Penguin Rep Presents MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, Now thru 8/2

Penguin Rep Theatre continues its 2015 season - the Rockland County-based professional company's 38th -- with My Name is Asher Lev, a play by Aaron Posner, adapted from the best-selling novel by Chaim Potok. Directed by Stephen Nachamie, My Name is Asher Lev will be performed tonight, July 10 through August 2 in Stony Point, New York.

Tickets for My Name is Asher Lev are on sale now at the Penguin box office. Call (845) 786-2873 or visit penguinrep.org.

Acclaimed as "excellent and heartfelt ... a primal scene of American drama" by The New York Times and "compellingly personal yet universal" by the Associated Press, My Name is Asher Lev unveils the conflict within one young man between his art and his heritage. "It's a fascinating coming-of-age story that seamlessly explores art, family and religion," says Penguin Rep artistic director Joe Brancato.

Based on the novel by the author who also wrote The Chosen, this stirring adaptation of a modern classic presents the powerful story of a boy prodigy in post-World War II Brooklyn who must be a painter at all cost - against the will of family, community and tradition.

My Name is Asher Lev had a heralded 10-month run Off Broadway, receiving the Outer Circle Critics Award for Best New Off Broadway play and the prestigious John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award.

The three-person cast of My Name is Asher Lev features Howard Pinhasik as Men, Naama Potok, Chaim Potok's daughter, as Women, and Max Wolkowitz in the title role.

The production team includes designers Emily Auciello (sound), Charlotte Palmer-Lane (costumes), Patrick Rizzotti (set), and Todd Wren (lights); properties/technical director Rick Apicella; and stage manager Michael Palmer.

Performance days and times are: Thursday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

A special reduced-priced weekday matinee performance is slated for Friday, July 10, at 2:00 p.m.

There will be coffee and cake with the cast and crew after the official opening on Sunday, July 12.

Following the show on Friday, July 17, there will be a discussion among the actors, author and audience.

Before the 4:00 p.m. show on Saturday, July 18, there will be a complimentary tasting catered by a local restaurant.

Performances are scheduled at Penguin's intimate theatre, located at 7 Crickettown Road in Stony Point (Rockland County), New York.

"It's theatre so close you can feel it", says Penguin Rep executive director Andrew M. Horn, "with comfy upholstered seats and no seat more than 30 feet from the stage." The theatre, which is converted from an 1880's hay barn, is air conditioned, wheelchair accessible, and offers plenty of free parking.

Tickets to My Name is Asher Lev are priced at $40 each (plus a $1 per ticket service charge). An early ordering discount ($32) is available if tickets are ordered prior to July 12. Discounts are also available for groups of 10 or more and young people (30 and under).

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep's website at www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873.

Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Brancato and Mr. Horn, Penguin Rep Theatre has grown in 37 years from a summer theatre in a converted 1880's hay barn to become one of the Hudson Valley's most influential nonprofit cultural institutions.

Founded in 1977 by Mr. Brancato and trustee Francine Newman-McCarthy, Penguin now reaches tens of thousands of theatergoers, students, and artists each year at its home theatre in Stony Point, in New York City and beyond - with plays and productions premiered by Penguin moving to Off Broadway and to stages across the country and around the world.

Penguin Rep Theatre's 2015 season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Penguin Rep also gratefully acknowledges the support of the County of Rockland and the Town of Stony Point, as well as the Shubert Foundation, the Cory and Bob Donnalley Charitable Foundation, and the Rockland Community Foundation.

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