Ally, Archie, Weiss Cast In 2ST's THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director) has announced that Usman Ally, Terence Archie, Desmin Borges, CHRISTIAN LITKE, and Michael T. Weiss (NBC's "The Pretender") will star in the New York premiere of THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY, a new play written by Kristoffer Diaz and directed by Edward Torres. Preview performances begin on Tuesday, April 27 with an opening night set for Thursday, May 20 at 6:30pm. For subscription or ticket information, please call the Second Stage Box Office at 212-246-4422 or visit the company's website, www.2ST.com.

A comic powerslam of a play, THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY is a theatrical event that dares to throw political correctness out of the ring. Macedonio "The Mace" Guerra is a middle rank pro-wrestler who may have discovered his ticket to the big time: a charismatic, trash-talking Indian kid from Brooklyn whom he recruits as the perfect foil to the All-American champion, Chad Deity. But when their rivalry is used to exploit racial stereotypes in the name of ratings, all three men find themselves fighting for much more than the championship title.
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY will feature scenic design by Brian Sidney Bembridge; costumes by Christine Pascual; lighting design by Jesse Klug; sound design by Mikhail Fiskel; and projection design by Peter Nigrini.

ABOUT THE COMPANY
Usman Ally (Vigneshwar Paduar aka "VP") appeared in the Chicago premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity. Other Chicago credits include Relatively Close (Victory Gardens Theater), Arabian Nights and Around the World in 80 Days (Lookingglass Theater), Celebrity Row (American Theatre Company), Tranquility Woods (Steppenwolf First Look), Public Enemy and American Ethnic (Remy Bumppo), and Weapon of Mass Impact (Red Orchid Theater). Regional Credits include A VERY OLD Man With Enormous Wings (Hippodrome Theatre, FL) and Around the World in 80 Days (Centerstage Baltimore and Kansas City Rep). A proud ensemble member of American Theater Company and StageLeft Theatre Company, he received his MFA in Acting (Magna Cum Laude) from the University of Florida after receiving a BA in Theatre and Cultural Anthropology from Lewis and Clark College. Usman is originally from Pakistan, but was born and raised in Southern and Eastern Africa.

Terence Archie (Chad Deity aka "Chad Deity") recently appeared on Broadway in the revival of Ragtime. Other credits include Camelot with the New York Philharmonic, Ellen Craft at the NY Fringe Festival, Romeo and Juliet at Harlem Classical, and Frederick Douglas Free and GWC Peanut Price, both at Urban Stages. He has appeared on television in "Law and Order" and "One Life To Live," among others. He is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts.

Desmin Borges (Macedonio Guerra aka "The Mace") is making his New York stage debut, reprising his role from the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre. His regional credits include Boleros for The Disenchanted (Goodman Theatre), The Crossing and Little Uncertainties (Goodman Theatre Latino Festival), Elliot (A Soldier's Fugue) (Steppenwolf Garage), The Ascension of Carlotta (16th Street Theatre), The Buddy Holly Story (Mercury Theatre), Disney's Aladdin, Pippi Longstocking, the World Premiere of Esperanza Rising (The Children's Theatre Co. in Minneapolis), Freedom NY and La Posada Magica (Teatro Vista), and The Defiant Muse, I Sailed with Magellan. Film and Television credits include: Cherry, Milwaukee, Taco Mary, Viva El Mariachi, Good People, Between Two Suns, Evolution and "True Blood" on HBO. Desmin is an Ensemble Member of Teatro Vista and a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Born and raised in Chicago, CHRISTIAN LITKE ("Billy Heartland") is a professional actor/stuntman appearing in such films as The Dark Knight, Public Enemies, and Death of a President. He is also the host of the WWE's Fan Axxess Tour, Biggest Party of the Summer, and Wrestlemania Axxess. A graduate of Columbia College Chicago's theatre program he has been seen in such stage shows as True West, 3 Penny Opera, and Troilus & Cressida. Christian was in the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre.

Michael T. Weiss (Everett K. Olson aka "E.K.O.") recently appeared in Impressionism (Broadway), Scarcity (Drama Desk nom.; Atlantic Theater), Of Equal Measure (Center Theatre Group), Burn This and Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Huntington Theatre Co.), Look Back in Anger, The Taming of the Shrew. Film: Freeway (Sundance), Jeffrey, Bones, Until the Night, Iowa (Tribeca Film Festival; Midwest FF Best Actor Award), Net Worth, Marmalade. TV: starred in NBC's "The Pretender" portraying more than 50 characters, as well as numerous other series regular and guest star roles.

KRISTOFFER DIAZ's other plays include Welcome to Arroyo's and Guernica, which have been produced and developed at Victory Gardens Theater, American Theatre Company, The Orchard Project, Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, Summer Play Festival, Donmar Warehouse, and South Coast Rep. Diaz also was one of the creators of Brink!, the apprentice anthology show at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays. He is a 2009-2010 Jerome Fellow, and a new playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista.

EDWARD TORRES recently directed the world premiere production of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity for Victory Gardens in association with Teatro Vista. As an actor he was seen in El Grito Del Bronx (Collaboraction Theatre/Goodman Theatre); The Cook (Goodman); and Massacre Sing to Your Children (Teatro Vista/Goodman) and Elliot, A Soldier Fuge (Rivendell Theatre/Steppenwolf). He has a BA in Theatre from Roosevelt University and an MFA in Film from Columbia College (Chicago). Mr. Torres currently serves on the Illinois Arts Council. He has served on the National Endowment for the Arts-Theatre Panel (2005-2007) and on the MAP Fund-Theatre Panel (2008). Directorial credits include: for Teatro Vista, The Show Host, Aurora's Motive (Jaime Pachino), Ambrosio (Romulus Linney); for Latino Chicago: Do Cocks Have Claws and Wings to Fly (Amparo Garcia) and Lolita De Lares (Migdalia Cruz). Mr. Torres has produced over 25 plays as Artistic Director of Teatro Vista over the last 12 years.

ABOUT Second Stage Theatre

Founded in 1979 under the leadership of Artistic Director Carole Rothman, Second Stage Theatre produces a diverse range of premieres and new interpretations of America's best contemporary theatre, including Tiny Alice and Peter and Jerry by Edward Albee; The Good Times Are Killing Me by Lynda Barry; The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane; Little Murders by Jules Feiffer; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee by William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin; A Soldier's Play by Charles Fuller; Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits by Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy; Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo; Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances by Tina Howe; Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants and On the Stem by Ricky Jay; Next to Normal by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey; Living Out by Lisa Loomer; This Is Our Youth and The Waverly Gallery by Kenneth Lonergan; Some Men by Terrence McNally; eurydice by Sarah Ruhl; Everyday Rapture by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott; Let Me Down Easy by Anna Deavere Smith; Saturday Night by Stephen Sondheim; Crowns by ReGina Taylor; Uncommon Women and Others by Wendy Wasserstein; Spoils of War by Michael Weller; Before It Hits Home, Jar the Floor and Birdie Blue by Cheryl L. West; Jitney by August Wilson; Lemon Sky, Serenading Louie and Sympathetic Magic by Lanford Wilson; and Metamorphoses and The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci by Mary Zimmerman. The company's more than 125 citations include the 2009 Tony Awards for Best Score, Best Orchestrations, and Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley) for Next to Normal, the 2007 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play (Julie White, The Little Dog Laughed), 2005 Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Rachel Sheinkin, ...Spelling Bee) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Dan Fogler, ...Spelling Bee), 2002 Tony Award for Best Director of a Play (Mary Zimmerman for Metamorphoses), the 2002 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work, 23 Obie Awards, four Outer Critics Circle Awards, two Clarence Derwent Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, five Theatre World Awards, 11 Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama Critics Circle Award and 15 AUDELCO Awards.

In 1999, Second Stage Theatre opened its state-of-the-art, 296-seat theatre, designed by renowned Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas. In 2002, Second Stage launched "Second Stage Theatre Uptown" series to showcase the work of up and coming artists at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre. The Theatre supports artists through several programs that include residencies, fellowships and commissions, and engages students and community members through education and outreach programs.

Second Stage Theatre AT THE Helen Hayes

Second Stage Theatre has acquired the right to purchase the historic Helen Hayes Theatre, located at 240 W. 44th Street. With this new home, Second Stage will be the only theatre company on Broadway dedicated exclusively to the development and presentation of contemporary American theatrical productions. Second Stage will also become one of only four non-profit theatre companies that own and operate theatres on Broadway. The company will continue to lease and operate their original theatres on the city's Upper West Side and in Midtown Manhattan.

THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY will be performed through Sunday, June 20 on the following schedule: Tuesday at 7pm, Wednesday - Saturday at 8pm, Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm.

The following exceptions will be made to the regular performance schedule:

Wednesday, April 28 - no 2pm performance
Sunday, May 2 - 2pm and 7pm performances
Monday, May 17 - 8pm performance
Friday, May 21 - no performance
Wednesday, May 26 - 7pm performance
Thursday, May 27 - 7pm performance
Friday, May 28 - 7pm performance

Tickets are $70 and may be purchased by phoning 212-246-4422 or 800-766-6048 or online at www.2ST.com.

$30 UNDER 30 YOUTH ADVANCE TICKETS AVAILABLE - patrons age 30 and under may purchase a limited number of specially-priced $30 tickets in advance. Proof of age must be shown at the box office.

For groups of 15 or more, special preview pricing is available for performances April 27-May 19 for $35.00 and $25.00 for student groups.

A limited number of student rush tickets are $15 and are available one hour prior to curtain.

Group tickets are available by phoning 212-246-4422. Box-office hours are Monday, 10:00am - 6:00pm, Tuesday 10:00am - 7:00pm, Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday, 10:00am to 3:00pm.

For more information, please visit www.2ST.com

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