OPERATION CRUCIBLE Makes US Premiere at Brits Off Broadway

The 2018 Brits Off Broadway season continues at 59E59 Theaters(Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) with the US premiere of OPERATION CRUCIBLE, written by Kieran Knowles and directed by Bryony Shanahan. Produced by McGill Productions Ltd, From Ground Up Theatre, and The Hartshorn - Hook Foundation, OPERATION CRUCIBLE begins performances on Tuesday, May 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, June 3.Press Opening is Tuesday, May 15 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM & 7:15 PM; Sunday at 2:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). The single ticket price is $25 - $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.

On December 12, 1940, during World War II, a single bomb reduced the Marples Hotel, which stood proudly in Fitzalan Square in Sheffield, from seven stories to just 15 feet of rubble. Only one of the ten compartments in the hotel's cellars withstood the blast. Trapped within it were four men. This is their story, from beginning to end...

OPERATION CRUCIBLE premiered at London's renowned new writing theater, The Finborough, in 2015. The play, Knowles' first, won wide critical acclaim for its "taut, atmospheric study of masculinity, pressureand pride" (The Times, London). Knowles received an OffWestEnd nomination for Most Promising New Playwright for this "hauntingly eloquent" (New York Times) and "remarkable" (The Guardian) production.

59E59 audiences will remember Kieran Knowles from his turn as Dezzie in Richard Bean's Toast from Brits Off Broadway, 2016. He returns to Brits, as both an actor and acclaimed playwright, withOPERATION CRUCIBLE. On stage, Mr. Knowles is joined by actors Salvatore D'Aquilla (War Horse for the National Theatre/West End), Chris McCurry (Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme for Headlong Theatre), and James Wallwork (31 Hours for the Bunker Theater).

The design team includes Sophia Simensky (production design); Seth Rook-Williams (lighting design); and Dan Foxsmith (sound design). The production stage manager is Sofia Montgomery.

Kieran Knowles (playwright) completed the Royal Court Young Writers' Programme in 2008. His playwright credits include: Chicken Soup (Sheffield Crucible Theatre), Comet (The Pleasance Theatre), 31 Hours (Bunker Theatre; OffWestEnd nomination for Most Promising New Playwright), Operation Crucible(Finborough Theatre, Sheffield Crucible Theatre and UK Tour; OffWestEnd nomination for Most Promising New Playwright). He is currently adapting Operation Crucible for BBC Radio 4.

Bryony Shanahan (director) is Associate Artistic Director of The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and is co-artistic director of multi-award winning Snuff Box Theatre. She trained on the National Theatre Studio Directors Course and at East 15 Acting School. In 2016 she won the Genesis Future Directors award and directed trade at the Young Vic. Directing includes Chicken Soup (Sheffield Crucible); Operation Crucible (Finborough Theatre, Sheffield Crucible and UK tour); Weald (Finborough Theatre); Nothing (Royal Exchange, winner of Manchester Theatre Award); Bitch Boxer (Soho Theatre, national tour, Adelaide Fringe Festival); Boys Will Be Boys (Women Centre Stage, National Theatre); Chapel Street (National Tour) and You and Me (Greenwich Theatre and National Tour). Bryony has worked as Associate Director on Labour of Love in the West End (Headlong/Michael Grandage); Salomé and Our Country's Good (National Theatre); Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Headlong/Abbey Theatre); The Skriker (Royal Exchange Theatre); and as a Connections Director for the National Theatre's Connections Festival.

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