theatre Company, Manhattan Theatre Club and New York Theatre Workshop.

Thomas Kilroy is one of Ireland's most distinguished playwrights, with 13 stage plays to his credit, most of which have premiered at The Abbey Theatre, Dublin. He co-founded (with Brian Friel, Stephen Rea and Tom Paulin) the touring theatre company Field Day. His plays include The Death and Resurrection of Mr. Roche, The Shape of Metal and The O'Neill and his adaptations in addition to The Seagull include Ibsen's Ghosts and Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author. His 1971 novel, The Big Chapel, was short-listed for the Booker Prize and was awarded the Guardian Fiction Prize. His other awards include the Heinemann Award for Literature, The Aib Literary Prize and the American-Irish Foundation Award for Literature and the Rockefeller Foundation Residency.

Trudie Styler is an actress, film producer, director, human rights activist, environmentalist, organic farmer, and Unicef Ambassador. In 1989, along with her husband Sting, Trudie started the Rainforest Foundation, and has raised over $30,000,000 for its work over three continents. Trudie's acting career began with the Royal Shakespeare Company after studying drama at Bristol Old Vic. She made regular appearances on British television during the 1980s as well as in many film roles. Acting credits include the ABC series EMPIRE, and the highly acclaimed BBC series LOVE SOUP. Film roles include CHEEKY; ALPHA MALE; and THE NEXT THREE DAYS. As a producer her work has been widely acclaimed, from the IDA award-winning MOVING THE MOUNTAIN in 1994, to award-winning documentary THE SWEATBOX which she co-directed, and a BAFTA nomination in 2009 for MOON. In 2011, Styler returned to the stage in London's West End for A Dish of Tea with Doctor Johnson, also directed by Max Stafford-Clark. Trudie's film releases since starting Maven Pictures in 2011 include GIRL MOST LIKELY starring Kristen Wiig, FILTH starring James McAvoy, and BLACK NATIVITY starring Forest Whitaker.

Culture Project was founded by Allan Buchman in 1996. It has premiered celebrated shows including The Exonorated, Sarah Jones' Bridge and Tunnel, Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom, Lawrence Wright's My Trip to Al-Qaeda, Tings Dey Happen and the Lucille Lortel Award- winning premiere of George Packer's Betrayed. Culture Project also produced "Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum", a groundbreaking concert at the United Nations to commemorate the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. In 2012, Culture Project celebrated its return to the theaters at 45 Bleecker Street. Since then, productions have included James X, directed by Gabriel Byrne, the revival of Rinde Eckert's acclaimed And God Created Great Whales, Shaheed: The Dream and Death of Benazir Bhutto, along with the 10th anniversary remount of The Exonerated.

Photo by Walter McBride