Katherine Rundell's LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI Makes U.S. Debut Tonight at 4th Street Theatre

The Carol Tambor Theatrical Foundation presents the US premiere of the critically-acclaimed LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI, written by Katherine Rundell, based on Hector Hugh Munro (Saki), and directed by Jessica Lazar. Produced by Bridie Bischoff and Tom Grayson for Atticist Productions, LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI comes to NYC as the 2016 winner of the Best of Edinburgh Award given annually by the Foundation.

Performances begin tonight, February 8, for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 5. Press Opening is Monday, February 13 at 7:30 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Saturday at 7:30 PM; Sunday at 3:00 PM. Please note the following schedule adjustments: there is an added performance on Monday, February 13 for opening; there is no performance on Tuesday, February 14. Performances are at the Fourth Street Theatre (83 East 4th Street, between Bowery & Second Avenue). The ticket price ranges from $22.50 - $45. To purchase tickets, call OvationTix on 866-811-4111 or visit tinyurl.com/Life-Saki.

1916. In the trenches of the Battle of the Somme, a soldier tells stories. That soldier is Saki. Beginning with early misrule and school-age rebellion, his stories move on to the complexities of adulthood - obsessions and games, charm and chaos, friendship and jealousy, and, finally, death. Munro was just over the age of conscription when the First World War broke out. But he joined up as an ordinary soldier in 1914, refusing a commission. He was killed by a sniper two years later.

This debut play by award-winning author Katherine Rundell is inspired by the short stories of "Saki" - the pen name of the early 20th Century British satirist Hector Hugh Munro, described by The Guardian as "a master of the short story." Like a cross between Oscar Wilde and Roald Dahl, Saki's creations are witty, absurd, and peculiarly optimistic. Rundell and Atticist Productions bring them to the stage in a production called "a show to savour" by British Theatre Guide.

The debut production of LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016 was a critically acclaimed success, garnering numerous 5 star reviews and winning the Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award. Carol Tambor says, "The play stood out because of its incredible polish. The persistent contrast of tone, as well as time, was fascinating. I was never sure whether the characters would say something cruel or funny - often both."

The cast features Phoebe Frances Brown, Ellen Francis, Tom Lambert, Tom Machell, David Paisley, and Caitlin Thorburn.

LIFE ACCORDING TO SAKI is designed by Anna Lewis (National Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, The Gate, The Finborough, Secret Cinema) with lighting and sound design by David Doyle.

Katherine Rundell (playwright) is the award-winning author of Rooftoppers (Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2014), Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms (a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner), and The Wolf Wilder. She grew up in Zimbabwe, Brussels, and London, and is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Life According to Saki is her debut play, inspired by Saki's style, stories, and life, and developed with director Jessica Lazar.

Jessica Lazar's (director) past productions include The Drop Zone and Cacophony (Southwark Playhouse); Termination (Theatre N16); Another Country and The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Oxford Playhouse); Judgement at Nuremberg (Keble O'Reilly); and Eight (BT Studio). She has a doctorate in English from Oxford University under the former Professor of Drama, Tiffany Stern, and has training in Le Jeu and Clown from L'École Philippe Gaulier and Puppetry from Little Angel Theatre.

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