Tribeca PAC Opens BIKEMAN, A 9/11 PLAY Tonight

Marc Agger and William Brown present Bikeman: A 9/11 Play by Thomas F. Flynn based on his acclaimed book. Flynn is an Emmy Award-winning CBS reporter who nearly lost his life when the Twin Towers fell. He lived to write about his odyssey in an epic narrative poem that soon became a best seller. Dan Rather called it "a journey into a modern underworld, and of the escape that made it possible to tell the tale." Now, this critically acclaimed book has been adapted for the stage directed by Michael Bush. Bikeman features Tony Award nominee Robert Cuccioli, Irungu Mutu, Angela Pierce, Elizabeth Ramos, and Richard Topol. Opening night is tonight, February 18 at 7PM. For information, go to www.Bikeman911.com.

Bikeman is a recounting of one man's experience of that unforgettable day and chronicles the morning of September 11, 2001 through the eyes of a veteran journalist reporting live from the shadows of the Twin Towers.Tom, an award-winning writer and producer for The CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, was outside his Greenwich Village home when the first plane flew directly over his head. Tom immediately called into the news desk to tell them he was headed downtown. He jumped on his bicycle and began his ride to the towers. His harrowing story recounts his transition from reporter to participant as he battles for survival at the fall of the south tower, ultimately coming to terms with the events of the day.

Bikeman features a set design by James Noone (Jekyll & Hyde; A Class Act; Edward Albee's Three Tall Women), costume design by Karen Ledger (Village Theatre; A Christmas Carol - Capital Repertory Theatre); Cactus Flower (Westside Theatre), lighting design by Kevin Adams (Tony Award winner for American Idiot, Spring Awakening, The 39 Steps), sound design by Sam Kusnetz (Lady Day - Little Shubert; La Ruta - Working Theatre; Brazil! Brazil! - Broadway Asia), projection design by Darrel Maloney (American Idiot; Everyday Rapture; Golden Child - Signature Theatre), and original music by Jonathan Brielle (Himself and Nora - NYMF); 40 Naked Women, A Monkey & Me - Eugene O'Neill Festival; Nightmare Alley - Geffen Playhouse).

"Every human being in the world alive on that day experienced September 11. It was the most watched event in the history of the earth. For them, it will always be a searing memory. I believe this is everyone's story, " says Flynn.

"Bikeman brings compassion, humanity and understanding to the memory of 9/11 in a compelling one-hour play," 9/11 Memorial Museum Director Alice M. Greenwald said. "We are grateful to the producers for finding a way to make this performance even more meaningful by supporting the National September 11 Memorial & Museum."

Flynn's story has garnered critical praise with Diane Sawyer saying "Tom has the news writer's talent for sharp, vivid detail - carried on a tide of deep emotion. This is a new window onto a shattering time"; Meredith Vieira praising "Bikeman is one man's journey back to...that day and to the humanity that somehow emerged from the dust.."; and David Friend of Vanity Fair saying "Tom Flynn brings to his subject three invaluable attributes: the eye of a seasoned journalist, the soul of a poet, and his stunning, firsthand experience of that horrific day."

Bikeman: A 9/11 Play is set to run at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers Street (one block west from A/C/2/3 subway). Opening night is February 18 at 7:00 pm. Bikeman will play a varied performance schedule. Please check the site, www.Bikeman911.com for exact performance dates. Tickets are priced at $39 to $79 and may be purchased by calling 212-220-1460 or online at www.Bikeman911.com, or in person at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center box office. Group Tickets (10+) are $20 off tickets priced $59 and above and are available by calling at 212-220-1460 . Please visit the website at www.Bikeman911.com or call 212-220-1460 for additional information.

The producers of Bikeman proudly support the 9/11 Memorial by donating 7.5% from each ticket sold after deducting federal and admission taxes; group, credit card and automated ticket commissions; subscription fees; sums paid to theatrical union pension, health/welfare and annuity funds; and receipts from Actors' Fund benefit performances. Learn more about the National September 11 Memorial & Museum by visiting 911memorial.org.

Thomas F. Flynn (Playwright) - The author of Bikeman, Flynn was a writer and producer at CBS News for more than a quarter century. He was a founding member of "48 Hours," an investigative producer for the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" and a producer at "60 Minutes" for Steve Kroft. He currently writes and produces for Dan Rather Reports and writes occasionally for the CBS Evening News. He's been honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with 15 Emmy Award nominations, winning six. And he was honored with the prestigious Peabody Award for his work on "48 Hours." He has recently completed writing his second murder mystery novel based in Cape Cod. He is co-author with his wife Nancy Reardon of On Camera (Focal Press). He splits time between New York City and Cape Cod. He and Nancy and daughter, Kate, live and work in New York.

Michael Bush (Director) - Off-Broadway: Psycho Therapy, Cactus Flower, and Based On A Totally True Story (MTC).Regional: Himself and Nora (American Theater Group), Heartbreaker: Two Months With Judy Garland (Adirondack Theatre Festival), Stormy Weather (Pasadena Playhouse, Prince Music Theatre),Leslie Uggams' Uptown Downtown (Pasadena Playhouse, LA Drama Critics Circle Award), A Christmas Carol and The Sisters Rosensweig (Capital Repertory Theatre), Murderers (Philadelphia Theatre Company, City Theatre, Pittsburgh). Directed 9 New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) productions (2009 Award for Excellence in Directionfor Hurricane). Former director of artistic production and associate artistic director: Manhattan Theatre Club, guiding over 150 plays and musicals, including Tony® and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway productions Proof, Doubt, and Love! Valour! Compassion! He served as artistic director of the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Centers Cabaret and Performance Conference from 2005 to 2012. He is married to playwright Michael Aman.

Robert Cuccioli (Tom) - Broadway: Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark, Jekyll & Hyde (Tony nomination, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award and Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award), Les Miserables. Off-Broadway: Temporary Help, Enter The Guardsman, And The World Goes 'Round (Outer Critics Circle Award), Gigi, The Rothschilds, Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris and Dietrich & Chevalier. Equally respected for his workin the Classics and Contemporary Plays as well as Musicals, Robert has performed at such notable Regional Theatres as The Guthrie (Antony & Cleopatra), Paper Mill Playhouse (1776, Oklahoma, Lend Me A Tenor, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Sound Of Music), The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ (Amadeus, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Carnival, Othello), The Shakespeare Theatre of DC ( Hamlet, Lorenzzaccio - 2006Helen Hayes Award Nomination), the McCarter Theatre (Fiction, The School for Scandal), George Street Playhouse (The Seafarer, A Moon To Dance By with Jane Alexander) and most recently at the historic Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC (1776). Television: White Collar, Sliders, Baywatch, The Guiding Light. Film: Woody Allen's Celebrity, and the independent film The Stranger. Robert is featured on the original cast recordings of Jekyll & Hyde (Atlantic), And The World Goes 'Round (RCA Victor), Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris (Ghostlight), The New Picasso (Black Forest Productions) and released his debut solo album The Look Of Love October 2012. www.robertcuccioli.com.

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