THE HABIT OF ART - A VERY BRITISH COMEDY Returns to Theatre Rhino, Now thru 8/23

Due to popular demand and great reviews when it played in SF, "The Habit of Art - A Very British Comedy" by Alan Bennett is coming back for a return engagement for 19 performances only, running today, July 31 - Aug. 23, 2014 in this exclusive Theatre Rhinoceros production in SF. Previews: Thurs., July 31 - Fri., Aug. 1, Sat. Aug. 2 (3:00 pm).

Opening Night: Sat., Aug. 2, 2014 @ 8:00 pm. Performance Times: Wed. - Sat. - 8:00 pm / Sat. Matinees, Aug. 2, 9, 16, 23 - 3:00 pm.

Performance dates: July 31, Aug 1, 2 (matinee) [Previews), Aug. 2 [Opening night); Aug. 6, 7, 8, 9 (matinee & eve.); Aug. 13, 14, 15, 16 (matinee & eve.); and Aug. 20, 21, 22, 23 (matinee & eve.) Shows are at Eureka Theatre - 215 Jackson St. (btwn. Front & Battery Sts.), SF, CA, 94111. Tickets $15 - $25 - available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/723956 or 1-800-838-3006. (Previews are pay-what-you-wish.)

The Habit of Art - Alan Bennett's new play is as much about the theatre as it is about poetry or music. It looks at the unsettling desires of two difficult men, and at the ethics of biography. It reflects on growing old, on creativity and inspiration, and on persisting when all passion's spent: ultimately, on the habit of art.

Benjamin Britten, sailing uncomfortably close to the wind with his new opera, Death in Venice, seeks advice from his former collaborator and friend, W. H. Auden. During this imagined meeting, their first for twenty-five years, they are observed and interrupted by, amongst others, their future biographer and a young man from the local bus station.

The seven character play features Tamar Cohn (Kay), Donald Currie (W. H. Auden), Michael DeMartini (Neil), John Fisher (Benjamin Britten), Justin Lucas (Stuart), Craig Souza (Donald/Carpenter 7/31-8/9), Ryan Tasker * (Donald/Carpenter 8/13-8/23), Seth Siegel (Charlie) and Kathryn Wood (George.) (*Member Actor's Equity Association)

The Habit of Art is directed by the Glickman and Critics' Circle Award-winning John Fisher. Stage Manager: Valerie Tu; Scenic Design: Gilbert Johnson; Costume Design: Scarlett Kellum; Lighting Design: Jon Wai-keung Lowe; Accent Coach: Alicia Bales; Photos by Kent Taylor.

Theatre Rhino's previous presentation of an Alan Bennett play was the American premiere of Single Spies in 2004 starring local theatre legend Jeffrey Hartgraves as Guy Burgess.

Theatre Rhinoceros is America's longest-running and most adventurous LGBT theatre. www.TheRhino.org

Bios:

Alan Bennett (playwright) has been one of the leading English-language dramatists since the success of Beyond the Fringe in the 1960s. His television series Talking Heads has become a modern-day classic, as have many of his works for the stage, including Forty Years On, The Lady In The Van, A Question of Attribution, The Madness of George III (together with the Oscar-nominated screenplay The Madness of King George), and an adaptation of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. At the National Theatre, The History Boys won Evening Standard, Critics' Circle, and Olivier awards, and the South Bank Award. On Broadway it won five New York Drama Desk Awards, four Outer Critics' Circle Awards, a New York Drama Critics' Award for Best Play, a New York Drama League Award, and six Tony Awards including Best Play. The film of The History Boys was released in 2006. Mr. Bennett's latest play, The Habit of Art, toured successfully after its run at The National Theatre. The History Boys has recently completed its second tour out of Bath (Bath Theatre Royal Productions) and The Madness of George III opens at Bath this summer. Mr. Bennett has recently been awarded the Prix Europeen de la SACD.

John Fisher (Director & actor - Benjamin Britten) Fisher's plays include The Joy of Gay Sex, which was produced Off-Broadway, and Medea: The Musical, which was produced as a part of the HBO Comedy Arts Festival and ran for 18 months in its original SF production. John is a two-time winner of the Will Glickman Playwright Award, and a recipient of an NEA Project Grant, a GLAAD Media Award, two L.A. Weekly Awards, a Garland Award, two Cable Car Awards, a SF Bay Guardian Goldie Award, and five Bay Area Theatre Critics' Circle Awards. He holds a Ph.D. in Dramatic Art from the UC Berkeley and has taught at UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, ACT and at the Yale School of Drama. Recent work includes SexRev: The José Sarria Experience, a Theatre Rhino production at CounterPULSE, the Sondheim musical Road Show, and his own play To Sleep and Dream at Z Below. To Sleep and Dream won the 2013 "Best Original Script" award from the Bay Area Critics Circle.

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