David L. Carson, Natalie Doyle Holmes and More Join Stephen Mo Hanan in KING LEAR at American Bard Theater, Now thru 11/4

American Bard Theater Company presents King Lear, starring Tony Award nominee Stephen Mo Hanan* as King Lear. In addition to Mr. Hanan, Dev Bondarin will direct a cast of 12, including David L. Carson*, Bryan L. Cohen, Natalie Doyle Holmes, John Graham, Ross Hewitt, Kelly Laurel Zekas, Conrad Schott, Montgomery Sutton*, Cheri Wicks, Dathan B. Williams*, and Tom Wolfson. Performances for King Lear will be held at the Saint Mary's, Times Square, Third Floor Theatre, 145 West 46th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Aves.) for a limited engagement - twelve performances - beginning tonight, October 18 through Sunday, November 4th, 2012. AEA Approved Showcase. *Member, Actors' Equity Association

What are we blind to and what do we see? King Lear gives us a profound look at the relationship between madness and sanity, impiety and devotion, and, most simply: parents and children. The tragedy lies in its vivid dramatization of what happens when choices fueled by fear and greed spiral out of control. With the story of the aging Lear and his three daughters--two wicked and one true--Shakespeare ultimately shows us that honesty and love can challenge the chaos and cruelty that attempts to obliterate it.

King Lear is produced by American Bard Theater Company. Director: Dev Bondarin; Original Music: Frederick Alden Terry; Lighting Designer: Dan Jobbins; Sound Designer: Jeanne Travis; Costume Designer: Jennifer Jacob; Graphics Designer: Samantha Hewitt; Photographer: Carrie Crow; Publicist: Paul Siebold/Off Off PR.

King Lear plays for twelve performances from tonight, October 18 to Sunday, November 4, 2012, with performances Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 7:30pm, and Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets are $18 for adults and $14 for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online at www.americanbard.org or by calling 212-352-3101. Group sales, call 347-422-7309 or email groupsales@americanbard.org. For more information, visit www.americanbard.org.

The runtime for King Lear is approximately 2.5 hours with one intermission.

Stephen Mo Hanan (King Lear) starred on Broadway as Captain Hook opposite Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan after playing The­nardier in the London production of Les Miz. His Broadway debut was as Samuel opposite Kevin Kline in The Pirates of Penzance. (He has since played the Major-General in New York and Montreal, in the Yiddish adaptation of the same show.) For creating Aspara­gus/Growl­tiger in Cats he received a Tony Award nomination, and his account of rehearsing that original production has been published as A Cat's Diary. He has appeared frequently at the York Theater Company, in their Musicals in Mufti series, and most notably as both star and co-author of Jolson & Company, which transferred to off-Broadway's Century Center and has since been seen around the country and on tour in the UK. Mo was hailed at LaMama for his solo performance in Holy Crap. As Pseudolus in Forum he received the Florida theater critics' Carbonell Award for Outstanding Performance in a musical.

Dev Bondarin (Director) is a freelance theater director and the Associate Artistic Director of Prospect Theater Company, where she produces and directs the company's annual musical theater lab. Directing credits include: Reefer Madness (nominated for a NY Innovative Theater Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical) and The House of Blue Leaves (Gallery Players), Jay Alan Zimmerman's Incredibly Deaf Musical (Marjorie Deane Little Theatre), A Home Across The Ocean (MTWorks), Romeo & Juliet (EBE Ensemble in Prospect Park), and Raised By Lesbians (FringeNYC). Dev has also directed numerous readings-most recently Stephen Mo Hanan's Everybody Into The Gene Pool (Red Shirt Entertainment). MFA: Brooklyn College; BA: Brandeis University; SDC Observership recipient; Member of the Lincoln Center Directors Lab; Associate Member of SDC and the League of Professional Theatre Women.

The American Bard Theatre Company is a not-for-profit organization serving the Greater New York community. The American Bard Theatre Company is dedicated to the exploration of theatrical works by Shakespeare and other highly regarded playwrights. We seek to entertain, educate and impact audiences by using the author's linguistic clues to envision how the work may be interpreted. The American Bard Theater Company was established in June of 2009. The actors and theater artists came together to explore the "Bards" in both their classical and contemporary avenues. The privilege of studying the First Folio technique with John Basil at the American Globe Theatre in Midtown Manhattan was the starting point for American Bard Theater Company and continues to be a source of inspiration.

Pictured: Kelly Zekas, Cheri Wicks, and Natalie Doyle Holmes as Lear's three daughters and Stephen Mo Hanan as Lear in King Lear. Photo Credit: Carrie Crow.

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