Theatre for a New Audience Presents MEASURE FOR MEASURE, Previews 2/6

Arin Arbus, the director of last season's Theatre for a New Audience production of Othello, will direct the Bard's provocative, funny and modern comedy, Measure for Measure, for a limited engagement that begins previews Saturday, February 6, for an opening Sunday, February 14, at 7:00pm. Theatre for a New Audience's Measure for Measure runs through March 14 at The Duke on 42nd StreetSM, a New 42nd Street® project, 229 West 42nd Street.

Jefferson Mays, who in 2004 received Tony, Drama Desk, Obie, Lucille Lortel, Theatre World and, Drama League awards for his performance in I Am My Own Wife, is The Duke. Elisabeth Waterston, who has performed Shakespeare for Theatre for a New Audience, Classic Stage Company, and the New York Shakespeare Festival, is Isabella. Rocco Sisto, winner of two Obies and a veteran of ten New York Shakespeare Festival productions, is Angelo.

When Ms. Arbus, Theatre for a New Audience's Associate Artistic Director, staged last season's Othello, Charles Isherwood of the New York Times wrote, "Ms. Arbus allows this most taut and tense of Shakespeare's tragedies to weave its inexorable spell simply by letting the language breathe and the drama unfold at a quietly accelerating rhythm. She gets out of Shakespeare's way, in other words, but this is only the reward of much intelligent care and hard work. You get the sense that each moment in the play has been thought through, line by line and even step by step, with the result that every scene achieves its purpose with a trenchant simplicity."

Arin Arbus, Theatre for a New Audience's Associate Artistic Director, was nominated for a Lortel Award last season for Othello and was a 2008 Princess Grace Award Recipient. She was a member of Soho Rep's Writer/Director Lab, a Playwrights Horizons Directing Resident, a Williamstown Workshop Directing Corps Member and a Drama League Directing Fellow. This past summer, at the invitation of Bartlett Sher, she directed Theatre for a New Audience's production of Othello at the Intiman Theatre. She has also directed for Hangar Theatre, Theatre Outlet, FringeNYC, Storm Theatre, HERE Arts Center, Juilliard and Williamstown Workshop. In association with Rehabilitation Through the Arts, Arbus also leads a theatre company of inmates at Woodbourne Correctional Facility - a medium security prison in upstate New York.

"Of all the plays in Shakespeare's canon, Measure for Measure is the most contemporary" said Jeffrey Horowitz, Artistic Director, Theatre for a New Audience. "Among many themes, the play explores whether morality can be legislated, religion, sexuality, marriage, justice and hypocrisy. Measure for Measure was one of George Bernard Shaw's favorites for in it, he felt Shakespeare showed life as it is. This is the third time we have mounted the play. In 2005, we presented The Globe Theatre of London's production starring Mark Rylance and in 1996, Barry Kyle staged the play for us starring Bill Camp. It's a wonderful play for an ensemble for its characters are articulate and one of its chief weapons is humor."

Also in Measure for Measure are Samara Bay, Alyssa Bresnahan, Joe Forbrich, John Christopher Jones, John Keating, Robert Langdon Lloyd, LeRoy McClain, Alfredo Narciso, Mary Testa, Graham Winton and Rose Seccareccia.

The production team includes from Othello, Peter Ksander (sets); Marcus Doshi (lights); Sarah Pickett (original music) who are joined by David Zinn (costumes) Jane Shaw (sound design); and John Caraffa (movement). The company voice's work will be done by Cicely Berry (Director of Voice, Royal Shakespeare Company) and Robert Neff Williams.

Single tickets are $75 and may be purchased via phone at 646-223-3010 or via the web at in early 2010.

For ages 25 and under, $10.00 New Deal tickets may be purchased in person during box office hours at The Duke on 42nd Street or via the phone at (646) 223-3010. New Deal tickets are available for any performance, any time, one ticket per valid I.D. I.D. is required to pick up tickets at the box office.

Measure for Measure begins previews Saturday, February 6, at 8:00pm. Evening performances at 8:00pm are Tuesday through Saturday evenings except for February 23, 24, 25 and March 2, 3, 4. Sunday evening performances at 7:00pm are February 7, 14, March 14. Wednesday matinees at 2:00pm are February 17, March 10. Saturday matinees are 2:00pm on February 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13. Sunday matinees at 3:00pm are February 14, 21, 28, March 7 and 14.

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