Atlantic Theater Co Presents GABRIEL, Cast Led By Patricia Conolly, Lisa Emery & More

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce casting, dates and a director for the American premiere of Olivier Award nominee Moira Buffini's award-winning play GABRIEL, which will mark the final main stage production of Atlantic's 2009-2010 season.

Directed by David Esbjornson (The Ride Down Mt. Morgan), GABRIEL will feature Patricia Conolly (Broadway's The Coast of Utopia), Lisa Emery (Off-Broadway's Distracted), Tony Award® nominee Zach Grenier (Broadway's 33 Variations), Lee Aaron Rosen (Summer Play Festival's Wet), Samantha Soule (Broadway's The Philanthropist) and Libby Woodbridge (Off Broadway debut).

GABRIEL will begin previews Friday, April 23; officially open Thursday, May 13; and play a limited engagement through Sunday, June 6, 2010 Off-Broadway at The Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20 Street).

GABRIEL is set around a largely forgotten moment in British history - the German occupation of the Channel Islands during World War II. A naked young man washes up on a Guernsey beach. Unnervingly handsome and fluent in both German and English, he has no recollection of who he is - patriot or Nazi...innocent or madman. GABRIEL explores the heart of memory, identity and imagination, as well as the lies people tell themselves and each other to make the darkness light again.

David Esbjornson returns to Atlantic where he staged the New York premiere of Peter Parnell's play Trumpery. He directed the Tony Award® winning production of Edward Albee's The Goat, or Who is Silvia? and the New York premiere of Israel Horovitz's My Old Lady, Albee's The Play About the Baby and the Tony Award® nominated production of The Ride Down Mt. Morgan by Arthur Miller at The Public Theater and on Broadway. He recently directed the acclaimed Off-Broadway production of Hamlet starring Christian Camargo.

Moira Buffini makes her Atlantic Theater Company and Off-Broadway debut. The 1997 world premiere production of her play Gabriel was awarded the UK's prestigious London Weekend Television Plays on Stage Award and the Meyer Whitworth Award. Her play Dinner, commissioned by The National Theatre, was nominated for an Olivier Award® for Best New Comedy and was recently staged at The Bay Street Theatre in a production starring Mercedes Ruehl. Her latest screenplay, an adaptation of the UK comic strip Tamara Drewe, will be directed by Stephen Frears and begin shooting this fall.

Patricia Conolly recently appeared on Broadway in Is He Dead? and at Lincoln Center in The Coast of Utopia trilogy. Obie Award winner Lisa Emery was nominated for a 2009 Lortel Award for her celebrated role in Distracted Off Broadway last season. Zach Grenier was nominated for a 2009 Tony Award® for his performance as Beethoven in 33 Variations on Broadway. Lee Aaron Rosen makes his Off-Broadway debut following appearing in the Fringe Festival production of A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage and in Wet at the Summer Play Festival. Samantha Soule returns to Atlantic after starring in The Voysey Inheritance and most recently appearing on Broadway in The Philanthropist. A recent graduate of Boston University, Libby Woodbridge will make her New York theatrical debut.

The creative team for GABRIEL will feature scenic design by Riccardo Hernandez, costume design by Martin Pakledinaz, lighting design by Scott Zielinski and sound design by Obadiah Eaves.

The American premiere production of Pulitzer Prize winner Sam Shepard's Ages of the Moon, directed by Jimmy Fay, has been extended through Sunday, March 21, 2010 at Atlantic Theater Company's Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20 Street).

Patricia Conolly (Margaret Lake). Broadway appearances include Is He Dead?, Enchanted April, Judgment at Nuremberg, Waiting in the Wings, The Sound of Music, The Heiress, The Real Inspector Hound, A Small Family Business, The Circle, Blithe Spirit, and 4 years with the APA Phoenix Repertory Company at The Lyceum Theater; Lincoln Center Theater: The Coast of Utopia, A Streetcar Named Desire; Circle in the Square: The Importance of Being Earnest, Tartuffe; Roundabout: Hedda Gabler, Misalliance; Manhattan Theatre Club: Woman in Mind, House and Garden. West End: St. Joan of the Stockyards, Virginia; RSC: A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Physicists, King Lear, The Beggar's Opera. Regionally, productions at The Old Globe, Hartford Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Shakespeare Festival Theatre (Stratford, Ontario), Guthrie Theater, Melbourne Theatre Company and Sydney Theater Company, among others.

Lisa Emery (Jeanne Becquet). Broadway: The Women, Present Laughter, The Smell of the Kill, Jackie, Rumors, Burn This. Off Broadway: Distracted (Lortel Award nomination) at Roundabout, Mouth to Mouth, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Abigail's Party (Drama Desk and Lortel Award nominations), What The Butler Saw, and Curtains (ensemble Obie Award) all at The New Group. Lucy at EST, The Maddening Truth at The Keen Company, Iron at MTC (Obie Award, Lortel Nomination), Dinner With Friends, Far East at LCT, The Monogamist and Marvin's Room (Drama Desk nomination) at Playwrights Horizons, Talley and Sons and Dalton's Back at Circle Rep. Film: The Night Listener, People I Know, Roger Dodger, A Map of the World, Cold Souls. Television: "Law & Order" (including CI and SVU), "Third Watch," "Sex and the City,""Ed," "The Fringe," "Damages," "Canterbury's Law," and "Far East" and "The Women" on PBS's Stage to Screen.

Zach Grenier (Von Pfunz) is a proud member of the "That Guy" club, having graced over 30 films with indelible performances in roles major and minor. His film credits include David Fincher's Zodiac and Fight Club, in which he played the pivotal role of Boss to Ed Norton's Jack; Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil, and Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn. While he's developed a cult following from such independents as Liebestraum, A Shock to the System, and Chasing Sleep, he has also appeared in his fair share of major theatrical releases, including Tommy Boy, Twister, and Swordfish. On television, he has moved from one critically acclaimed series to the next. He played the Iago-like Carl Webb on the first day of 24 and was featured as Andy Cramed, the man who brought the plague to town, on David Milch's late, lamented Deadwood. On Showtime's production of Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor, directed by Richard Benjamin and starring Nathan Lane, he played a maniacally chain-smoking comedy writer. He also had the opportunity to star in two highly praised series, C16:FBI and Touching Evil, rising from FBI agent in the former to special unit squad captain in the latter. Zach's roots are in theatre, and he has performed on stages from Maine to Alaska. He was nominated for a Joseph Jefferson Award for his performance as Yvan in the Chicago production of Yasmina Reza's Art at the Royal George Theatre. He was honored to play the title roles in Uncle Vanya and Tartuffe at Yale Rep, the latter a co-production with Princeton's McCarter Theatre. In New York, he has appeared in productions ranging from the experimental plays of Richard Foreman and Mac Wellman to more naturalistic fare at The Circle Repertory Company, Manhattan Theatre Club, and Ensemble Studio Theatre, of which he is a member. At Circle Rep, he had the privilege of working with the great Julie Harris in The Fiery Furnace. He originated the role of Dr. Chapman in David Rabe's A Question of Mercy at New York Theatre Workshop, a performance that earned him an Outstanding Artist honor from the Drama League. His performance as Dick Cheney in David Hare's Stuff Happens at the New York Shakespeare Festival was recognized with Ensemble Awards by both the Drama League and the Drama Desk. Last year, on Broadway, he playEd Thomas Cromwell opposite Frank Langella's Thomas More in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of A Man for All Seasons, and was nominated for a Tony award for his portrayal of Ludwig van Beethoven in Moisés Kaufman's 33 Variations.

Lee Aaron Rosen (Gabriel). New York theatre: A Contemporary American's Guide to a Successful Marriage (FringeNYC); Wet (Summer Play Festival), Frankenstein (La MaMa ETC). Regional credits include: All My Sons (Huntington Theatre, also directed by David Esbjornson); The Matchmaker (CenterStage); Mary's Wedding (Westport Country Playhouse); The Member of the Wedding (Ford's Theatre); The Game (Barrington Stage); Once in a Lifetime, Loot and G-d of Vengeance (Williamstown Theatre Festival). TV: Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Guiding Light. Film: Company K, Saving Private Ryan. You can hear his voice in several Rockstar Games titles, including Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and The Warriors. He is also a volunteer at New York's 52nd Street Project. He received his MFA from NYU's Graduate Acting Program.

Samantha Soule (Lilian Becquet). Broadway: The Philanthropist (Roundabout), Dinner At Eight (Lincoln Center Theater) Coram Boy (Imperial Theater) Off-Broadway: Killers and Other Family (Rattlestick), Monstrosity (13P), The Dining Room (Keen Company, Drama Desk Award), The Voysey Inheritance (Atlantic Theater Company), Valhalla (New York Theater Workshop), The Telling Trilogy, Three Sisters (Rising Phoenix Rep), Splitting Infinity, Mayhem (Summer Play Festival), White Chocolate (Culture Project), Silver Nitrate (Juggernaught Theater Company), Brothers and Sisters (Manhattan Theater Source), Daisy Mayme (The Pearl Theater) Regional Theater: Candida (Berkshire Theater Festival), The Evildoers (Yale Repertory Theater), Twelfth Night, An Enemy Of The People, The Tempest (Shakespeare Theater), A Body of Water (Old Globe- San Diego Theater Critics Circle Award), Lady Windermere's Fan (Williamstown Theater Festival), David Copperfield (Westport County Playhouse), Da (Cape Playhouse), TV/Film: Revolutionary Road, The Callback, "Guiding Light", "Contest Searchlight" , "Grand Theft Auto 4" Training/Affiliations: BFA from The Juilliard School, Artistic Associate of Rising Phoenix Repertory.

Libby Woodbridge (Estelle Becquet). Off Broadway debut. Regional: "Young Esme/Alice" in Rock'n'Roll (Wilma Theater), "Bridget" in Moonlight (Studio Theatre of DC). She understudied the role of "Emily" in Third at Huntington Theatre Company. BFA: Boston University.

Moira Buffini (Playwright). Theatre includes Dinner (2002), which was commissioned by The National Theatre, nominated for an Olivier Award® for Best New Comedy and has recently enjoyed a revival at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbour, New York. Other theater credits include Loveplay (2001) for the Royal Shakespeare Company; Silence (1999), Birmingham Rep and Plymouth Theatre Royal, winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize; and Blavatsky's Tower (Fringe). Jordan was co-written with Anna Reynolds and won Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe Play. Most recently Moira wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of The Suicide by Nickolai Erdman, which premiered at The Almeida Theatre in Spring 2007. She also wrote A Vampire Story for The National Theatre's Connections 2007-2008 festival and a new play for the RSC. Moira has also written a screen adaptation of A Vampire Story for Number 9 Films and her screenplay Dibbuk Box is being developed for Ghost House and Mandate Pictures. She recently wrote an adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC and Ruby Films for theatrical release. Her screen adaptation of Tamara Drewe for Ruby Films will begin shooting in September.

David Esbjornson (Director) served as the Artistic Director of Seattle Repertory Theatre from 2005-2009 and Classic Stage Company from 1992-1999. He has directed premieres of plays by Edward Albee, John Belusso, Moira Buffini, Migdalia Cruz, Ariel Dorfman, Jeffrey Hatcher, Israel Horowitz, Kevin Kling, Larry Kramer, Tony Kushner, Romulus Linney, Patrick Marber, Ann-Marie McDonald, Ellen McLaughlin, Arthur Miller, Suzan-Lori Parks, Peter Parnell, Reynolds Price, Jose Rivera, Neil Simon, Aaron Sorkin, Kathleen Tolan, and Peter Ullian. Favorite revivals include: Hamlet (Theatre For A New Audience), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Summer and Smoke (Guthrie), Much Ado About Nothing (NYSF-Delacorte), The Normal Heart (Public), Twelfth Night and The Lady From Dubuque (Seattle Repertory), Mud and Drowning (Signature), A Few Good Men (Theatre Royal Haymarket-London), Endgame, The Maids, Entertaining Mr. Sloane, The Entertainer (Classic Stage Company) and Farmyard (New York Theatre Workshop.) Awards include: OBIE for Outstanding Direction-Hamlet and Therese Raquin, Lucille Lortel Award for Entertaining Mr. Sloane and CSC Body of Work, Drama Desk nominations for Endgame and Iphigenia and Other Daughters, Drama League Nominations for The Entertainer and The Play About the Baby, Friends of NY Theatre Best Director for The Ride Down Mt. Morgan, Quinn Martin Chair-U of California, San Diego.

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award winning Off-Broadway theater company dedicated to producing great plays simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble. Atlantic believes that the story of the play and the intent of the playwright are at the core of the creative process. Atlantic maintains an ensemble of acclaimed actors, writers and directors including Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and director David Mamet and Academy Award® nominated actor William H. Macy who founded Atlantic twenty five years ago in 1985.

Atlantic and Neil Pepe were awarded a 2009 Drama Desk Award last season for "exceptional craftsmanship, dedication to excellence and productions that engage, inspire and enlighten." In 2006, Atlantic was awarded the Lucille Lortel Prize for Outstanding Body of Work as its critically acclaimed production of Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant Of Inishmore transferred to Broadway, where it was nominated for five 2006 Tony Awards® including Best Play.

Atlantic's acclaimed world premiere production of its first musical Spring Awakening, with music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater and direction by Michael Mayer, won 8 Tony Awards®, including Best Musical.

Last season, Atlantic and Druid's critically acclaimed production of Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan, directed by Tony Award® winner Garry Hynes, was extended three times and received four 2009 Lucille Lortel Award nominations including Outstanding Revival, three Outer Critics Circle Award nominations including Outstanding Revival, a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Revival, and was awarded a 2009 Lortel for Outstanding Ensemble Performance.

Since its inception, Atlantic has produced over 125 productions including the Tony Award® winning play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the world premieres of Academy Award® winner Ethan Coen's comedies Almost an Evening and Offices, Woody Allen's A Second Hand Memory and Writer's Block, David Mamet's Romance and his adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, the musicals Spring Awakening and 10 Million Miles, Conor McPherson's Port Authority, Peter Parnell's Trumpery, Lucy Thurber's Scarcity, Annie Baker's Body Awareness, Beau Willimon's Farragut North, Bekah Brunstetter's Oohrah!, David Pittu's What's That Smell: The Music of Jacob Sterling, Leslie Ayvazian's Make Me, Tom Donaghy's Minutes From The Blue Route, Edwin Sanchez's Trafficking in Broken Hearts, the American premieres of Joe Penhall's Blue/Orange, Conor McPherson's Dublin Carol, Jez Butterworth's The Night Heron, the New York premieres of David Mamet's Keep Your Pantheon and School, Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song and Mojo, Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and Peter Parnell's The Cider House Rules as well as revivals of David Mamet's American Buffalo and Edmond, Harold Pinter's The Hothouse and the double bill of Celebration and The Room and Harold Brighouse's Hobson's Choice.

GABRIEL will play Tuesday through Friday at 8p, Wednesday at 2p, Saturday at 2p and 8p and Sundays at 3p.

Atlantic Theater Company AT THE LINDA GROSS THEATER is located at 336 West 20th Street (between 8th and 9th Avenues). Tickets are $65.00 and available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 (ticketcentral.com).

For general inquiries and group sales call 212-645-1242.

www.atlantictheater.org

Photo credit: Carlos Gustavo Monroy

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