Rebeck's OUR HOUSE At Playwrights Horizons Opens 6/9

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) presents the New York premiere of OUR HOUSE, a new play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Theresa Rebeck (The Butterfly Collection and Bad Dates at Playwrights Horizons, Broadway's Mauritius, co-author of Omnium Gatherum). A scathing new comedy that shakes up Reality TV, OUR HOUSE is the final production of the theater company's 2008/2009 Season.

Directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, plus The Credeaux Canvas and Baby Anger at Playwrights Horizons), the production began previews on Friday, May 15 with an Opening Night set for Tuesday, June 9 at 7PM. The limited engagement will run through Sunday, June 21 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

The cast features Morena Baccarin (TV's "Firefly" and "Stargate SG-1"), Katie Kreisler (Psych at Playwrights Horizons, Gone Missing, "Medium"), Stephen Kunken (Rock ‘N Roll, Frost/Nixon and Proof on Broadway, Fabulation at Playwrights Horizons), Mandy Siegfried (Refuge at Playwrights Horizons, Blackbird, Stupid Kids), Jeremy Strong (Frank's Home at Playwrights Horizons, A Man for All Seasons on Broadway, Lortel nomination for New Jerusalem), Haynes Thigpen (Misalliance at Roundabout) and Obie Award winner Christopher Evan Welch (The Pain and the Itch at Playwrights Horizons, A Streetcar Named Desire at NYTW, The Marriage of Bette and Boo at Roundabout).

Are news and entertainment interchangeable? A cocksure TV bigshot (Christopher Evan Welch) faced with dwindling ratings installs America's favorite news anchor (Morena Baccarin) as host of a popular reality show. Meanwhile, in Middle America, a houseful of roommates bickers over high-stakes real-world conflicts: Merv (Jeremy Strong) doesn't clean the bathroom. Someone ate Alice's (Katie Kreisler) yogurt. And the rent is long past due. When reality collides with reality TV, we find ourselves front and center in a drama that holds the nation riveted. OUR HOUSE is a deliciously scathing new comedy that takes on a media-obsessed culture intent on turning even the most sobering crisis into sexy entertainment.

The production will feature scenic design by Tony Award nominee Derek McLane, costume design by Tony Award winner Susan Hilferty, lighting design by Tony Award winner Kenneth Posner and sound design by Darron L West. Production Stage Manager is James FitzSimmons.

Playwrights Horizons' 2008/2009 Season is generously supported by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust. Major support for OUR HOUSE was provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, Charina Endowment Fund, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and Time Warner Inc.

The performance schedule for OUR HOUSE will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. There will be an additional Monday night performance on June 8 at 8PM. Tickets, $65, may be purchased online via TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

A ticketing initiative created last season as part of the theater company's Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes available $5 tickets for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for OUR HOUSE will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday, May 15 at 8 PM. Details for the lottery are as follows: beginning Wednesday, May 6 at 10 AM, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.playwrightshorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Monday, May 11 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3:00 PM on Monday, May 11 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email starting at 12 Noon on Tuesday, May 12 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. At least 50 tickets will be available for Mainstage shows via the lottery.

Reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $20 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. STUDENT RUSH, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

LIVEforFIVE, HOTtix and STUDENT RUSH are some 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. Playwrights Horizons is grateful to The Bank of American Charitable Foundation, lead sponsor of Arts Access at Playwrights Horizons. This program is also supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, McGraw-Hill Companies and the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation.

A special open captioned performance of OUR HOUSE for theatergoers who are deaf and hard of hearing will be held on Sunday, May 31 at 2:30 PM. Funding for this program is provided, in part, by the Theodore H. Barth Foundation and the Theatre Development Fund's TAP Plus program in cooperation with the New York State Council on the Arts.

How to order tickets for the open captioned performance:

? Online: log on to www.playwrightshorizons.org

? Phone: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 421-1220

? TTY: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 662-1220

? By fax: a printable order form may be found online at www.playwrightshorizons.org/tickets.html

In addition, special Post-Performance Discussions with members of the cast and creative team will take place immediately after the following three performances: Wednesday evening, May 20 at 8PM, Wednesday evening, May 27 at 8PM and Sunday matinee, June 7 at 2:30 PM.

For subscription and ticket information to all Playwrights Horizons productions, call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8PM daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org

 

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