Alison Fraser to Lead Off-Broadway's LOVE THERAPY

Wendy Beckett's new play, Love Therapy will open at the DR2 Theatre (101 East 15th Street) on Monday, April 29th. Directed by Evan Bergman, Love Therapy is the fourth in a series of ten of Ms. Beckett's plays that will be brought across the pacific from Australia by Pascal Productions. Previews begin on Saturday, April 20th at 8PM. For tickets, please visit Telecharge.com or call (212) 239-6200.

LOVE THERAPY is a play about a young therapist who finds herself out of her depth when intimacy, attraction and passion collide with the healing process.

Featured in the cast are: David Bishins, Christopher Burns, Alison Fraser, Margot White and Janet Zarish.

Wendy Beckett (playwright) 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 and her work and plays are collected by The Australian National Library in Canberra.

Evan Bergman (Director) most recently directed the New York premiere of Jack Canfora's Poetic License at 59E59 featuring Geraint Wyn Davies. Other credits include Off Broadway's long running New York and Los Angeles productions of The Director starring John Shea, The New York premiere of The Glass House at Theater Row with Harris Yulin (Three IT Award nominations) and The Tangled Skirt by Steve Braunstein (Nominated for 2011 EDGAR Award-Best Mystery/Thriller). Mr. Bergman will direct the New York premiere of Jack Canfora's NNPN award winning play Jericho next fall.

Alison Fraser created the role of Faith in the American premiere of Ms. Beckett's A Charity Case. She is a two-time Tony Award nominee for her role as Martha in The Secret Garden and as Josefine in Romance/Romance. She received the first ever Barrymore Award for her portrayal of The Blonde in The Wilma Theatre's production of Gunmetal Blues. Other Broadway roles include, Tessie Tura in Arthur Laurents' Gypsy starring Patti LuPone, Dorine in Tartuffe; Born Again, and Helena in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Recently, Ms. Fraser created the role of The Matron (opposite Shirley Knight) in the world premiere of Tennessee Williams's last play In Masks Outrageous and Austere, Arsinoë in the world premiere of David Ives's The School for Lies directed by Walter Bobbie at Classic Stage Company and Sister Walburga in the world premiere of Charles Busch's Off Broadway hit The Divine Sister. She was a member of the company of Love, Loss and What I Wore. She co-starred with Shirley Knight in the world premiere of Mr. Laurents' Come Back, Come Back, Wherever You Are at the George St. Playhouse, where she has also appeared in Lend Me A Tenor, Lips Together Teeth Apart, and Gunmetal Blues. Other Off Broadway roles Ms. Fraser has created include, Jessie in Terrence McNally's Dedication, or the Stuff of Dreams, Trina in March of the Falsettos and In Trousers, Miss Drumgoole in Up Against It, Uta in The Green Heart, and Connie, Brenda, and Petula in Beehive. Ms. Fraser has performed her one-woman show, A Tennessee Williams Songbook, at many venues in the past year, and will soon be at the New Orleans Tennessee Williams Festival with the show.

The playing schedule for Love Therapy is as follows: Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8PM, with matinees on Saturday at 2PM and Sunday at 3PM. Tickets are $45 and are available by visiting telecharge.com or calling (212) 239-6200