Playwrights Horizons Now Accepting Lottery Entries for $5 tickets to 1st Preview of RANCHO VIEJO

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) begins accepting entries today, Monday, October 31, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their world premiere production of Rancho Viejo, a new play by Dan LeFranc (The Big Meal at Playwrights, Sixty Miles to Silver Lake, In the Labyrinth) and directed by three-time Obie Award winner Daniel Aukin (Placebo, This at Playwrights; Fool for Love; Bad Jews; 4000 Miles; [sic]). Commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, Rancho Viejo will be the third production of the theater company's 2016/2017 Season.

The LIVEforFIVE lottery for Rancho Viejo will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday evening, November 11 at 8PM at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street). The production has an Opening Night set for Tuesday, December 6 at 6:30 PM and will play a limited engagement through Friday, December 23.

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, October 31 at 12 Noon, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.phnyc.org/L45. Entries will be accepted until Thursday, November 3 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Thursday, November 3 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, November 4 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased by winners for $5 each.

The cast of Rancho Viejo features Ruth Aguilar (The Orientation, CNN's "The Hunt"), Obie Award winner Mark Blum (After the Revolution, Gus and Al, Table Settings at Playwrights; Broadway's The Assembled Parties, The Best Man; "Mozart in the Jungle"), Bill Buell (On the Bum, Kin at Playwrights; Broadway's Cyrano de Bergerac, The History Boys; "Boardwalk Empire"), Ethan Dubin (Shear Madness, Regionally in The Whale, John Guare's His Girl Friday), seven-time Emmy Award nominee Julia Duffy (Broadway's Once in a Lifetime, Stephanie Vanderkellen on "Newhart," Allison Sugarbaker on "Designing Women," "Looking," "Scream Queens"), Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk; The America Play; The Piano Lesson; "House of Cards"; "Orange Is the New Black"), Lusia Strus (The Retributionists at Playwrights, Enron, 50 First Dates, Estelle on "Good Behavior"), Academy Award and Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award winner Mare Winningham (After the Revolution at Playwrights, Georgia, Casa Valentina, "George Wallace") and Mark Zeisler (A View From the Bridge, Piece of My Heart, eurydice, "The Americans" ), as well as the canine talents of Marti (Annie, The Open House).

We never meet young Richie and Lonna, whose marriage is on the rocks. But miles and miles away, in the affluent southwestern suburb where their parents live, this couple's separation is disturbing the tranquility of a community they've barely met. In Dan LeFranc's comedy of anxiety and awkward neighbors, the residents of Rancho Viejo drift from one gathering to the next, wrestling life's grandest themes while fending off existential despair - set against the lustful, yearning strains of a distant bolero.

The production will feature scenic design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Jessica Pabst, lighting design by Matt Frey and sound design by Tony Award winner Leon Rothenberg. Animals by Tony Award-winning William Berloni Theatrical Animals. Production stage manager is Kyle Gates.

RANCHO VIEJO was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with the support of the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Special thanks to the Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation for its generous support of Rancho Viejo.

The performance schedule for Rancho Viejo will be will be Tuesdays through Thursdays at 7PM, Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2 & 8PM and Sundays at 2 & 7:30 PM. There are added Monday performances on November 21, December 5 and December 19, all at 7PM. Single tickets, $49-89, 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 A LIFE, the world premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Adam Bock, directed by two-time Obie Award winner Anne Kauffman (extended through November 27). Following A LIFE and Rancho Viejo, the 2016/2017 Season will continue with 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).

Subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2016/2017 Season are now on sale: 5-show Subscription beginning with A LIFE ($240, three Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp productions); 4-show Subscription beginning with Rancho Viejo ($195, three Mainstage and one Peter Jay Sharp 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, 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.