Hector Elizondo, Amy Pietz Lead New Jerusalem, The Interrogation...

Hector Elizondo, Andrea Gabriel, Arye Gross and Amy Pietz join Tony award-winning actor Richard Easton, reprising the role he created in the off-Broadway production, when L.A. Theatre Works presents David Ives' witty drama of ideas, "New Jerusalem, The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656." Five performances will be recorded in front of a live audience, July 13-15 at the Skirball Cultural Center. L.A. Theatre Works' nationally syndicated radio theater series airs locally in Southern California on KPCC 89.3 every Saturday from 10 pm - midnight and can be streamed on demand at www.latw.org.

Focusing on the 1656 interrogation of noted philosopher Baruch De Spinoza by the Jewish community of Amsterdam for his controversial ideas, New Jerusalem examines the clash between religion and modernity that Jews, Christians and Muslims are still struggling to reconcile some 350 years later.

The play follows young philosopher Baruch de Spinoza as he faces excommunication from the Jewish community for his provocative, subversive new ideas. Often called the "absolute philosopher" of the 17th century, Spinoza was a passionate advocate of rationalism, the idea that a man's intellect is superior to his senses. A Portuguese Jew living in Amsterdam, Spinoza's allegedly atheist beliefs not only shocked the Jewish community, but jeopardized their comfortable relationship with the surrounding Dutch society. With his special blend of cerebral language and wry humor, critically-acclaimed playwright David Ives gives Spinoza a chance to defend himself in front of a community of critics in a courtroom clash between religion and rationalism.

The trademark humor of playwright David Ives has made him one of the most renowned contemporary dramatists in America. Best known for his evenings of one-acts, collected as All in the Timing (Vintage Books) and Time Flies (Grove Press), he made headlines with his acclaimed new adaptation of The Liar at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, and enjoyed great success off-Broadway with Venus in Fur (2010). The Washington Post quoted director Walter Bobbie deeming Ives "one of America's great wits" and a writer with "extraordinary range and intellectual muscle."

For three decades, L.A. Theatre Works has been the leading radio theater company in the United States, committed to using innovative technologies to preserve and promote significant works of dramatic literature and bringing live theater into the homes of millions. L.A. Theatre Works' radio theater series can be heard locally in Southern California on Saturday from 10pm to midnight on KPCC 89.3 FM, and can also be streamed on demand at www.latw.org/. The series can also be heard on the following stations (check local listings for broadcast times): 89.7 WGBH, Boston; 91.5 FM WBEZ, Chicago; 94.9 KUOW, Seattle; 90.1 WABE, Atlanta; 94.1 KPFA, Berkeley; 91.1 KRCB, North Bay (San Francisco); and in over 100 markets nationwide.

Performances of New Jerusalem take place on Wednesday, July 13 @ 8 pm; Thursday, July 14 @ 2:30 pm & 8 pm; and Friday, July 15 @ 2:30 pm & 8 pm. (There will be no performances on Saturday, July 16 or Sunday, July 17 due to the closure of the 405 freeway.) Tickets range from $20.00 to $49.00. L.A. Theatre Works at the Skirball Cultural Center is located at 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd, off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Santa Monica Mountains (exit Skirball Center Drive). For tickets and information, call the L.A. Theatre Works box office at (310) 827-0889 or go to www.latw.org.

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