Playwrights Horizons Kicks Off Lottery for First Preview of Julia Cho's AUBERGINE

Playwrights Horizons begins accepting entries today, Monday, August 8, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their New York premiere production of AUBERGINE, a new play by Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner Julia Cho (BFE at Playwrights, The Language Archive, The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Architecture of Loss). Directed by Kate Whoriskey (Fabulation, Inked Baby at Playwrights; The Miracle Worker on Broadway; Ruined; Her Requiem), the play is the opening production of the theater company's 2016/2017 Season.

The LIVEforFIVE lottery for AUBERGINE will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday evening, August 19 at 8PM at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street). The production has an Opening Night set for Monday, September 12 and will play a limited engagement through Sunday, October 2.

A ticketing initiative created in 2007 as part of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes a limited number of $5 tickets available for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website (www.phnyc.org).

Details for the LIVEforFIVE lottery are as follows: beginning today, Monday, August 8 at 12 Noon, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.phnyc.org. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, August 11 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Thursday, August 11 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email to a limited standby list starting at 12 Noon on Friday, August 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased by winners for $5 each.

The cast of AUBERGINE features Tim Kang (Kimball Cho on "The Mentalist," "The Vampire Diaries," Aubergine at Berkeley Rep, Richard II at A.R.T.), Sue Jean Kim (Assistance, The Drunken City, BFE at Playwrights; Water by the Spoonful), Jessica Love (Broadway's The River, The Snow Geese, Grace), Stephen Park ("The Mindy Project," "Person of Interest," "Elementary"), Obie Award winner Michael Potts (Grey Gardens; Mud, River, Stone at Playwrights; The Book of Mormon; The America Play, "True Detective") and Joseph Steven Yang (Aubergine at Berkeley Rep, Eden, Deface).

A man (Mr. Kang) shares a bowl of berries, and a young woman (Ms. Kim) falls in love. A world away, a mother prepares a bowl of soup to keep her son (Mr. Park) from leaving home. And a son (Mr. Park) cooks a meal for his dying father (Mr. Kang) to say everything that words can't. In Julia Cho's poignant and lyrical new play, the making of a perfect meal is an expression more precise than language, and the medium through which life gradually reveals itself.

The production will feature scenic design by Tony Award winner Derek McLane, costume design by Jennifer Moeller, lighting design by Tony Award winner Peter Kaczorowski and sound design by M.L. Dogg. Production Stage Manager is Cole P. Bonenberger.

The performance schedule for AUBERGINE will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 PM & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM. The Thursday evening, September 15 performance has an early 7PM curtain for a special 30&Under Night. Single tickets, $75-90, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com and www.Facebook.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).

Also reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer 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.

LIVEforFIVE and HOTtix are two 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.

Currently playing at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater is the hit Playwrights Horizons and Clubbed Thumb co-production of MEN ON BOATS by Jacklyn Backhaus, directed by Will Davis (now extended through August 21). Following the special presentation of MEN ON BOATS and 2016/2017 season opener AUBERGINE, the season will continue with A LIFE, the world premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Adam Bock, directed by two-time Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman (previews begin September 30); RANCHO VIEJO, the world premiere of a new play by Dan LeFranc, directed by three-time Obie Award winner Daniel Aukin and commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with the support of the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust (previews begin November 11); THE LIGHT YEARS, the world premiere of a new play written by Drama Desk Award winner Hannah Bos and Obie Award winner Paul Thureen, directed and developed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler, made by The Debate Society (previews begin February 17); THE PROFANE, the world premiere of a new play by Zayd Dohrn, directed by Kip Fagan (previews begin March 17) and BELLA: AN AMERICAN TALL TALE, the co-world premiere of a new musical with book, music and lyrics by Obie Award winner Kirsten Childs, directed by two-time Obie Award winner Robert O'Hara and commissioned by Playwrights Horizons through the Musicals in Partnership Initiative with funds provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (previews begin May 19). This production will first be staged at Dallas Theatre Center this fall.

Subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2016/2017 Season are now on sale: 6-show Subscription package ($288, four Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater Productions); FlexPass (4+ tickets, $55 per ticket); and Membership ($60 membership fee + one ticket at $45 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, season package holders 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 $560 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.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Julia Cho (Playwright). At Playwrights Horizons: BFE (Long Wharf Theatre co-production). Her other plays include Office Hour, The Language Archive, The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Winchester House, The Architecture of Loss and 99 Histories. Her work has been produced in New York at Roundabout Theatre Company, The Public Theater, The Vineyard Theatre and New York Theatre Workshop, and regionally at theaters such as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, South Coast Repertory and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Honors include the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Barrie Stavis Award, the Claire Tow Award for Emerging Artists and the L. Arnold Weissberger Award for Playwriting. She has also been the recipient of a New York Foundation for The Arts grant, a Van Lier Fellowship from New York Theatre Workshop and residences at Hedgebrook, the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Sundance Theatre Lab and the MacDowell Colony. Julia is an alumna of Amherst College, New York University, The Juilliard School and New Dramatists.

Kate Whoriskey (Director). At Playwrights Horizons: Fabulation, Inked Baby. Other New York credits include the recent Her Requiem at LCT3, The Miracle Worker on Broadway, Dear Elizabeth at The Women's Project, Tales from Red Vienna and Ruined at Manhattan Theatre Club (Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel nominations), How I Learned to Drive at Second Stage Theatre, The Piano Teacher at the Vineyard Theatre, Oroonoko at TFANA and Massacre at the LAByrinth Theatre Company (of which she is a member). Recent Regional credits include Lynn Nottage's Sweat at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage.

Tim Kang (Ray). Playwrights Horizons debut. NYC Theater: The Dumb Waiter, Baghdad Burning, Tempodyssey, 100 Aspects of the Moon, Glow, Masha No Home, Museum. Regional: world premiere of Aubergine (Berkeley Rep). Film: Traces, Rambo, What Remains, The Forgotten, Two Weeks Notice. TV: Kimball Cho on "The Mentalist," Oscar on "The Vampire Diaries," "Criminal Minds," "The Unit," "The Office," "Monk," "The Sopranos," "Chappelle's Show."

Sue Jean Kim (Cornelia). Playwrights Horizons: Assistance, The Drunken City, BFE. Off-Broadway: 10 out of 12 (Soho Rep.), Water by the Spoonful (Second Stage), The Hallway Trilogy (Rattlestick). Regional: The Chinese Room (Williamstown). Film: Maggie's Plan, James White, Bachelorette. TV: "Girls," "Elementary," "Falling Water," "High Maintenance," "Delocated," "Cop Show," "Alpha House," "Nurse Jackie." MFA: NYU.

Jessica Love (Diane/Hospital Worker). Playwrights Horizons debut. Broadway: The River, The Snow Geese, Grace. Off-Broadway: The Rivals (Pearl), Bottom of the World (Atlantic). Regional: As You Like It, Measure for Measure (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); The Moors (Yale Rep); Anna Christie (Old Globe); Bachelorette (Studio Theater); Map of Heaven, When Tang Met Laika (Denver Center). Training: Juilliard. She's also a children's book author and illustrator.

Stephen Park (Ray's Father). Playwrights Horizons debut. Off-Broadway: Aunt Dan and Lemon, Eating Chicken Feet, The New Paradigm, Paternity. Regional: East of Eden, Dumb Waiter, Ivanov, A Language of Their Own, Big Hunk O' Burnin' Love. Film: The Gambler, Snowpiercer, A Serious Man, State of Play, Fargo, Falling Down, Kindergarten Cop, Do the Right Thing. TV: "Person of Interest," "The Mindy Project," "Elementary," "White Collar," "Law & Order."

Michael Potts (Lucien). Playwrights Horizons: Grey Gardens; Mud, River, Stone. Broadway: The Book of Mormon, Lennon. Off-Broadway: Mother Courage, The Tempest, Richard III, Arms and the Man, The Persians, Cabin in the Sky, The America Play, Twelfth Night, Rent. Film/TV: Conspiracy Theory, Stonewall, The Peacemaker, "True Detective," "The Wire," "Damages," "Gotham." Obie, Grammy awards. Kennedy Center Fellow. Graduate: Yale School of Drama.

Joseph Steven Yang (Uncle). Playwrights Horizons debut. Regional: Aubergine (Berkeley Rep); A Single Shard, Tibet Through the Red Box (Seattle Children's Theatre); Take Me Out (Mixed Blood Theatre); Making Tracks (Village Theater); A Language of Their Own, A Chorus Line (Repertory Actors Theater) Film: Eden, Behind Enemy Lines II, Alien Raiders, BFE, A Life That Matters, Kissing Cousins, Deface. TV: "Gilmore Girls," "Zoey 101."

Playwrights Horizons is dedicated to cultivating the most important American Playwrights, composers and lyricists, as well as developing and producing their bold new plays and musicals. Under Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, Playwrights builds upon its diverse and renowned body of work, counting 400 writers among its artistic roster. In addition to its onstage work each season, Playwrights' singular commitment to nurturing American theater artists guides all of the institution's multifaceted initiatives: our acclaimed New Works Lab, a robust commissioning program, an innovative curriculum at its Theater School and more. Playwrights has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including six Pulitzer Prizes, 13 Tony Awards and 39 Obie Awards. Prior artistic directors include André Bishop and Don Scardino. Robert Moss founded Playwrights Horizons in 1971 and oversaw its first decade, cementing the mission that continues to guide the institution today.

Notable productions include six Pulitzer Prize winners - Annie Baker's The Flick (2013 Obie Award, 2013 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize), Bruce Norris's Clybourne Park (2012 Tony Award, Best Play), Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004 Tony Award, Best Play), Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles (1989 Tony Award, Best Play), Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George - as well as Ms. Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation (three 2010 Obie Awards including Best New American Play); Lisa D'Amour's Detroit (2013 Obie Award, Best New American Play); Samuel D. Hunter's The Whale (2013 Lortel Award, Best Play); Kirsten Greenidge's Milk Like Sugar (2012 Obie Award); Jordan Harrison's Marjorie Prime (2015 Pulitzer finalist); Lucas Hnath's The Christians (2016 Obie Award, 2016 Outer Critics Circle Award, 2015 Kesselring Prize); Robert O'Hara's Bootycandy (two 2015 Obie Awards); Taylor Mac's Hir; Danai Gurira's Familiar; Anne Washburn's Mr. Burns, a post-electric play; Sarah Ruhl's Stage Kiss and Dead Man's Cell Phone; Gina Gionfriddo's Rapture, Blister, Burn; Dan LeFranc's The Big Meal; Amy Herzog's The Great God Pan and After the Revolution; Bathsheba Doran's Kin; Adam Bock's A Small Fire; Edward Albee's Me, Myself & I; Melissa James Gibson's This (2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize finalist); Doug Wright, Scott Frankel and Michael Korie's Grey Gardens (three 2007 Tony Awards); Craig Lucas's Prayer For My Enemy and Small Tragedy (2004 Obie Award, Best American Play); Adam Rapp's Kindness; Lynn Nottage's Fabulation (2005 Obie Award for Playwriting); Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero; David Greenspan's She Stoops to Comedy (2003 Obie Award); Kirsten Childs's The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin (2000 Obie Award); Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey's James Joyce's The Dead (2000 Tony Award, Best Book); Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's Assassins; William Finn's March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland; Christopher Durang's Betty's Summer Vacation and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You; Richard Nelson's Goodnight Children Everywhere; Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty's Once on This Island; Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire; Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room; A.R. Gurney's Later Life; Adam Guettel and Tina Landau's Floyd Collins; and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's Violet.

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