THE WHIRLIGIG Begins Previews Tonight at The New Group

The New Group proudly presents Hamish Linklater's The Whirligig, with Noah Bean, Norbert Leo Butz, Jon DeVries, Alex Hurt, Zosia Mamet, Jonny Orsini, Grace Van Patten and Dolly Wells, in a world premiere production directed by Scott Elliott. A limited Off-Broadway engagement plays May 4 - June 11 at The Pershing Square Signature Center (The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42nd Street), with Official Opening Night on Sunday, May 21.

When, after much time away, Kristina is back in Berkshire County, word spreads fast that she and her ex-husband Michael are caring for their estranged, ailing daughter Julie. Broken-hearted and giddy with love and confusion, surprising visitors from Julie's complicated past practically trip over each other to reach the young woman they thought they'd lost years before but still feel so deeply connected to. Heartfelt and compassionate, Hamish Linklater's The Whirligig spins a tale of a fractured community weaving a circuitous route back to one another.

The Whirligig features Noah Bean, Norbert Leo Butz, Jon DeVries, Alex Hurt, Zosia Mamet, Jonny Orsini, Grace Van Patten and Dolly Wells. This production features Scenic Design by Derek McLane, Costume Design by Clint Ramos, Lighting Design by Jeff Croiter, Sound Design by M.L. Dogg, Original Music by Duncan Sheik, Special Effects Design by Jeremy Chernick and Fight Direction by UnkleDave's Fight-House. Production Stage Manager is Valerie A. Peterson. Casting is by Judy Henderson, CSA.

The New Group's 2016-2017 season launched with Sweet Charity, choreographed by Joshua Bergasse, directed by Leigh Silverman and starring Sutton Foster, which enjoyed three extensions; and continued with the U.S. premiere of Wallace Shawn's Evening at the Talk House, directed by Scott Elliott, featuring Matthew Broderick, Jill Eikenberry, John Epperson, Larry Pine, Wallace Shawn, Claudia Shear, Annapurna Sriram and Michael Tucker; and the world premiere production of All the Fine Boys, written and directed by Erica Schmidt, with Abigail Breslin, Isabelle Fuhrman, Joe Tippett and Alex Wolff. This world premiere of Hamish Linklater's The Whirligig concludes the company's 2016-2017 season.

Tickets for The Whirligig start at $75. General schedule: Tuesday - Friday at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2:00 & 8:00pm, and Sunday at 2:00pm, with Wednesday matinee performances at 2:00pm on May 24, May 31, June 7. For tickets & info, please visit www.thenewgroup.org. Tickets can also be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, or in person at 416 West 42nd Street (12-8pm daily).

The Whirligig was developed with the support of New York Stage and Film.
The Whirligig is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Whirligig is generously supported by the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater.

All the Fine Boys by Erica Schmidt and The Whirligig by Hamish Linklater were developed through The New Group/New Works play development program.
The New Group is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. The New Group's productions are made possible, in part, by New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

The New Group (Scott Elliott, Artistic Director; Adam Bernstein, Executive Director) is an award-winning, artist-driven company with a commitment to developing and producing powerful, contemporary theater. While constantly evolving, the company strives to maintain an ensemble approach to all its work and an articulated style of emotional immediacy in its productions. In this way, The New Group seeks a theater that is adventurous, stimulating and most importantly "now," a true forum for the present culture.

In summer 2016, The New Group was represented in the West End by the acclaimed production of Jesse Eisenberg's The Spoils, and more recently, by the company's hit production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, starring Ed Harris and Amy Madigan (November 14, 2016 - March 4, 2017). For his performance, Ed Harris received a 2017 Olivier Award nomination in the Best Actor category. Director Scott Elliott helmed both productions at London's Trafalgar Studios, presented by Lisa Matlin and Adam Speers for Ambassador Theatre Group.

The New Group's 2015-2016 Season featured the Off-Broadway premiere of Philip Ridley's Mercury Fur, directed by Scott Elliott, a Critics' Pick in The New York Times; Steve, the critically-acclaimed world premiere of a new play by Mark Gerrard, directed by Cynthia Nixon, which enjoyed an extended run; the twice-extended hit production of Sam Shepard's Buried Child, directed by Scott Elliott, with Taissa Farmiga, Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Larry Pine, Rich Sommer, Paul Sparks and Nat Wolff; and the New York premiere of Justin Kuritzkes' The Sensuality Party, developed through The New Group's New Group/New Works play development program and performed at college campuses across all five boroughs of New York City.

The New Group celebrated its 20th Anniversary during the 2014-2015 Season, which included David Rabe's Sticks and Bones, directed by Scott Elliott, with Holly Hunter, and Bill Pullman; Joel Drake Johnson's Rasheeda Speaking, with Tonya Pinkins and Dianne Wiest, helmed by Cynthia Nixon; and the world premiere of Jesse Eisenberg's The Spoils, directed by Scott Elliott, with Jesse Eisenberg and Kunal Nayyar.

Other notable productions include Ecstasy, This is Our Youth, Aunt Dan and Lemon, Hurlyburly, Abigail's Party, Rafta, Rafta..., The Starry Messenger, A Lie of the Mind, Blood From a Stone, Marie and Bruce, The Jacksonian, Intimacy and many more. The company has received nearly 100 awards and nominations for excellence. The New Group is a recipient of the 2004 Tony Award for Best Musical (Avenue Q). In 2011, The Kid received five Drama Desk nominations and the Outer Critics Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. That year, The New Group and Scott Elliott were honored with a Drama Desk Special Award "for presenting contemporary new voices, and for uncompromisingly raw and powerful productions."
Lisa Matlin (Producer) has credits including: Broadway: Pippin (four Tony awards/Best Musical Revival, five Drama Desk Awards) and currently Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812; The West End: Buried Child, The Spoils; Off-Broadway: The Jacksonian, Sticks and Bones, Buried Child, The Spoils, The Great Comet of 1812; Documentaries: (Director/Producer) Living with Tourette's, (Associate Producer) For the Love of Art. She also serves on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of The New Group.

The Pershing Square Signature Center, the permanent home of Signature Theatre, is a three-theatre facility on West 42nd Street 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 from noon-midnight Tuesdays-Sundays. For more information on renting the Center, please visit www.signaturetheatre.org/rentals.

Photo credit: Erik Carter