CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION Returns to Playwrights Horizons, 12/15

Following an acclaimed original sold-out run, Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) proudly announces a limited return engagement of the company's recent World Premiere production of CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, the new hit play by Annie Baker ("An original voice" - Daily News; "A playwright to know" - Newsday). Directed by Sam Gold ("A magic-fingered director" - Variety; "An uncommonly observant eye and ear" - The New York Times), the original engagement opened Tuesday, October 13 to across-the-board rave reviews and was ultimately extended twice by critical and audience demand through Saturday, November 21. The return limited engagement will begin performances Tuesday, December 15 at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater with tickets on sale through Sunday, January 17, 2010.

Charles Isherwood raved in The New York Times, calling the play, "Rich, unforgettable theater. The kind of unheralded gem that sends people into the streets babbling and bright-eyed with the desire to spread the word. I emerged with the same giddy sense of discovery, the same almost proprietary need to ensure that this small, quirky, immensely lovable new play does not go unnoticed by theatergoers in perennial search of fresh voices and boundary-bending experiments. For lovers of real acting, Ms. Baker's play is an absolute feast."

Other critics hailed the play as "Absorbing, unblinking and sharply funny" (Anita Gates, The New York Times), "Humorous and heartbreaking" (Jennifer Farrar, Associated Press), "Beguiling" (David Rooney, Variety), "Unusual and absorbing" (Adam Feldman, Time Out-New York), "Bold and engrossing storytelling" (Linda Winer, Newsday) and representing the work of "An original voice" (Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News) with a cast that's giving "A master class" (Alexis Soloski, Village Voice). Variety also called it "A fine example of a writer, director and cast delivering substantial yield." In addition, The New York Times, Time Out and Back Stage all named it a Critic's Pick and Time Out gave it Four Stars.

The entire original and "exceptional cast of five will all return for the engagement. The cast features Obie Award winner Reed Birney, Tony Award nominee Peter Friedman, Obie Award winner Deirdre O'Connell, Tracee Chimo, and Obie Award winner Heidi Schreck.

In CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, when four lost New Englanders enrolled in a Shirley, Vermont community center drama class experiment with harmless games, hearts are quietly torn and tiny wars of epic proportions are waged and won. Annie Baker's new comedy is a beautifully crafted diorama, a petri dish in which we see, with hilarious detail and clarity, the sweet sadness of a motley quintet.

The production features scenic and costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Mark Barton and sound design by Leah Gelpe. Production Stage Manager is Alaina Taylor.

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION has received generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Jerome Foundation, Tiger Baron Foundation, The Carter Fund and Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.

Playwrights Horizons' season productions are generously supported by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charina Endowment Fund, Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Time Warner Inc.

The basic performance schedule for CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2PM & 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2PM & 7PM. (Holiday performance schedules to be announced in the coming days.) Tickets, $50, may be purchased online via TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

Reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $20 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. STUDENT RUSH, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

HOTtix and STUDENT RUSH are two of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-prIce Theater ticket. This program is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The McGraw-Hill Companies and the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation.

For subscription and ticket information to all Playwrights Horizons productions, call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8PM daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org.

Annie Baker's (Playwright) full-length plays include Body Awareness (Atlantic Theater Company, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations), Circle Mirror Transformation (Playwrights Horizons), The Aliens (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, spring 2010), The End of the Middle Ages (commission for Soho Rep) and Nocturama. Her work has been developed and produced at New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, MCC, Atlantic Theater Company, Soho Rep, the Orchard Project, the Ontological-Hysteric, Ars Nova, the Wilma, the Lark, the Magic Theater, the Cape Cod Theatre Project, the Bay Area Playwrights Festival and The Sundance Institute Theatre Lab in Utah and Ucross, Wyoming. Annie is a member of MCC's Playwrights Coalition, Ars Nova's Play Group and EST, and she is an alumna of Youngblood and the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab. Recent honors include a Time Warner Storytelling Fellowship, a MacDowell Fellowship and commissions from Center Theatre Group and Playwrights Horizons. MFA, Mac Wellman's playwriting program at Brooklyn College.

Sam Gold (Director) recently directed Nick Jones's Jollyship the Whizbang at Ars Nova. Other recent credits include Anne Carson's translation of Electra (Williams College), Noah Haidle's Rag and Bone (Rattlestick), Sam Marks's The Joke (Studio Dante), Betty Shamieh's The Black Eyed (New York Theatre Workshop), Colin McKenna's The Secret Agenda of Trees (Cherry Lane), Rogelio Martinez's Fizz (The Ohio Theatre), Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (The Hangar Theatre), Joanna Laurens's The Three Birds (GAle GAtes), and Betty Shamieh's Chocolate in Heat (The Tank). Sam is the Resident Director at the Juilliard School, where his credits include Beau Willimon's War Story, Twelfth Night, Suddenly Last Summer, Willimon's Farragut North, Suzan-Lori Parks's In the Blood, and Marlowe's Edward II for the Juilliard Centennial Tour (REDCAT, LA/Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago). From 2003 to 2006, Sam served as Dramaturg at The Wooster Group. He is a NYTW Usual Suspect, a Drama League Directing Fellow, a former Playwrights Horizons Directing Resident, a recipient of the Princess Grace Award and a graduate of The Juilliard Directing Program.

Reed Birney (Schultz) won a 2006 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance. He made his New York debut at Playwrights Horizons in 1976 in Gemini. He also appeared there in Herself As Lust (1982), An Imaginary Life (1994), The Butterfly Collection (2000), Pen (2006) and last season's The Savannah Disputation (2009). Other New York appearances include Blasted (Soho Rep); Stuff Happens (The Public, Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble); Our Leading Lady (MTC); Bug (Barrow Street); Loose Knit, The Family of Mann (Second Stage); The Common Pursuit (Promenade); Volunteer Man (Rattlestick); Bedfellows (Bat Theatre); and Minor Demons, The Exact Center of the Universe (Century Center). Regional includes The Lisbon Traviata (Seattle Rep) and the world premiere of Neil Simon's Hotel Suite (Walnut Street). TV work includes episodes of "Gossip Girl" and "Kings."

Tracee Chimo (Lauren) most recently appeared on Broadway opposite Tovah Feldshuh in Irena's Vow. Her additional New York credits include 365 Days/365 Plays (The Public), Bushwhackin' (Primary Stages), Guilty (Acorn Theatre) Vamp (Emerging Artists), Ah, Wilderness! (Provincetown Playhouse). Regional appearances include The Complete Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (abridged) (Best Actress Mass Drama Guild of Actors), After Ashley, Stupid Kids and Educating Rita.

Peter Friedman (James) originated the role of Tateh in the musical Ragtime in Toronto, as well as on Broadway, receiving an Outer Critics Circle Award and Tony and Drama Desk award nominations. He last appeared at Playwrights Horizons in the original 1988 production of Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, creating the role of Scoop. He earned a Drama Desk Award nomination and moved with the production to Broadway. Other original New York productions include Annie Baker's Body Awareness (Drama Desk Award nomination), Simon Gray's The Common Pursuit (Drama Desk Award nomination), Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play, C.P. Taylor's And a Nightingale Sang and Emily Mann's Execution of Justice. He's also appeared in New York in Twelve Angry Men (Roundabout), The Tenth Man, The Loman Family Picnic, My Old Lady and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (Encores!). His films include Spinning into Butter, Safe, Single White Female and Paycheck. On television he was a performer on "The Muppet Show" and a regular on "Brooklyn Bridge."

Deirdre O'Connell (Marty) was the recipient of the 2005 Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance. She has previously appeared at Playwrights Horizons in Manic Flight Reaction, Spatter Pattern (or, How I Got Away With It) and Moe's Lucky Seven. Other New York stage credits include End Days (EST with Peter Friedman); Rag & Bone (Rattlestick for director Sam Gold); Fugue (Cherry Lane) The Dream Express (Joe's Pub); ‘Tis Pity She's a Whore (The Public); Approximating Mother, Etta Jenks (also in L.A., Drama-Logue Award), Tales of the Lost Formicans (Women's Project); The Front Page (Lincoln Center); A Lie of the Mind (Promenade); Love and Anger (NYTW, Drama Desk Award nomination) and Mud and Drowning (Signature). She won Drama-Logue and L.A. Critics awards for Stars in the Morning. Recent film: Synecdoche, New York; What Happened in Vegas.

Playwrights Horizons, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is a writer's theater dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American Playwrights, composers and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. In its 39 years, Playwrights Horizons has presented the work of more than 375 writers and has received numerous awards and honors, most recently being honored with a special 2008 Drama Desk Award for "ongoing support to generations of theater artists and undiminished commitment to producing new work." Notable productions include four Pulitzer Prize winners: Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004 Tony Award, Best Play), Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (1989 Tony Award, Best Play), Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George, as well as Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie's Grey Gardens (three 2007 Tony Awards), Craig Lucas's Prayer For My Enemy and Small Tragedy (2004 Obie Award, Best American Play), Adam Rapp's Kindness, Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins, Sarah Ruhl's Dead Man's Cell Phone, Bruce Norris's The Pain and the Itch, Lynn Nottage's Fabulation (2005 Obie Award for Playwriting), Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, David Greenspan's She Stoops to Comedy (2003 Obie Award), Kirsten Childs's The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (2000 Obie Award), Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey's James Joyce's The Dead, William Finn's March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, Christopher Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Richard Nelson's Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Once on This Island, Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire, Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room, A.R. Gurney's Later Life, Adam Guettel and Tina Landau's Floyd Collins and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's Violet.

 

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