Playwrights Horizons' Extends HIR Into 2016

Due to critical acclaim and popular demand, Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced a third and final extension of their hit New York premiere production of Hir, a new play by Obie Award-winning theater artist Taylor Mac (A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, The Lily's Revenge, The Walk Across America for Mother Earth, The Be(a)st of Taylor Mac, The Young Ladies Of). Directed by theater director and performance artist Niegel Smith (Artistic Director of The Flea), Hir is the second production of the theater company's 2015/2016 Season.

Originally announced to extend its limited engagement before previews even began, the production announced a second extension (through December 20) following rave reviews. Hir will now extend two additional weeks to Sunday, January 3 at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street). This is the final extension possible. The production began previews Friday, October 16 and had its official opening on Sunday, November 8.

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times named Hir a Critics' Pick, praising it as, "A sensational - in all senses of the word - dark comedy by the immensely gifted Taylor Mac, about an American family in crisis. You have to see it to believe it. A crackling production directed by Niegel Smith with a daring combination of realism and madcap absurdity. A ferocious performance by Kristine Nielsen, taking her bravura comic persona to savage new extremes. Wild, woolly and unforgettable." Hilton Als in The New Yorker praised the trinity of "Nielsen's pained and profound performance, Mac's brilliant script and Smith's sensitive direction." Tom Sellar in The Village Voice proclaimed it, "Trailblazing. Hir marks a thematic advance for American theater, thoughtfully cataloging 21st-century cultural anxieties about gender, religion, illness and economics. Paradigm shift!" Adam Feldman of Time Out New York also named it a Critic Pick and gave it FOUR STARS, calling it a "Dizzying, theatrical tilt-a-whirl." In New York Magazine, Jesse Green called it, "A smart new play. No one in the contemporary theater has better gender-queer bona fides, or a better sense of humor about it all." For NY1 News, David Cote called it, "Witty, impassioned and morally complex. Boldly directed by Niegel Smith, Hir is equal parts tragedy, comedy and carnival." And David Gordon for TheaterMania raved, "One of the most dangerous and ambitious works presented by a mainstream nonprofit in quite some time. A remarkable examination of gender and identity in contemporary America, Hir is an audacious, important work that won't be easily forgotten."

The celebrated cast of Hir features Tony Award nominee and two-time Obie Award winner Kristine Nielsen (Crazy Mary, Miss Witherspoon, Betty's Summer Vacation at PH; Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike; You Can't Take It With You; Why Torture Is Wrong...; Dog Opera; "Political Animals"), Daniel Oreskes (The Miracle Worker, Billy Elliott, The Revisionist), transgender teen actor Tom Phelan (Cole on ABC Family's "The Fosters") and Cameron Scoggins (Pocatello, The Big Meal at PH; Lovers).

Somewhere in the suburbs, Isaac (Scoggins) has returned from the wars to help take care of his ailing father (Oreskes), only to discover a household in revolt. The insurgent: his mom (Ms. Nielsen). Liberated from an oppressive marriage, with Isaac's newly out transgender sibling (Phelan) as her ally, she's on a crusade to dismantle the patriarchy. But in Taylor Mac's sly, subversive comedy, annihilating the past doesn't always free you from it.

The production features scenic design by three-time Tony Award nominee David Zinn, costume design by Obie Award winner Gabriel Berry, lighting design by Mike Inwood and sound design by Drama Desk Award winner Fitz Patton. Production Stage Manager is Stephen Milosevich.

The performance schedule for Hir is Tuesdays through Fridays at 7:30 PM, Saturdays at 2 & 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2 & 7PM. Single tickets, $65-80, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) and in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

The performance schedule during the two holiday extension weeks will be:

· Week of December 21: Tuesday-Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 2 & 7:30 PM,

Sunday at 2 & 7PM

· Week of December 28: Monday-Wednesday at 7:30 PM, Friday at 7:30 PM,

Saturday at 2 & 7:30 PM, Sunday at 2 & 7PM

HIR had its world premiere at Magic Theatre (San Francisco, CA) in February 2014.

As part of Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company offers HOTtix, $30 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. Cash only.

HOTtix is one 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, McGraw Hill Financial and an Anonymous Individual Donor.

Also currently on stage at Playwrights Horizons is 2015 Pulitzer Prize finalist MARJORIE PRIME, the New York premiere of a Playwrights Horizons commission by Jordan Harrison, directed by Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman (now in previews on the Mainstage, opening December 14). Following Hir and MARJORIE PRIME, the Playwrights Horizons 2015/2016 Season will continue with FAMILIAR, the New York premiere of a new play by Danai Gurira, directed by Rebecca Taichman (previews begin February 12); ANTLIA PNEUMATICA, the world premiere of a Playwrights Horizons commission by Anne Washburn, directed by two-time Obie Award winner Ken Rus Schmoll (previews begin March 11); and conclude with INDIAN SUMMER, the world premiere of a Playwrights Horizons commission by Gregory S. Moss, directed by Carolyn Cantor (previews begin May 13).

Subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2015/2016 Season are now available: 5-show Subscription package ($225, three Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater productions); FlexPass (4+ tickets, $50 per ticket); and Membership ($60 membership fee + one ticket at $45 or less for each show, as desired). The company will continue to offer 30&Under Membership (no upfront membership fee + one $25 ticket for each show, as desired); and Student Membership (no upfront membership fee + one $15 ticket for each show, as desired). In addition to discounts on all season productions, subscribers receive priority booking and seating, ticket exchange privileges, parking and dining discounts, and exclusive mailings of Playwrights Horizons bulletins. Packages are available at www.PHnyc.org now.

Patron Program Memberships begin at $1,500 (all but $550 is tax-deductible) and include two reserved house seats and personalized concierge service to all six Playwrights Horizons productions, and as well as a variety of exclusive benefits including invitations to attend special events with artists, staff and board members. Complete benefit list at www.PHnyc.org.

Playwrights Horizons' season productions are generously supported in part by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation and the Time Warner Foundation.