South Ark Stage Announces 'The Bully Pulpit' Starting 5/14

 The South Ark Stage (www.SouthArkStage.com) announces the Off-Broadway premiere of The Bully Pulpit(www.TheBullyPulpitOnStage.org), a new play about the extraordinary life and turbulent times of Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, our 26th president.  Written and performed by Michael O. Smith and directed by Byam Stevens, The Bully Pulpit begins performances on Tuesday, April 29th at 7:00PM at The Samuel Beckett Theater, (410 W. 42nd Street, between 9th & 10th Ave), with an opening night on Wednesday, May 14th at 7:30 p.m. and plays a limited engagement through Sunday, June 29, 2008. Tickets can be purchased by calling (212) 279-4200, or by visiting www.TicketCentral.com.
 
The year is 1918. The scene is in Sagamore Hill, New York, Roosevelt's beloved home.  Ten years out of office and coming to grips with his legacy, The Bully Pulpit takes the audience on a passionate journey behind Teddy's gruff exterior into the complex persona of a true American legend. Taking place on Teddy's 60th birthday, surrounded by mementos of his adventures as a rancher, Rough Rider, naturalist and President, Roosevelt re-examines the events of his colorful life from humorous and characteristically blunt perspective. 
 
The Bully Pulpit premiered at The Florida Playwrights Festival at Florida's Studio Theatre in 2004 and has played theaters throughout the country. 
 
The scenic designs are by Charlie Corcoran with lighting designs by Jill Nagle and sound design by Tom Shread.  Michael O. Smith (Writer, Actor) won three Sarasota Critics' Awards for his portrayal of Herman Goering in 2: Goering at Nuremberg. Broadway and touring credits include: Dracula, The Elephant Man, Amadeus, 1776, and a founding member of Strasberg's Mirror Repertory with Geraldine Page and Sabra Jones. TV audiences know Smith from "Evening Shade," "Murder She Wrote," "The Young and the Restless," "Days of Our Lives" and as a series regular on "B.L. Stryker," as Chief McGee with Burt Reynolds.

Byam Stevens (Director) is the Artistic Director of the Chester Theatre Company in Western Massachusetts. For CTC Byam has directed the World Premieres of: The Plains of Ilion, The Darlings, Home Fires Burning, John and Teddy. Other productions for CTC: Grace, Two Rooms, The Nina Variations, Tea For Three, An Almost Holy Picture, Valley Song, The Interrogation of Nathan Hale, Shirley Valentine, and the American Premiere of Sixteen Words For Water. Other directing credits include: the World Premiere of Carbondale Dreams by Steven Sater, The Underlings by Tom Fontana and the American Premiere of Beef by David Pownall. He is a member of Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers (SSDC).
 
South Ark Stage (Producer). Started in 2007,The South Ark Stage was founded by artistic director, Rhoda Herrick to produce exciting new voices in the theatre, as well as dynamic voices of the past.  None Of The Above was its first production last fall, and that is now followed by The Bully Pulpit, an exciting evening with Teddy Roosevelt incarnate!  Later this year, The South Ark Stage will be presenting The Black Monk, a fairy tale based on a Chekhov short story by playwright Wendy Kesselman, directed by Michael Barrakeva and featuring Austin Pendleton.