Theatre for a New Audience's A DOLL'S HOUSE Begins Previews Tonight

Previews are underway for Theatre for a New Audience's production of August Strindberg's THE FATHER in a new version by Scottish author David Greig commissioned by Theatre for a New Audience and performances start tonight, May 10, at 7:30pm for A DOLL'S HOUSE in an adaptation by Thornton Wilder not seen in New York since its Broadway premiere in 1937.

The plays, both directed by Arin Arbus, Associate Artistic Director of Theatre for a New Audience, feature Maggie Lacey as Nora in A DOLL'S HOUSE and as Laura in THE FATHER and John Douglas Thompson as Thorwald in A DOLL'S HOUSE and the Captain in THE FATHER.

The two plays will open on the same day, May 22, and are performed in rotating repertory by a single company at Polonsky Shakespeare Center, 262 Ashland Place.

Theatre for a New Audience's productions mark the first time the two plays will be presented in repertory by an English-language theatre.

Jeffrey Horowitz, Founding Artistic Director for Theatre for a New Audience, explained, "Ibsen and Strindberg were great rivals. To say they disliked each other is an understatement. Ibsen wrote A DOLL'S HOUSE first and, of course, its central character is Nora, Thorwald's wife. Strindberg wrote THE FATHER in response and its central character is Adolph, the Captain and husband to Laura. Written in the l9th century at the beginning of women's emancipation, the two plays present stark contrasts about marriage and relationships between the sexes."

Also in the company are Ruben Almash as Ivar, Nigel Gore as Dr. Rank/Dr. Ostermark, Laurie Kennedy as Anna/Margaret, Christian Mallen as Porter/Nordstrom, Kimber Monroe as Ellen/Bertha, Jayla Lavender Nicholas as Emmy, Jesse J. Perez as Krogstad/Pastor, and Linda Powell as Christina.

The creative team for both productions includes: Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez, Costume Designer Susan Hilferty, Lighting Designer Marcus Doshi, Co-Sound Designer and Composer Daniel Kluger, Co-Sound Designer Lee Kinney, Choreographer Sam Pinkleton, Props by John Knust, Fight Director J. Allen Suddeth, Dramaturg Jonathan Kalb, and Production Stage Manager Diane Healy.

Arin Arbus has directed six productions of Shakespeare for Theatre for a New Audience, including acclaimed stagings of Othello and Macbeth featuring John Douglas Thompson, as well as King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, The Taming of the Shrew, and Measure for Measure. She staged Britten's The Rape of Lucretia at Houston Grand Opera and La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Maggie Lacey was seen in Theatre for a New Audience's productions of Engaged and Andorra and on Broadway in Our Town, Inherit the Wind and Dividing the Estate. She received a Drama Desk Award for her performance in Horton Foote's The Orphans' Home Cycle at Signature Theatre. Other notable off Broadway performances include The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore, Spirit Control, and The Butterfly Collection. Film and television credits include War of the Worlds, "The Good Wife," and "Elementary."

John Douglas Thompson played the title roles in Tamburlaine the Great (2014), Othello (2009) and Macbeth (2011) at Theatre for a New Audience. Recently, he appeared in The Iceman Cometh at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and as Louis Armstrong and Joe Glaser in Satchmo at the Waldorf. On Broadway, he appeared as Carl Lee Hailey in A Time to Kill. Other memorable portrayals include Brutus Jones in The Emperor Jones; Herald Loomis in Joe Turner's Come and Gone at The Mark Taper Forum; Joe Mott in The Iceman Cometh at The Goodman; Hotspur in Henry IV at The Royal Shakespeare Company and Chicago Shakespeare Theater; and the titular role in Richard III at Shakespeare & Company. Mr. Thompson has been honored with OBIE, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel, Callaway, and AUDELCO awards.

Ruben Almash is making his stage debut in A DOLL'S HOUSE. Ruben lives with his mom and two younger brothers in Brooklyn, where in addition to acting, he dreams of becoming a forensic scientist.

Nigel Gore's recent credits include Sense and Sensibility and Seagull with Bedlam, Women of Will, Richard III (Best actor award, WestWord Denver), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf at the Public Theatre in Boston (Eliot Norton Award Outstanding Actor), Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream with Colorado Shakespeare Festival, and Julius Caesar with Orlando Shakespeare Theater. Film credits include The Last Knights.

Laurie Kennedy has been seen on Broadway in A Delicate Balance, Copenhagen, Angels in America, Major Barbara, Man and Superman, Spoils of War, and Macbeth. Off-Broadway credits include London Wall, What the Public Wants, Madras House (Mint Theatre), All's Well That Ends Well, Richard II, Richard III (TFANA), Master Builder, Recruiting Officer, He & She, and Candida, among others. She performed in a national tour of Three Tall Women, 21 seasons at Williamstown, 12 seasons at O'Neill Theatre Center and at numerous regional theatres. TV credits include "Madam Secretary," "Law & Order," "Oz," "Third Watch," "Homicide," "Love Letter," "Choices," "Perfect Tribute," and "London Wall" (PBS). Film credits include Iris, Armless, All Good Things, Kennedy, Sherlock Holmes, Winter Passing, and Path to Paradise. She has received Drama Desk & Tony nominations, a Lortel nomination, a Theatre World Award, Clarence Derwent Award, and the Fox Fellowship 1999.

Christian J. Mallen is making his stage debut at TFANA. Additional credits include the film Manchester-by-the-Sea, written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan and Larry David's HBO film Clear History. Mr. Mallen was educated at the Moscow Theatre Arts program in Cambridge, MA.

Kimber Monroe has been seen on Broadway in South Pacific (Ensemble/US Ngana and Jerome) Regional credits include The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds (Tillie). Film credits include Applesauce (Cameron). Other credits include She Kills Monsters (Agnes Evans), Macbeth (Porter). Ms. Monroe is a third year B.F.A. student at The New School.

Jayla Lavender Nicholas is making her theater debut in A DOLL'S HOUSE. Recent credits include commercials for: Zarbees, Sprout and Chiquita Banana. More at jaylalavender.com.

Jesse J. Perez has been seen recently in Informed Consent with Primary Stages; In the Penal Colony with Classic Stage Company; Recent Tragic Events with Playwrights Horizons; The Triple Happiness with Second Stage; Up Against the Wind at New York Theatre Workshop; and Lucia di Lammermoor at the Metropolitan Opera. Regional credits include work with Yale Rep., Berkeley Rep., American Repertory Theatre, The Goodman, The McCarter, and The Huntington. International credits include work at The Venice Biennale Festival and the Salzburg Festival. Television and Film credits include Person of Interest, Life on Mars, "Law & Order," American Splendor, and Enter Nowhere.

Linda Powell has been seen on Broadway in On Golden Pond and Wilder Wilder Wilder. Off-Broadway credits include The Christians, The Overwhelming, Omnium Gatherum, The Odyssey, Jar the Floor, Jitney, and Love's Labor's Lost. Regional credits include The Christians (world premiere), A DOLL'S HOUSE, Angela's Mixtape, Uncle Vanya, The Piano Lesson, Seven Guitars, and A Raisin in the Sun. Film credits include American Gangster and I Think I Love My Wife. TV credits include "The Good Wife," "Damages," and "Sex and the City."

A DOLL'S HOUSE is sponsored by Deloitte. Major support for A DOLL'S HOUSE and THE FATHER is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. Endowment support for A DOLL'S HOUSE and THE FATHER is provided by The Howard Gilman Foundation Fund for Classic Drama.

Public support for Theatre for a New Audience's Capital Campaign was provided by the City of New York through the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Council, and the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President. Leadership private support for Polonsky Shakespeare Center and Theatre for a New Audience's endowed programs has been provided by a naming gift from The Polonsky Foundation. Additional major support has been provided by Cleary, Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, The Irving Harris Foundation, Theodore C. Rogers, and the SHS Foundation. Major endowment gifts have been provided by the Elayne P. Bernstein Education Fund and The Howard Gilman Foundation.

Principal support for Theatre for a New Audience's season and programs is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Booth Ferris Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The SHS Foundation, The Thompson Family Foundation, and The Winston Foundation.

THE FATHER performs at 7:30pm on the following dates: May 1, May 3, May 12, May 17, May 19, May 21, May 25, May 27, May 29, May 31, June 2, June 4, June 8, June 10, and June 12. THE FATHER performs at 2:00pm on the following dates: May 15, May 22, May 28, June 5, and June 11.

A DOLL'S HOUSE performs at 7:30pm on the following dates: May 10, May 13, May 14, May 15, May 18, May 20, May 22, May 24, May 26, May 28, June 1, June 3, June 5, June 7, June 9, and June 11. A DOLL'S HOUSE performs at 2:00pm on the following dates: May 21, May 29, June 4, and June 12.

Single tickets for A DOLL'S HOUSE and THE FATHER are $75-85 for each production and are on sale now online at www.tfana.org, by phone at 866-811-4111, or in person at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center box office, 262 Ashland Place, Brooklyn. A limited number of premium seats for both productions are available for $100 each.

New Deal tickets for ages 30 and under or full-time students of any age are $20 for each production and can be purchased for all performances at the box office, online or over the phone for same-day performance or in advance. Theatre for a New Audience's New Deal Ticket Program is supported by Macy's.

Subscriptions for Theatre for a New Audience's 2015-2016 Season include a Flex Pass Package for $216. Subscriptions may be purchased at www.tfana.org/season or by calling (212) 229-2819, ext. 10.

Founded in 1979 by Jeffrey Horowitz, Theatre for a New Audience is a modern classic theatre. It produces Shakespeare alongside other major authors from the world repertoire, such as Harley Granville Barker, Edward Bond, Adrienne Kennedy, Wallace Shawn, and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Theatre for a New Audience has played Off- and on Broadway and toured nationally and internationally.

In 2001, Theatre for a New Audience became the first American theatre invited to bring a production of Shakespeare to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Stratford-upon-Avon. Cymbeline, directed by Bartlett Sher, premiered at the RSC; in 2007, Theatre for a New Audience was invited to return to the RSC with The Merchant of Venice directed by Darko Tresnjak starring F. Murray Abraham. In 2011, Mr. Abraham reprised his role as Shylock for a national tour.

After 34 years of being itinerant and playing mostly in Manhattan, Theatre for a New Audience moved to Brooklyn and opened its first permanent home, Polonsky Shakespeare Center, in October 2013. Built by The City of New York in partnership with Theatre for a New Audience and located in the Brooklyn Cultural District, Polonsky Shakespeare Center was designed by Hugh Hardy and H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture with theatre consultants Akustiks, Milton Glaser, Jean-Guy Lecat, and Theatre Projects. Housed inside the building are the Samuel H. Scripps Mainstage (299 seats) -- the first stage built for Shakespeare and classical drama in New York City since Lincoln Center's 1965 Vivian Beaumont -- and the Theodore C. Rogers Studio (50 seats).

The Theatre's productions have been honored with Tony, Obie, Drama Desk, Drama League, Callaway, Lortel and Audelco awards and nominations and reach an audience diverse in age, economics and cultural background.

The Theatre created and runs the largest in-depth program in the New York City Public Schools to introduce students to Shakespeare, and has served more than 128,000 students since the program began in 1984. The Theatre's economically accessible ticket program includes one of the lowest reserved ticket prices for youth in the city: $20 for any show, any time for those 30 years old and under or for full-time students of any age.

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