ANY GIVEN MONDAY Kicks Off at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) will welcome Act II Playhouse (Philadelphia, PA) with the New York premiere of ANY GIVEN MONDAY, written by Bruce Graham and directed by Bud Martin. ANY GIVEN MONDAY begins performances tonight for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 6. Press opening is Wednesday, October 12 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. There is an added performance on Sunday October 9 at 7:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Lenny is a great guy- a good teacher, an excellent father and a loving husband. So when Lenny's wife leaves him for a smooth-talking lothario who builds Walmarts, his life is shattered. While Lenny consoles himself with pizza and Monday Night Football, his best friend Mick takes matters into his own hands. Now Lenny must decide what he will stand up for and who he will stand up to. How far is too far to get back to happily-ever-after?

Winner of the 2010 Barrymore Award for Best Play, ANY GIVEN MONDAY was called "a funny and mesmerizingly dark adventure" by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

ANY GIVEN MONDAY features Lauren Ashley Carter (Night Sky), Michael Mastro (recent Broadway includes Twelve Angry Men, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), Hillary B. Smith (One Life to Live) plus one more actor to be announced.

The scenic design is by Dirk Durossette; costume design by Tony Award nominee Bobby Pearce (Taboo); lighting design by Paul Miller (Legally Blonde); and sound design by Jacob Subotnick.

"I've always wanted to write a play about what happens when an incredibly civilized guy is forced to do some uncivilized things," says playwright Bruce Graham. "I actually started the first draft years ago but thought it might be too dark and cynical for a comedy. We've since 'evolved' to the point wherein mothers accused of murdering their own kids can get a nice seven figure book deal, so I figured the time was right."

Bruce Graham (playwright) is the author of a dozen produced plays and spent eight years as playwright-in-residence at the Philadelphia Festival Theater for New Plays. His work has been produced by the George Street Playhouse, the Hudson Guild, the Cincinnati Playhouse and the Northlight Theater, among others. His TV/film credits include Dunston Checks In, Anastasia, the Abbie Hoffman bio-pic Steal This Movie, as well as the Ira Einhorn mini-series Hunt for the Unicorn, which aired this past year on NBC-TV. Graham has won several awards from the Pew Foundation, Theater Association of Pennsylvania, Rockefeller Foundation and the Princess Grace Foundation. Coyote on a Fence was the 1998 Rosenthal Prize winner and received several 1999 Barrymore Award nominations.

Bud Martin (director) is in his fourth season as Producing Artistic Director of Act II Playhouse where he has directed numerous productions, including Married Alive, Magnetic North, Respect, On Golden Pond, The Story of My Life, and Art. His Broadway producing credits include The Story of My Life, 9 to 5, Burn the Floor, La Bête, and Time Stands Still. West End: Legally Blonde, La Bête and George Stiles' new musical adventure The Three Musketeers at the Rose Theatre, Kingston.

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