Cast of INVASION! To Perform At PowerHouse Arena in DUMBO Brooklyn 2.20

Members of the cast of INVASION! - a play by the renowned Swedish playwright and novelist Jonas Hassen Khemiri - will perform a selection from the play when they appear with the author at special event celebrating the U.S. release of Khemiri's new book "Montecore," on Sunday, February 20 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the PowerHouse Arena bookstore at 37 Main Street (corner of Water & Main) in DUMBO, Brooklyn. For more information about the event, http://www.powerhousearena.com/newsletters/110220/ or call PowerHouse at 718 666 3049.

Actors Francis Benhamou , Andrew Guilarte, Bobby Moreno and Debargo Sanyal will perform a brief scene from INVASION!, which is being presented February 9 to March 12 by The Play Company at Walkerspace (46 Walker St.) in Tribeca.

Mr. Khemiri will speak about his latest novel "Montecore," read selections from his works and do a Q&A with the audience. Published by Random House, "Montecore" marks the author's English-language literary debut, coinciding with his U.S. stage debut and INVASION! "Montecore" concerns a world-famous photographer - with an estranged son named Jonas Hassen Khemiri - who was a dirt-poor Tunisian orphan now enjoying remarkable success, the toast of rock stars, intellectuals and political luminaries on the occasion of his 50th birthday.

INVASION! is a subversive comedy that centers on "Abulkasem," a name that bears seemingly magical powers, and a series of characters who assume the name for their own reasons. Who is "Abulkasem"? Is he a character in a fairy tale, or an international super-spy? Is she a renowned auteur director? Does he/she pose a clear and present danger? And is there more than one? That all depends on who you ask.

INVASION! has enjoyed great success in numerous European productions, and is presented in the U.S. by The Play Company, Kate Loewald, Founding Producer and Lauren Weigel, Executive Producer. INVASION! is directed by Erica Schmidt, with an English translation by Rachel Willson-Broyles (also translator of the novel).

Now in its 11th year, last season PlayCo presented the acclaimEd English-language debut of renowned Japanese playwright Toshiki Okada's ENJOY Off-Broadway.

About INVASION!, Ms. Loewald says, "This play uses wit and theatricality to talk about serious racial and cultural divisions in our society. Jonas has broken new ground in Swedish theatre and literature with both his themes and his beautiful love of language. We are a nation of immigrants, and New York City is home to people of hundreds of nationalities. I think this play speaks to the moment in a dazzling way - it is surprising, funny and moving. I'm so excited to introduce this writer to audiences in the U.S."

Featured in the cast of INVASION! are Francis Benhamou (THREE WOMEN at 59E59 Theaters), Andrew Guilarte (MARAT/SADE at Classical Theatre of Harlem), Bobby Moreno (REENTRY at Center Stage Baltimore) and Debargo Sanyal (QUEENS BOULEVARD at Signature Theatre).

Mr. Khemiri is an acclaimed author and playwright of Tunisian and Swedish parentage. INVASION!, his first play, has enjoyed considerable success in Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, Austria and the United Kingdom. He won Sweden's top prize for best literary debut with his novel "One Eye Red," and his newest novel "Montecore: The Silence of the Tiger," was awarded Sweden's highest honor, the Per Olov Enquist Prize. "Montecore" will be published in the U.S. by Random House in March, 2011, marking Mr. Khemiri's English-language literary debut and coinciding with the run of INVASION!.

PlayCo's production of INVASION! is translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles, who also translated "Montecore." INVASION! is the second production - following last season's acclaimed production of Toshiki Okada's ENJOY -- of PlayCo's Universal Voices Translation Program, which commissions American translations of foreign-language plays.

Scenic design for INVASION! is by Antje Ellermann; costume design is by Oana Botez Ban; lighting design is by Matthew Richards; and sound design is by Bart Fasbender.

Erica Schmidt co-created and directed Lorenzo Pisoni's multiple award-winning HUMOR ABUSE, as well as PlayCo's production of TRUST by Gary Mitchell, THE BURNT PART BOYS at Vineyard Theatre and New York Stage and Film, and Honey Brown EYES presented by The Working Theater.

The Play Company is dedicated to adventurous new writing by playwrights from the U.S. and around the world, linking NYC artists and audiences to a whole world of plays. Recent productions include the U.S. premiere of ENJOY (Japan), the NY premiere of Lloyd Suh's AMERICAN HWANGAP (U.S.), the U.S. premieres of Przemyslaw Wojcieszek's MADE IN POLAND (Poland); Robert Farquhar's BAD JAZZ (England), Vijay Tendulkar's SAKHARAM BINDER (India); Yoji Sakate's THE ATTIC (Japan); and The Presnyakov Brothers' TERRORISM (Russia); as well as world premieres of the American plays SMASHING by Brooke Berman, HIGH DIVE by Leslie Ayvazian and EDGEWISE by Eliza Clark. Play Co. received a 2007 Obie Award for its "unique contribution to the theatre community."

Scheduled through March 12, INVASION! will perform Mondays through Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and $40 and can be reserved at www.theatermania.com or by calling 212 352 3101.

For more information visit www.playco.org

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