Public LAB's 'KNIVES AND OTHER SHARP OBJECTS' Opens 4/12

The Public Theater (Artistic Director Oskar Eustis; Executive Director Andrew D. Hamingson) and LAByrinth Theater Company (Artistic Director John Ortiz; Co-Artistic Director Philip Seymour Hoffman; Co-Artistic and Executive Director John Gould Rubin) began previews on Friday, March 27 for Knives and Other Sharp Objects, the third play of the 2008-2009 Public LAB season. Written by Raúl Castillo and directed by Felix Solis, Knives and Other Sharp Objects will run through Sunday, April 19.

The official press opening is tonight, Sunday, April 12. Tickets are $10 for all performances.

In Knives and Other Sharp Objects, cultures collide in Texas when two Latina sisters are shipped off to live with their more well-heeled family. A poignant story of family, coming of age, and the meaning of home. South Texan playwright Raúl Castillo is a member of The Public's inaugural Emerging Writers Group and LAByrinth Theater Company.

The cast for Knives and Other Sharp Objects features David Anzuelo ("Law & Order: SVU"), Candy Buckley (Bernarda Alba at Lincoln Center Theater), Noemi Del Rio (In The Heights on Broadway), Michael Ray Escamilla (Election Day at Second Stage), Ana Nogueira (Goodtime Charley at the York), Amanda Perez (The Little Dog Laughed at Hartford TheaterWorks), Joselin Reyes (John Patrick Shanley's A Winter Party at LAByrinth), Angelo Rosso (Killing/Play at Center Stage NYC), Jaime Tirelli (Blade to the Heat at The Public), and Ed Vassallo (Havana is Waiting at the Cherry Lane).

Knives and Other Sharp Objects features scenic design by Peter Ksander, costume design by Ilona Somogyi, lighting design by Sarah Sidman, and sound design by Bray Poor.

Public LAB is an annual series of new plays that lets New Yorkers see more of the work they love from The Public and LAByrinth Theater Company in stripped-down productions. Public LAB allows The Public Theater to support more artists, and gives audiences immediate access to new plays. The Public LAB season will also include the New York premiere of Michael Friedman and Alex Timbers' Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, and a world premiere by The Public Theater's Master Writer Chair Suzan-Lori Parks.

Raul Castillo (Playwright) is a proud member of LAByrinth Theater Company and a member of The Public's inaugural Emerging Writers Group. Knives and Other Sharp Objects is his professional playwriting debut. Three of Raúl's plays, Knives..., City of Palms, and Mission (dir. John Ortiz) have been developed in LAB's Barn Series Festival and the company's Summer Intensive. His one-act play Death on My Mind was published by Dramatic Publishing's KC-ACTF Best Student One-Acts Vol 5. Acting credits include: Cruz Angele's Don't Let Me Drown (Sundance Film Festival 2009), the feature film Amexicano (Maya Entertainment), Jose Rivera's School of the Americas (LAByrinth/The Public Theater), Mando Alvarado's Throat, Open House (Foundry Theatre), and Jose Rivera's Flowers (Ensemble Studio Theatre).

Felix Solis (Director) has appeared as an actor in LAByrinth's School of the Americas, Our Lady of 121st Street, and In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings. Other theater credits include: Salome with Al Pacino, Marisa Tomei, David Strathairn, and Dianne Wiest at the Actors Studio (member); Havana Is Waiting (Cherry Lane Theatre); Pericles (Kings County Shakespeare); Union City New Jersey Where Are You? opposite Rosie Perez, (Ensemble Studio Theater, where he is a member). Film and TV: Empire opposite John Leguizamo, Arenas/Universal Pictures, "The West Wing," "Oz," "Third Watch."

Knives and Other Sharp Objects will begin performances on Friday, March 27 and run through Sunday, April 19 with an official press opening on Sunday, April 12. The performance schedule is Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM; Saturdays at 2 PM and 8 PM; and Sundays at 2 PM and 7 PM.

The Public Theater is located at 425 Lafayette Street. All tickets are $10 and can be purchased at (212) 967-7555 or by visiting www.publictheater.org.

Photo credit: Ari Mintz

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