Atlantic Theater Co. Presents World Premiere of Ayvazian's MAKE ME, Previews Begin 5/19

Atlantic Theater Company (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is proud to announce the final production of its 2008-2009 season - the world premiere of Leslie Ayvazian's play MAKE ME, directed by Atlantic associate artistic director Christian Parker. Casting will be announced shortly.

MAKE ME will begin previews Tuesday, May 19; officially open Sunday, May 31; and play a limited engagement through Sunday, June 14, 2009 Off-Broadway at Atlantic Stage 2 (330 West 16 Street).

In MAKE ME, six pent-up Americans in three different relationships have reached the end of their ropes. In this naughty comic fugue, Leslie Ayvazian explores what happens when the rules are changed just at the moment when people think they are perfectly comfortable and the lengths to which some will go to be seen, heard and obeyed.

Leslie Ayvazian makes her Atlantic Theater Company debut. Her acclaimed Off-Broadway play Nine Armenians won the John Gassner Outer Critics Award, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Kennedy Center's Roger L. Stevens Award. Her film credits include Showtime's Every Three Minutes starring Olympia Dukakis.

Atlantic associate artistic director Christian Parker most recently staged the New York premiere of Tina Howe's play Birth And After Birth. Other Atlantic credits include Jeff Whitty's The Hiding Place and 10X20, a festival of newly commissioned ten minute plays by writers previously produced at Atlantic for which he directed plays by Tina Howe, Keith Reddin and Rolin Jones.

The design team for MAKE ME will feature scenic design by Anna Louizos, lighting design by Josh Bradford and sound design by Jill BC DuBoff.

Atlantic and Druid's critically acclaimed hit production of Martin McDonagh's dark comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan, directed by Garry Hynes, is playing an extended engagement through Sunday, March 15 at Atlantic's Linda Gross Theater (336 West 20 Street).

Leslie Ayvazian's (Playwright) first full length play Nine Armenians premiered at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle and opened in New York at the Manhattan Theatre Club in a production directed by Lynne Meadow. It won the John Gassner Outer Critics Award for Best New Play; The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2nd place) and the Kennedy Center's Roger L. Stevens Award, and went on to be directed by Gordon Davidson at the Mark Taper Forum and the Denver Theatre Center; and Oskar Eustis at Trinity Repertory Theatre. Her second full length play Singer's Boy was produced at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco directed by Cary Perloff. High Dive, her one woman show about turning fifty, premiered at the Long Wharf Theatre directed by David Warren, produced in conjunction with The Play Company, and opened in New York at Manhattan Class Company. It has since received many productions in the U.S. and recently completed a successful run in Poland. Rosemary and I, which was named a Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist, received a workshop at New York Stage and Film and a full production at the Passage Theatre in Trenton, NJ, directed by Blair Brown. Her play Lovely Day premiered at City Theatre in Pittsburgh in a production directed by Tracy Brigden, and was produced in New York at The Play Company where it was staged by Blair Brown. Leslie's one act plays include Practice; Hi There, Mr. Machine; Twenty Four Years; Deaf Day; Plan Day and have been produced at the Ensemble Studio Theatre and are published in several anthologies. Her one act, Rosemary and Elizabeth was a finalist for the Heideman from the Actors Theatre of Lousiville. Her first play in New York, Footlights, a one woman show about shoes, ran at the Vineyard theatre and was directed by Jay Binder. Make Me received workshop productions by the Cape Cod Theatre Festival and the Adirondack Theatre Festival, both directed by Martha Banta. Leslie has received commissions from Manhattan Theatre Club, South Coast Repertory Theatre and Wind Dancer Productions. Her short film Every Three Minutes, produced by Showtime, starred Olympia Dukakis, was directed by Michael Pressman and won a Telly Award. Leslie teaches in the Graduate School of Theatre Arts at Columbia University and is mother to Ivan Anderson and wife to Architect Sam Anderson.

Christian Parker (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director at the Atlantic Theater Company, where he has worked since the fall of 2001. Most recently at Atlantic, he directed the New York premiere of Tina Howe's play Birth and After Birth. In 2006, he produced, directed, and acted in 10X20, a festival of newly commissioned ten minute plays by writers previously produced at Atlantic, to inaugurate their new Stage 2 and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the company. For that festival, he directed plays by Tina Howe, Keith Reddin and Rolin Jones, and acted in Kevin Heelan's The Compassioneer. Also at Atlantic he directed Ken Weitzman's Arrangements and Jeff Whitty's The Hiding Place. Other direction includes new works by David Lindsay-Abaire, Sheri Wilner, Eric Winick and Cusi Cram for the Chekhov Now! Festival, HB Playwrights Theatre, the 24 Hour Plays On Broadway, The Brick, and Atlantic 453/New Works Series. . Prior to his tenure at the Atlantic, he spent several seasons as the Literary Manager at Manhattan Theatre Club. Christian has also served as dramaturge on over fifty premieres of new American and British plays on, off and off-off Broadway. He currently runs the MFA Dramaturgy program at Columbia University, and holds a BA from Middlebury College and an MFA from Columbia.

ATLANTIC THEATER COMPANY (Neil Pepe, Artistic Director; Jeffory Lawson, Managing Director) is the award winning Off-Broadway theater 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'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. In 2006, Atlantic was awarded the Lucille Lortel Prize for Outstanding Body of Work.

Atlantic produced five world premieres during its 2007-2008 season: Academy Award® winner Ethan Coen's comedy Almost an Evening, directed by Neil Pepe and featuring Academy Award® winner F. Murray Abraham and Mark Linn-Baker; Peter Parnell's Trumpery, directed by David Esbjornson and featuring Tony Award® winner Michael Cristofer and Tony Award® nominee Manoel Felciano; Lucy Thurber's Scarcity, directed by Jackson Gay and featuring Emmy Award® winner Kristen Johnston, Jesse Eisenberg and Michael T. Weiss, Jez Butterworth's Parlour Song, directed by Neil Pepe and featuring Chris Bauer, Jonathan Cake and Emily Mortimer and Annie Baker's Body Awareness, directed by Karen Kohlhaas and featuring Academy Award® nominee JoBeth Williams, Peter Friedman and Mary McCann and the critically acclaimed New York premiere production of Oliver Award® winning and Tony Award® nominated playwright Conor McPherson's play Port Authority, directed by Henry Wishcamper and featuring Tony Award® nominee Brian d'Arcy James, Tony Award® winner John Gallagher, Jr. and Tony Award® winner Jim Norton.

Playwright Beau Willimon made his celebrated Off-Broadway debut this season with the world premiere of Farragut North starring Chris Noth and John Gallagher, Jr. The world premiere of the comedy What's That Smell: The Music Of Jacob Sterling, written and performed by Tony Award® nominee David Pittu, transferred Off-Broadway to New World Stages following a critically acclaimed extended engagement at Atlantic Stage 2.

Since it's inception in 1985, Atlantic has produced more than 120 productions including the Tony Award® winning play The Beauty Queen of Leenane, the world premieres of Woody Allen's A Second Hand Memory and Writer's Block, the acclaimed world premiere of David Mamet's Romance and his new adaptation of The Voysey Inheritance, the musicals Spring Awakening and 10 Million Miles, Jez Butterworth's Mojo, Tom Donaghy's Minutes From The Blue Route, Edwin Sanchez' Trafficking in Broken Hearts and the American premieres of Blue/Orange, Dublin Carol and The Night Heron, the New York premieres of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and The Cider House Rules, the revivals of American Buffalo, Edmond, The Hothouse and Hobson's Choice. Atlantic maintains an ensemble of acclaimed actors, writers and directors including David Mamet (playwright and director) and William H. Macy (Academy Award® nominee for Fargo), who founded Atlantic over twenty years ago in 1985.

MAKE ME will play Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30p, Saturday matinees at 2:30p and Sundays at 2:30p. All tickets are $40.00 and available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 (www.ticketcentral.com).

ATLANTIC STAGE 2 is located at 330 West 16th Street (between 8th & 9th Avenues). For membership information, wheelchair seating, and/or group sales call Ticketcentral at 212-279-4200 or visit www.ticketcentral.com.

For more information, www.atlantictheater.org.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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