THE FEARS, A New Play By Emma Sheanshang, Will Premiere Off-Broadway in April

Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Steven Soderbergh will make his New York City theatrical producing debut with the World Premiere of The Fears, a new play by Emma Sheanshang, and directed by Dan Algrant. Five-time Tony Award winner John N. Hart Jr. serves as Executive Producer.

The production will begin performances on April 25, 2023 and open May 18, 2023 Off-Broadway at The Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street) for a limited engagement. Casting will be announced in coming weeks. Tickets go on sale today at 10:00 AM at Telecharge.com.

"I'd never entertained the idea of producing a play until I read Emma Sheanshang's The Fears," said Soderbergh. "Her unique voice and specific blend of character, emotion, and story left me feeling 'PEOPLE SHOULD REALLY SEE THIS,' and so the adventure begins now."

Every week at a Buddhist center in New York City, a diverse group of fractured souls share a commitment to eccentric yet restorative teachings providing solace from their personal turmoil. When their newest member shows up without knowing the rules, it sets off heated confrontations and deep meditations on how finding peace in a city of millions can be insanely hilarious.

Scenic design is by Jo Winiarski (HYPROV, Accidentally Brave). Costume design is by David C. Robinson (The Equalizer, The Perks of Being a Wallflower). Lighting design is by Tony Award winner Jeff Croiter (Peter and the Starcatcher, Cost of Living). Sound design is by Jane Shaw (I Was Most Alive With You, Men on Boats).

Production Stage Manager is Thom Gates. Casting is by Avy Kaufman and Daniel Franel, Avy Kaufman Casting. Production Management is by Sightline Productions. General management is by DR Theatrical Management.

Performance schedule is Tuesday through Friday at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 8:00 pm, with matinees Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm.

Steven Soderbergh (Producer) is a writer, director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. He most recently directed this year's Magic Mike's Last Dance, as well as the forthcoming HBO Max limited series "Full Circle." He earned the Academy Award in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich; and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for his 2013 HBO film "Behind the Candelabra." Soderbergh earlier received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, his feature film directorial debut. That film also won the Palme d'Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. Soderbergh has also worked as a theatrical director, creating and directing the play Tot Mom at the Sydney Theatre Company in December 2009; as well as directing the world premiere of Scott Z. Burns' play The Library at New York's Public Theater in April 2014.

Emma Sheanshang (Playwright) is a playwright and screenwriter from New York City. Her first play, Every Girl Gets Her Man, was performed at the Soho Playhouse. Greetings from Tim Buckley, a film she co-wrote with director Dan Algrant, starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

Dan Algrant (Director) is a film director and writer. His films include Greetings from Tim Buckley (Focus World/Tribeca), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, Naked in New York (Fine Line Features) and People I Know starring Al Pacino (Miramax Films). Dan has also directed HBO's Emmy winning "Sex and the City" and award-winning short films including Some Film Chopping Wood. He directed the documentary Anything for Jazz about piano legend Jaki Byard, executive produced How to Grow a Bandabout prodigy mandolinist Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers and acted in Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience and Let Them All Talk with Meryl Streep, Candace Bergen and Lucas Hedges. Current directing projects include the film Little Rootie Tootie, executive produced by Whoopi Goldberg; and Cathedrals, a documentary spanning nearly fifty years of the lives of two young men living in the Cathedral Housing projects in Boston, MA.

Evamere Entertainment (Producer). John N. Hart Jr. has produced critically acclaimed feature films and award-winning theatrical productions for over four decades, garnering him five Tony Awards. Broadway credits include The Who's Tommy, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Guys and Dolls starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince, The Glass Menagerie starring Cherry Jones, Once, The Band's Visit and The Sound Inside. Hart's 20-plus films include Boys Don't Cry, You Can Count on Me, Proof and Revolutionary Road.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42ndStreet designed by Frank Gehry Architects to host Signature's three distinct playwrights' residencies and foster a cultural community. The Center is a major contribution to New York City's cultural landscape and provides a venue for cultural organizations that supports and encourages collaboration among artists throughout the space. In addition to its three intimate theatres, the Center features a studio theatre, rehearsal studio, a bookstore, and the Signature Café + Bar, open to the public Tuesdays -Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.

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