STAGE TUBE: Interview with Brooke Bloom and Ryan King of LUNGS - Opens Tonight!

Barrington Stage Company will present the New England premiere of British playwright's Duncan Macmillan's acclaimed new drama Lungs. Lungs opens the newly named St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) from May 23 through June 10, and the press opening is Sunday, May 27 at 3pm. St. Germain Stage is located on the upper level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

Click below to watch an interview with actors Brooke Bloom and Ryan King.

Directed by Aaron Posner (BSC's My Name Is Asher Lev), Lungs stars Brooke Bloom and Ryan King in their Barrington Stage debuts.

"We are thrilled to introduce Duncan Macmillian to our Berkshire audiences," said Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "He is one of the most original voices in theatre today, and we are excited to have his new work, Lungs, directed by Aaron Posner, a superb talent who directed last season's Asher Lev."

Lungs tells the story of a young couple contemplating having a child in a world of global anxiety and political unrest. If they overthink it, they'll never do it. But if they rush, it could be a disaster. What will be the first to destruct – the planet or the relationship?

Lungs received a world premiere at Washington, D.C.'s Studio Theatre in September 2011, where it inaugurated their Studio Lab series. Under the direction of Aaron Posner, The Washington Post called it "smart and stimulating." The Helen Hayes Awards recently nominated Lungs for a Charles MacArthur Award for Best New Play or Musical.

Lungs is sponsored by Spice Dragon.

Duncan Macmillan (Playwright) is a multi-award winning writer and director. His plays include Platform (Old Vic Tunnels); Monster (Manchester Royal Exchange/Manchester International Festival); The Most Humane Way to Kill A Lobster (Theatre 503); Sleeve Notes (various); This One's for you, Hula Girl (Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays); I Wish To Apologise For My Part In The Apocalypse; So Say All of Us; and Family Tree (all BBC Radio 4). He has served as the Writer-in-Residence at Paines Plough and the Royal Exchange, and has completed attachments at The National Theatre and the Royal Court/BBC. Macmillan is a member of the Old Vic New Voices Company and a fellow of the TS Eliot UK/US Exchange, as part of which his play Skyscraper was performed at The Public Theater in New York.

Brooke Bloom (W) BSC debut. Recent theatre credits include Lungs (world premiere, Studio Theatre), Completeness (South Coast Rep) and Becky Shaw (The Wilma Theatre), for which she won a Barrymore Award. Other recent theatre credits: Hamlet (South Coast Rep) and A Feminine Ending (Portland Center Stage). Recent film credits: He's Just Not That Into You, Gabi on the Roof in July, Ceremony, The Normals and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. Ms. Bloom has appeared in several television pilots for NBC and Fox, had recent guest appearances on "Law and Order," "In Plain Sight" and "The Good Wife," and a recurring role on "CSI: Miami." She is a member of The Antaeus Company in Los Angeles, CA.

Ryan King (M) BSC debut. New York: Goodbye New York, Goodbye Heart (HERE), Rescue Me: A Postmodern Classic with Snacks (Ohio Theater), Deathbed (McGinn-Cazale), Eurydice (Second Stage), The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow (Atlantic Theater Co.), Mountains in the Bering (EST), God's Waiting Room (P.S. 122), Defiance (Manhattan Theater Club), Blood Potato (BE Company), End of Lines (59 East 59th), Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo (Lark Theater). International: Three Children (Hong Kong). Regional: Lungs (world premiere, Studio Theatre), Dying City (Hartford Stage), Master Class (Papermill Playhouse), 33 Variations (La Jolla Playhouse), Yale Repertory Theater, New York Stage and Film, and six summers at the O'Neill Theater Conference. Film and TV: "Law and Order: Criminal Intent," "Guiding Light," "Black Sea." Education: MFA Yale School of Drama.

Aaron Posner (Director) At BSC: My Name Is Asher Lev. Aaron is a Helen Hayes and Barrymore Award-winning director and playwright. His adaptations include Chaim Potok's The Chosen and My Name Is Asher Lev, Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion, Mark Twain's A Murder, A Mystery & A Marriage and more. He was the founding Artistic Director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre and has directed at major regional theatres including the Folger Theatre, Seattle Rep, Milwaukee Rep, The Alliance, Actor's Theatre of Louisville, Cal Shakes and many others. He was raised in Eugene, Oregon, attended Northwestern University, is an Eisenhower Fellow, and now lives in Maryland with his wife and daughter.

Performances of Lungs will take place at Barrington Stage Company's St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) located on the upper level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, from May 23 through June 10. The performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, and Sunday at 3pm. There is an additional performance on Thursday, June 7 at 3pm. Please note the Saturday evening performance on May 26 is at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15-$39; with preview prices of $15 on May 23 & 24. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org. The Box Office is located at 30 Union Street.

Join us for CONVERSATIONS WITH…The Actor at the Center with BSC Artistic Director Julianne Boyd and the cast of Lungs. Friday, May 25 at 4:30pm at the St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2), 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Join Brooke Bloom and Ryan King to discuss the process of bringing to life their characters in this actor-centric production. Free (reservations recommended).

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