Alison Fraser Joins Red Bull Theater's THE WAY OF THE WORLD Tonight

Red Bull Theater today announced that William Congreve's THE WAY OF THE WORLD, directed by Mr. Berger, will feature two time Tony Award nominee Alison Fraser along with Jacob Dresch, Francesca Faridany, Ryan Garbayo, Adam Green, Christopher Innvar, Amelia Pedlow, Robert Petkoff, Liv Rooth, Jeanine Serralles, DIna Thomas, CJ Wilson, Nathan Winkelstein and more. Red Bull Theater's latest Revelation Readings takes place tonight, Monday June 27th, at Lucille Lortel Theatre. Tonight's performance is SOLD OUT, but Standby Tickets may be available at the door.

Do money and marriage mix? The pinnacle of riotous Restoration Comedies, Congreve's play is an unexpectedly moving tale of the trials and tribulations of true love and true riches. Mirabell and Millamant are in love, but in order for them to marry (and more importantly receive Millamant's full dowry), they need the blessing of Millamant's bitter aunt, Lady Wishfort. Unfortunately, Lady Wishfort has other plans for them. Meanwhile, Fainall, is having a secret affair with his wife's best friend, who in turn once had an affair with Mirabell. And that doesn't even describe what the servants are up to! The wonderful ways of the world - greed, duplicity and lechery - are all on delicious display in this timeless comedy.

William Congreve (1670 - 1729), the son of an English army officer stationed in Ireland, was educated at Kilkenny School along with his schoolmate Jonathan Swift, and at Trinity College, Dublin. His first play, The Old Bachelor (1693), was produced with Dryden's support and was widely acclaimed. It was followed by three other comedies: The Double Dealer, Love for Love (heard at Red Bull in 2010), and his masterpiece, The Way of the World (1700). Following its lukewarm reception and wearied by his ongoing battle with the Reverend Jeremy Collier, whose Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage (1698) attacked him personally, Congreve retired from the stage at the age of thirty. He spent the rest of his life in the company of Swift, Steele, and Pope, who dedicated his translation of The Iliad to him. He died in a carriage accident on a journey to Bath.

The final Revelation Reading will be the sixth annual Short New Play Festival, on Monday, July 25th (7:30 pm) at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, featuring brand new plays by Lisa D'Amour and more, directed by Evan Yionoulis. Red Bull Theater's annual festival of 10-minute plays of heightened language and classic themes features brand new commissions from D'Amour along with 7 brand new plays chosen from hundreds of submissions from playwrights across the country. Each year, the company selects new works of heightened language and classical themes from today's top established and emerging playwrights. Inspired this year by the theme of scandal, these scribes will conjure wildly diverse tales, catapulting classical theater into the future. Tickets only $20!

Red Bull Theater's OBIE Award-winning Revelation Readings (Monday evenings at 7:30pm) present staged readings of new and rarely performed classic plays from all eras and cultures. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as the cornerstone of our mission, Red Bull Theater is dedicated to the rediscovery and re-investigation of classics from all eras and cultures, and to the development of new plays of heightened language and classical themes. Revelation Readings provides a unique opportunity to hear these plays performed by many of the finest actors in New York.

Tickets for Revelation Readings are $42, with Premium Seats available at $64. Become a Member and get them for as little as $25! (For complete list of Readings and updated cast information, visit www.redbulltheater.com. All artists subject to change.)

Red Bull Theater, hailed as "the city's gutsiest classical theater" by Time Out New York, is the not-profit Off-Broadway theater company specializing in plays of heightened language. With the Jacobean plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries as its cornerstone, Red Bull Theater embraces the imagination of theatergoers through intimate, imaginative productions of great classic stories from all eras and cultures.

Acclaimed as "a dynamic producer of classic plays" by The New York Times, Red Bull Theater has previously staged productions of Pericles, The Revenger's Tragedy, Edward the Second, Women Beware Women, The Duchess of Malfi, The Witch of Edmonton, The Maids, The Dance of Death, Loot, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Volpone,

'Tis Pity She's a Whore, The Changeling, ?and last season's hit production of ?The School for Scandal. The company's work has been hailed as "the most exciting classical theater in New York" (Time Out New York), "Dynamite!" (The New York Times), "Triumphant" (Associated Press), and "Proof that classical theater can still be surprising after hundreds of years" (Variety).

Red Bull Theater's work has been recognized with multiple Callaway, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, Off Broadway Alliance, Drama Desk, and OBIE Award nominations and awards. The company has staged nearly 150 readings through its ongoing OBIE Award-winning Revelation Readings, named by the Village Voice "Best Play Reading Series," and has developed new plays of heightened language and classical adaptations through its Cockpit and In-the-Raw workshop series. Red Bull Theater reaches out to NYC students of all ages through Direct Address education programs teaching Shakespeare in middle schools and offering student matinees. Post-play Bull Session discussions with scholars following selected Sunday matinees and Readings are free and open to the public.

Red Bull Theater offers Master Classes, Classical Acting Intensives and Workshops throughout the year. Taught by top working professionals including Kathleen Chalfant, John Douglas Thompson, Olympia Dukakis, Heidi Griffiths, and Patrick Page, Red Bull Theater's intensives and workshops cover a variety of disciplines, including auditioning, text, voice, movement, clowning, stage combat, and acting Shakespeare. Classes are open to adults at all levels of training or experience. They range from one to six days with limited class sizes to allow one-on-one attention. You can enroll in any combination of classes, or take the whole series for a year-long training experience. Visit www.redbulltheater.com for complete details.

For more information, visit www.redbulltheater.com or call (212) 352-3101.

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