ON THE EXHALE, Starring Marin Ireland, Opens This Sunday Off-Broadway

Roundabout Theatre Company presents the world-premiere production of On the Exhale, by Martín Zimmerman (Netflix's Narcos), directed by Tony Award nominee Leigh Silverman (Roundabout's Violet). Celebrated Tony Award nominee and Obie Award-winning actress Marin Ireland (reasons to be pretty) stars in this solo play. This is the second play in Roundabout Underground's newly expanded two-play season, following Kingdom Come by Jenny Rachel Weiner last fall.

A friendly reminder that the world premiere of On the Exhale opens officially this Sunday, February 19, 2017 at the Black Box Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre (111 West 46th Street). This is a limited engagement through Sunday, April 2, 2017. All tickets for Roundabout Underground productions are $25.

When a senseless act of violence changes her life forever, a liberal college professor (Ireland) finds herself inexplicably drawn to the very weapon used to perpetrate the crime-and to the irresistible feeling of power that comes from holding life and death in her hands. Peering down the barrel of a uniquely American crisis, she begins to suspect that when it comes to gun violence, we're all part of the problem.

Now in its tenth season, Roundabout Underground has proven an enormous success since the program debuted in 2007 with Stephen Karam's hit comedy Speech and Debate. Karam's first play commissioned by Roundabout-Sons of the Prophet-was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and his second commission, The Humans, won the Tony Award for Best Play after transferring from the Laura Pels Theatre to Broadway. Joshua Harmon also made his professional debut with Roundabout Underground with the hit Bad Jews. His most recent play, Significant Other, premiered Off-Broadway at Roundabout and is transferring to Broadway this season. Fellow Underground alumnus Steven Levenson (The Language of Trees) is making his Broadway debut this season with the much anticipated Dear Evan Hansen, while simultaneously debuting his new play, If I Forget, at the Laura Pels Theatre.

On the Exhale continues the tenth season of Roundabout Underground, an initiative to introduce and cultivate artists in Roundabout's 62-seat Black Box Theatre at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. On the Exhale was presented as part of last year's Underground Reading Series at Roundabout, and is the second production in the Roundabout Underground's newly expanded two-play 2016-2017 season. Prior productions include the acclaimed world premieres of Stephen Karam's Speech & Debate (2007), Steven Levenson's The Language of Trees (2008), Adam Gwon's Ordinary Days (2009), Kim Rosenstock's Tigers Be Still (2010), David West Read's The Dream of the Burning Boy (2011), Andrew Hinderaker's Suicide, Incorporated (2011), Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews (2012), Meghan Kennedy's Too Much, Too Much, Too Many (2013), Jeff Augustin's Little Children Dream of God (2015), Lindsey Ferrentino's Ugly Lies the Bone (2015), and Jenny Rachel Weiner's Kingdom Come (2016).

Roundabout Underground is an initiative to showcase new plays that will either give a debut production to an emerging writer or director or allow an experienced director to go back to his/her creative roots. Robyn Goodman (Artistic Consultant to the Roundabout) serves as Artistic Producer, with Associate Producers Jill Rafson and Josh Fiedler, for this initiative that continues to be a creative breeding ground for nurturing new talent.

The 62-seat Black Box Theatre, below the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, allows Roundabout to take artistic risks that are better suited for a more intimate space.

The design team includes Rachel Hauck (Set Design), Emily Rebholz (Costume Design), Jen Schreiver (Lighting Design) and Bart Fasbender (Sound Design).

Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.

Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages, each of which is specifically designed to enhance the needs of Roundabout's mission. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout's Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art LEED certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout's work on each of its stages.

Roundabout's season in 2017 includes Arthur Miller's The Price, directed by Terry Kinney; If I Forget by Steven Levenson, directed by Daniel Sullivan; Marvin's Room by Scott McPherson, directed by Anne Kauffman; Napoli, Brooklyn by Meghan Kennedy, directed by Gordon Edelstein; and the national tour of Sam Mendes & Rob Marshall's Tony Award-winning production of Cabaret. The spring 2017 Roundabout Underground production is On the Exhale, a new play by Martín Zimmerman, directed by Leigh Silverman.

Roundabout's new off-Broadway season dedicated to new work at the Harold & Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre in 2017-2018 will include The Last Match, by Anna Ziegler, directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch; Amy and the Orphans, by Lindsey Ferrentino, directed by Scott Ellis; Skintight, by Joshua Harmon, directed by Daniel Aukin.

Roundabout Underground's 2017-2018 season will include Too Heavy for your Pocket, by Jiréh Breon Holder.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus