Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages Open LIVEforFIVE Ticket Lottery for THE CALL; Previews Begin 3/22

Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages begin accepting entries today, Wednesday, March 13, for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery for $5 tickets to their World Premiere co-production of The Call. The new play by Tanya Barfield (Blue Door at Playwrights Horizons/PH) is directed by two-time Obie Award winner Leigh Silverman (Go Back to Where You Are and Blue Door at PH; Hunting and Gathering at Primary Stages/PS; Golden Child, Chinglish, Well, In the Wake).

The LIVEforFIVE lottery for The Call will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday evening, March 22 at 7:30 PM at Playwrights Horizons' Peter Jay Sharp Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

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.PlaywrightsHorizons.org).

Details for the LIVEforFIVE lottery are as follows: beginning today at 12 Noon, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Monday, March 18 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Monday, March 18 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 Tuesday, March 19 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. Up to 40 tickets will be available for Peter Jay Sharp shows via the lottery.

The cast of The Call will feature Kelly AuCoin (Happy Now?, Boy, The Two of Us at PS, Radiance, Julius Caesar), Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler (Xanadu, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, Catch Me If You Can, Hairspray), Obie Award winner Eisa Davis (This at PH, Luck of the Irish, Passing Strange, Angela's Mix Tape, "Damages"), Theatre World Award winner Crystal A. Dickinson (Clybourne Park on Broadway and at PH, Ruined, Broke-ology) and Obie Award and Screen Actors Guild Award winner Russell G. Jones (Our Lady of 121st Street, Ruined, Traffic, "Smash"). The production will have its official opening on Sunday, April 14 at 7PM and continue as a limited engagement through Sunday, May 19.

When Annie (Ms. Butler) and Peter (Mr. AuCoin) decide to adopt, they come to set their sights on a child from Africa. But when the reality of this choice sinks in, it opens a well of uncertainty that speaks to their very identity as White Americans. Politically-charged and tack-sharp, The Call is a startling portrait of cultural divide, casting global issues into the heart of an American home.

The production features scenic design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Emily Rebholtz, lighting design by Matt Frey and sound design by Jill BC DuBoff. Production Stage Manager is Vanessa Coakley.

The Arts Access program at Playwrights Horizons allows 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 and The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Other Arts Access initiatives, both of which reflect Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, include HOTtix, $25 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.

Currently playing at Playwrights Horizons is THE FLICK, the World Premiere of a new play by Obie Award winner Annie Baker, directed by Obie Award winner Sam Gold (extended through April 7 at Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater). Following THE FLICK and The Call, the Playwrights Horizons' 2012/2013 Season will conclude with the World Premiere of a new musical FAR FROM HEAVEN (May 8 - June 30, 2013 at Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater). Featuring a book by Tony Award winner & two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Richard Greenberg, music by Tony Award nominee Scott Frankel, lyrics by Tony Award nominee Michael Korie and directed by three-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, the production features four-time Tony Award nominee Kelli O'Hara. The musical is based on the Focus Features / Vulcan Productions motion picture Far From Heaven, written and directed by Todd Haynes.

Primary Stages concludes its 28th Season with The Call, as well as the currently running 20th anniversary revival of ALL IN THE TIMING by David Ives and directed by Tony Award winner John Rando (extended through April 14 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters). Primary Stages recently announced the first three plays of their 2013/2014 season: The New York Premiere of HARBOR by Tony Award nominee Chad Beguelin, directed by Tony Award nominee Mark Lamos (July - September 2013 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters); THE YANKEES**, a World Premiere of a new play conceived by Fran Kirmser and written and directed by Tony Award nominee Eric Simonson (September - October 2013 at The Duke on 42nd Street); and a World Premiere comedy written by and starring Tony Award nominee Charles Busch and directed by Carl Andress (January - March 2014 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters). The fourth production in the Primary Stages 2013/2014 Season will be announced soon.
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Two-show Primary Stages membership packages including ALL IN THE TIMNG and The Call are still available, as well as subscription packages for the 2013/2014 season. For more information or to purchase subscriptions, visit www.PrimaryStages.org.

For ticket information to all productions at both Playwrights Horizons and Primary Stages, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8 pm daily, or purchase online at www.TicketCentral.com.