PLAY DEAD, SLOWGIRL and More to Play Geffen Playhouse in 2013-14

The Geffen Playhouse announces nine plays for the 2013/2014 season: three world premieres/adaptations, three West Coast premieres and two productions of familiar works from Pulitzer or Nobel Prize winning playwrights. The remaining title will be announced shortly. Furthering its mission to introduce audiences to new plays, re-imagined classics and emerging voices, the Geffen's schedule - encouraged by continued growth in ticket sales - is the largest in the 19 year history of the organization.

"Nothing is more crucial to our mission than producing quality plays," says Artistic Director Randall Arney, "I am pleased we are able to announce such a prolific season. With shows of such quality and diversity we attract more artists and audiences alike." Arney, who has served in his position for well over a decade, began when the Geffen Playhouse programmed one theater and five season productions per year. Since its 2005 renovation the Geffen has produced work in two theaters and now plans eight season productions plus a returning holiday show. "It is rewarding work to continue to add to the greater mosaic of artistry throughout the region. I am proud that the Geffen is able to set the table for such a vibrant and exciting theatrical conversation in Los Angeles."

Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies will be represented by two plays in the season - both in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. Taking inspiration from Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, The Country House (June 10-July 20, 2014 opening June 18) a recent Manhattan Theatre Club commission, will enjoy its world premiere in the Cates as the final play in that theater's season. Margulies' Coney Island Christmas (December 3-24, 2013 opening December 4), which premiered in the current season, returns to the Cates bringing a new holiday tradition to the Geffen for a limited three-week run. The Cates season also includes the West Coast premiere of Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn (August 13-September 22, 2013 opening August 21) which gained much acclaim in its New York City debut; Amy Brenneman will be in the cast. A world premiere adaptation of Frederick Knott's suspenseful Wait Until Dark (October 8-November 17, 2013 opening October 16) will follow - helmed by the returning Matt Shakman who previously directed the Geffen's successful West Coast premiere of Tracy Letts' Good People in 2011. The coming calendar year then begins with a new production of Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party (February 4-March 16, 2014 opening February 12) directed by Academy Award winner William Friedkin who was responsible for the filmed adaptation of the same piece over forty years ago. The remaining play (April 8-May 18, 2014 opening April 16) in the Cates season will be announced shortly.

Similar to the Cates selections, the three-play season in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse contains a bit of suspense and some new as well as "returning" work. The West Coast premiere of Teller's Play Dead (November 5-December 15, 2013 opening November 20) will be anything but lifeless as acclaimed performer Todd Robbins wows and terrifies audiences with the creative team's creepy, funny and sometimes gory illusions that blur the line between life, death and resurrection. Artistic Director Randall Arney will helm Greg Pierce's Slowgirl (March 4-April 13, 2014 opening March 12) both at Steppenwolf in Chicago and its West Coast premiere in the Audrey - and will be joined by a team of regular Geffen Playhouse designers. The cast will include William Petersen who, along with Arney, is a Steppenwolf ensemble member. The world premiere of Death of the Author (May 20-June 29, 2014 opening May 28), written by Steven Drukman and directed by Bart DeLorenzo will close the Audrey season with a sharp and intelligent examination of love, identity and art in the post-modern world.

The Geffen Playhouse's exclusive Signature Series enhance the theater going experience at no additional cost to Gil Cates Theater ticket-holders. Talk Back Tuesdays allow patrons to dig deeper into plot, character and themes with a post performance Q & A, Girls Night Out offers guests a festive afterparty with unique diversions sure to delight, Lounge Fridays provide a pre-performance cultural happy hour with complimentary sparkling beverages and Wine Down Sundays showcase complimentary preperformance wine samplings from boutique brands. For series dates and additional info, visit geffenplayhouse.com/signatureseries.

Subscriptions are currently available for renewal to all nine plays in both the Audrey Skirball Kenis and Gil Cates Theaters at the Geffen Playhouse or just a five-play season in the Cates. Prices range between $175 and $613 - all subscription packages include complimentary parking for each pair of subscriptions purchased. New subscribers may also purchase the season based on the availability of their desired series. Single tickets are not yet available.

2013/2014 Geffen Playhouse Season

Rapture, Blister, Burn
Written by Gina Gionfriddo Directed by Peter DuBois
Featuring Amy Brenneman Additional Cast To Be Announced
August 13 - September 22, 2013; Opening August 21, 2013
West Coast Premiere in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

Hailed as a "genius" by Variety, playwright Gina Gionfriddo's West Coast premiere tackles feminism's foibles in what The New York Times called an, "intensely smart and immensely funny," new play. Three generations of women share their raucous and refreshing approaches to navigating work, love and family. Rock star academic Catherine envies her friend Gwen who finds her domestic responsibilities less than satisfying. Meanwhile the witty and wry student Avery wonders whether she has more in common with Catherine's aging mother than any of today's modern feminists. This new comedy takes a sharp look at how women, and men, find happiness and conquer disappointment.

Wait Until Dark
Written by Frederick Knott In a New Adaptation Directed by Matt Shakman
October 8 - November 17, 2013; Opening October 16, 2013
World Premiere Adaptation in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

Don't let the quaint 1960s apartment of Susy and Sam Hendrix fool you; hidden within is a score for which thieves and conmen would kill. Employing disguise and deception, three newly acquainted crooks become all the more desperate and depraved, but must wait until dark to play out this classic thriller's chilling conclusion.

Play Dead
Created by Todd Robbins & Teller
Featuring by Todd Robbins
November 5 - December 15, 2013; Opening November 20, 2013
West Coast Premiere in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

Invite death to come out and play in a creepy creation from Teller and performer/co-creator Todd Robbins who hosts a mesmerizing and terrorizing look at life, death and the horrific wonder between. Weaving together storytelling, illusion and telepathy proves that there is nothing more arousing than unholy resurrection and we're never so alive as when we're scared to death. The stories and events of this production contain some disturbing images, brief moments of nudity and a great deal of fun. Material may be inappropriate for the faint of heart - or those under 18.

Coney Island Christmas
Written by Donald Margulies Based on the short story "The Loudest Voice" by Grace Paley Directed by Bart DeLorenzo
December 3 - December 24, 2013; Opening December 4, 2013

Back by Popular Demand! An Annual Holiday Event in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse "A jewel ... simply hilarious!" - Variety "Incredible enchantment!" - Los Angeles Times Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies weaves together nostalgia, music and merriment in the Geffen Playhouse's new seasonal classic. A holiday show for people of all ages and all faiths, Coney Island Christmas introduces us to Shirley Abramowitz, a young Jewish girl who, much to her immigrant parents' 2013/2014 Geffen Playhouse SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT 4 of 5 exasperation, is cast as Jesus in the school's Christmas pageant. The play captures a timeless and universal tale of what it means to be an American during the holidays and is a perfect tradition to begin with your friends and family.

The Birthday Party
Written by Harold Pinter Directed by William Friedkin
February 4 - March 16, 2014; Opening February 12, 2014
In the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

Academy Award winner William Friedkin directs a new production of Nobel laureate Harold Pinter's most famous and enigmatic work. Two imposing strangers arrive at an English seaside boarding house - disrupting the monotony and disturbing the puzzled Stanley - a former pianist who is out of a job and maybe out of his mind. In celebration of Stanley's birthday, a party is planned but menace arrives and mayhem ensues. Facts twist into half-truths and the night unravels into a mix of the characters' whimsical, eccentric, clownish and ultimately darkest desires. Like seeing through a broken lens or playing an instrument out of tune, this celebrated and darkly comic work mixes the familiar with the strange and the anticipated with the offbeat for an unconventional experience that is anything but expected and nothing but extraordinary.

Slowgirl
Written by Greg Pierce Directed by Randall
Arney Featuring William Petersen Additional Cast To Be Announced
March 4 - April 13, 2014; Opening March 12, 2014
West Coast Premiere in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

When seventeen year-old Becky is shipped-off to her Uncle Sterling's Costa Rican home - a sanctuary to which he escaped many years ago - the two lost souls navigate contrasting philosophies and a maze of regret. Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney returns to his old stomping grounds at Steppenwolf and brings home this intimate and elegant glimpse at two characters seeking forgiveness and finding each other. With sharp humor and authenticity, this West Coast premiere reminds us that escape is easy but redemption is hard.

Death of the Author
Written by Steven Drukman Directed by Bart DeLorenzo
May 20 - June 29, 2014; Opening May 28, 2014
World Premiere in the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

With a world of knowledge just a smart phone away, is there still such a thing as an original idea? When a young professor suspects a student of plagiarism, his inquiry sparks a chain of events affecting the lives of four people in very real terms. Drukman's beautifully drawn characters must navigate heartbreak, blind 2013/2014 Geffen Playhouse SEASON ANNOUNCEMENT 5 of 5 ambition and the cutthroat competition that thrives within these ivy-covered walls. Extending beyond postmodern literature and academic rigors, this smart, funny and engrossing world premiere becomes a personal battle to decide what is right, what is wrong and what must be done.

The Country House
Written by Donald Margulies Directed by Daniel Sullivan
June 10 - July 20, 2014; Opening June 18, 2014
World Premiere in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse

Inspired by The Seagull, Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies updates Anton Checkhov's famed classic in a funny and poignant world premiere directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan. Gathering in their Berkshire home during the Williamstown summer theater season, a family of actors wrestles with fame, art and, as always, each other. But when the events of the weekend go off-script, secrets are spilled and bonds are broken - threatening an already fragile foundation of a home brimming with old memories, new love and discarded dreams. One additional title will be announced shortly.

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