Gripping Adaptation of John Fowles' THE COLLECTOR Arrives Off-Broadway Tonight

59E59 Theaters will host the NY premiere of THE COLLECTOR, adapted from John Fowles' novel by Mark Healy, directed by Lisa Milinazzo. Produced by Nine Theatricals and Roebuck Theatrical, THE COLLECTOR begins performances tonight, October 26, for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 13. Press opening is Tuesday, November 1 at 7:30 PM.

The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:30 PM, Friday at 8:30 PM, Saturday at 2.30 PM and 8.30 PM, Sunday at 3:30 PM. There is an added performance on Sunday, October 30 at 7:30 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $25 ($17.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

After winning a fortune in the lottery, unassuming clerk Frederick Clegg buys a remote country house and goes about furnishing it with everything he thinks a beautiful woman could desire. He then abducts a girl he has worshiped from afar, imprisoning her in the cellar amid his butterfly collection with tragic, electrifying results. This daring psychological thriller about terror and obsession was the debut novel of John Fowles, one of Britain's most celebrated post-modern authors.

The cast features Jillian Geurts (Abnormal Attraction with Malcolm McDowell) and Matt de Rogatis (Hamlet at 13th Street Rep).

Lisa Milinazzo (director) recently directed the premieres of two new rock musicals, Water from the Moonat Urban Stages and Diana & Navy & The Golden Tooth, by Phoebe Nir and Tomas Doncker, at 54 Below. Prior to this she wrote and directed a premiere production of her play, Slain In The Spirit, for the Midtown International Theatre Festival, which was nominated for three awards, including best ensemble. She directed Tribes for the Rep Company at American Academy of Dramatic Arts (where she frequently guest directs) and the American premiere of The Night Season by Rebecca Lenkiewicz. For the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Irish Arts Center, NYC she directed the cinematic 3D Hamlet, featuring Alec Baldwin, Michael Emerson, Richard Easton and Anthony Rapp. She has directed NYC premieres of Eve Ensler, Alexandra Gersten and George F. Walker, among many others. She was nominated for two L.A. Weekly Awards for her production of Found a Peanut in Los Angeles. Her short film The Query premiered at Cannes Film Festival. Other directing credits: Rattlestick Theatre, Connelly Theatre (adapted/directed Chekhov's The Black Monk, with Marin Ireland), Culture Project, Origin Theatre Company, Capital Repertory, Fundamental Theatre Company, HB Playwrights Foundation (w/ Amy Wright), Home for Contemporary Art, Alice's 4th Floor, HERE; Fleetwood Stage, Schoolhouse Theatre, Axial and Saint Genesius (L.A.). She acted and directed with The Actors Space Acting Company for seven years and was assistant director to Alan Langdon, the artistic director. She teaches at NYU Graduate film school. Performance/lectures: Poland, Canada & various theatres in the US. Recipient: Van Ameringen Foundation Grant, Tisch Scholarship and US Rehabilitation Services Fellowship. BFA & MA at NYU. This fall she will direct Miracles Lost and Found with rock performance artist Marla Mase (album on True Groove Records).

Since training at the University of Hull and the Welsh College of Music and Drama, Mark Healy(playwright) has worked extensively in theatre, television and film as an actor over the past twenty years. His writing began in 1998 with an adaptation of John Fowles' novel The Collector. This was originally co-produced by Derby Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, directed by Mark Clements. Various other productions of The Collector have followed both in England and abroad. His adaptations of Jane Austen's Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility have been successfully produced by the Northcott Theatre, Exeter and on tour. The French Lieutenant's Woman, also by John Fowles, was originally commissioned by The Fulton Theatre, USA, as part of their 150th Anniversary season and was then produced by Rachel Tackley for a major tour of the United Kingdom. He has also written Dracula: Lord of the Undead for The Fulton Theatre while he was Playwright-in-Residence at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, USA. His adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd was commissioned and produced by the English Touring Theatre.

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