Wheelhouse Theater To Present Aaron Posner's LIFE SUCKS

Fresh off the heels of their critically acclaimed revival of Happy Birthday, Wanda June, Wheelhouse Theater Company and its Founding Members, Matt Harrington, David Kenner, Michael Schantz, and Jeffrey Wise, has announced that it will present the New York Premiere of Aaron Posner's Life Sucks., March 22nd through April 20th at The Wild Project (195 East 3rd Street). The cast features Jeff Biehl, Nadia Bowers, Kimberly Chatterjee, Barbara Kingsley, Stacey Linnertz, Austin Pendleton, and Michael Schantz. Wheelhouse's Jeff Wise directs the production, which will have its official opening night on March 27th at 7:00PM.

It's Chekhov without the birch trees. After taking aim at The Seagull with his "explosive" Stupid F*cking Bird, Aaron Posner is back with an irreverent contemporary remix of Uncle Vanya. Egos clash, hearts hunger, and souls cry out for meaning in this raw and hilarious reimagining of Chekhov's timeless classic, receiving its New York premiere by the red-hot Wheelhouse Theater Company. Life staggers. Life confounds. Life is beautiful. And LIFE SUCKS.

Artistic Director, Jeff Wise, commented, "Wheelhouse is thrilled to present the NY Premiere of Aaron Posner's uproarious, brazen and beautiful play Life Sucks. Mr. Posner embraces everything that Wheelhouse values in the theater: a sense of irreverence, playfulness, theatricality and a bold simplicity that celebrates the fundamental act of coming together for a shared communal experience."

Life Sucks. was first produced by Theater J at the Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater in Washington, D.C. Wheelhouse's production will feature scenic design by Brittany Vasta, costume design by Christopher Metzger, lighting design by Drew Florida, and sound design by Mark Van Hare. The Production Stage Manager is Tim Love, and the Executive Producer/General Manager is Visceral Entertainment - Michael Chase Gosselin & Tim Sulka.

Aaron Posner is a Helen Hayes, Jeff Award and Barrymore Award-winning director and playwright. He is a founder and former Artistic Director of Philadelphia's Arden Theatre, an Associate Artist at both the Folger Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. His adaptations include Chaim Potok's The Chosen and My Name is Asher Lev (both of which have enjoyed successful runs at more than 50 theatres across the country and the latter of which ran for ten months Off-Broadway and won both the Outer Circle Critics Award for Best New Off-Broadway play and the John Gassner Award), as well as Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion, Mark Twain's A Murder, A Mystery, and a Marriage, an adaptation of three Kurt Vonnegut short stories, entitled Who Am I This Time? (and other conundrums of love). His Chekhov inspired Stupid f-ing Bird debuted at Woolly Mammoth and won the Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Resident Play as well as the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Play or Musical. It has received productions and awards from around the country including The Pearl Theater in NYC. His second Chekhov adaptation Life Suckspremiered at Theatre J and the third, No Sisters, was produced by Studio Theatre. He received a Jeff Award for Best Director for his work on The Tempest at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Aaron was raised in Eugene, Oregon, graduated from Northwestern University, is an Eisenhower Fellow, and lives near Washington, DC.

Jeff Wise (Artistic Director, Founding Company Member) is a Tony Award-Winning producer, director, actor, and founder of Wheelhouse Theater Company. For Wheelhouse, Jeff has directed their NY Times Critics' Pick revival of Kurt Vonnegut's Happy Birthday, Wanda June, as well as Ibsens' An Enemy of the People, Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar, the world premiere of DANNYKRISDONNAVERONICAby Lawrence Dial and the critically acclaimed revival of Happy Birthday, Wanda June at The Gene Frankel Theater and The Duke on 42. He co-produced the critically acclaimed world premiere In the Room with Slant Theatre Project. Jeff also produced the critically acclaimed revival of Once on this Island on Broadway. In NYC he has directed productions of Henry IV Part 2, Hamlet, BACK, and Dear Penthouse. Stage credits include Hamlet, Lend me a Tenor, Pajama Game, Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, BACK, Three Sisters, Six Degrees of Separation, Bus Stop, and La Ronde. Jeff received his MFA in Acting from New York University.

Performances vary week to week. For a complete schedule click here: www.wheelhousetheater.org

Tickets are now on sale at wheelhousetheater.org

Preview prices are $20-$59 (not including fees), and regular performance prices are $20-$79 (not including fees).