A CHARITY CASE Comes To The Clurman Theater, Opens 11/2

A CHARITY CASE, a new play about adoption by Australian playwright and director Wendy Beckett, will open Wednesday, November 2nd at the Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street - between 9th and 10th Avenues). The play, which is also directed by Ms. Beckett, begins previews Friday, October 28th. Initial casting includes the award-winning actress Alysia Reiner (Sideways). Additional casting is soon to be announced. The play is produced by Peter Walters for Pascal Productions. A CHARITY CASE is third in a series of Ms. Beckett's plays that Pascal Productions will produce in New York. 

A CHARITY CASE examines the adoption triangle between a birth mother, the relinquishing mother and a 17 year-old daughter. Our most sacred of relationships is the one we have with our mothers and the journey is blessed, cursed, mysterious and tender. When a child is adopted, a whole layer of complexity is added to that relationship. In A CHARITY CASE, Wendy Beckett explores this parallel world based on a deep knowledge of the subject, having both been an adopted child and having adopted a child of her own. Though the play is not autobiographical, Beckett's writing displays a true understanding of this complex relationship.

Scenic design is by David L Arsenault, with lighting design by Travis McHale and costume design by Theresa Squire.

Writer and director Wendy Beckett has written more than 25 plays (all staged) and directed more than 40 in England, France Scotland Australia and New York. A native of Australia, she has also written radio plays for the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC). She later went on to conduct interviews for ABC with some of the best minds of our time, including Leonard Bernstein, Yehudi Menuhin and Martha Graham. At the early age of 22, she founded her own women's theatre company, ‘Colours Inc' and began bringing to the stage several plays, which toured Australia. Her most notable works include Without Limits-Isadora Duncan, Anais Nin-One of Her Lives, Claudel, Losing My Religion, Love Therapy and Refugees. Her directorial credits include works by Shakespeare, The Cherry Orchard, Waiting For Godot and The Women of James Joyce. Recently, she has directed her own work, For the Love of Alma Mahler at the Sydney Opera House, accompanied by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She has been a university lecturer, author, librettist and journalist. Ms. Beckett's works are collected by The Australian National Library in Canberra.

Alysia Reiner is an award-winning actress who is widely known for her outstanding performance in the film "Sideways". In New York, she has worked at The Public Theatre, The New Group, EST, and Primary Stages. She has worked in many regional productions and has performed at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland and The Royal Court Theatre in London. Television credits include "The Sopranos," "Law & Order," "30 Rock," and "White Collar." Ms. Reiner is a philanthropist who is involved with charities such as The Cancer Support Community, Habitat for Humanity, Our Time Theatre Company, and more.

The playing schedule for A CHARITY CASE is as follows: Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8pm, with matinees on Saturday at 2pm and Sundays at 3PM. Tickets are $35. For tickets call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or visit www.Telecharge.com.

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