King's Head Theatre to Close Production of STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT, 5/23

Following Time Out Critics' Choice at the White Bear Theatre and a transfer to Oval House, Good Night Out will close its new re-imagined production of Daniel Reitz's STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT after an eight-week run at the King's Head Theatre, May 23rd.

Internationally-acclaimed American artist Julian Barker, whose fame ranks alongside that of Andy Warhol and Francis Bacon, has just months to live. Ravaged with pancreatic cancer, he retreats to his East Hampton beach house to prepare for artistic immortality. Julian is cared for by his younger partner and business manager Chad, who is set to inherit his multi-million dollar estate and his priceless iconic paintings. The peace is interrupted by Julian's former lover, who is determined to stake his claim and further complicated by the arrival of Chad's own boyfriend, a seemingly naïve 23-year old model. With Julian's death imminent, each man jockeys for position and control.

STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT is the story of three men who have shaped the life and work of a fourth, and a reflection on the power of modern art and the legacy of an artist.

Daniel Reitz is a New York playwright and screenwriter. His plays have been produced in theatres across New York, with Rules of the Universe picking up the New York Innovative Theatre Award in 2008. His screenplay Urbania starring Dan Futterman and Alan Cumming premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and won "Best Film" prizes in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Provincetown, and San Francisco film festivals prior to being released by Lions Gate Films.

Director Adam Spreadbury-Maher ("Best Artistic Director" - Fringe Report Awards 2010) is Artistic Director of The c*ckTavern Theatre and its resident companies Good Night Out Presents and OperaUpClose. He won an Australia Critics' Circle Award (2004) for his production of Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing. Adam has directed at New End; Arcola; Oval House; White Bear and Etcetera Theatres. Recent credits include: revivals by Stephen Fry and Nick Ward (both at The c*ckTavern Theatre); The Ides of March (Time Out ****); Studies for a Portrait (Time Out Critics' Choice) and The York Realist (Time Out Critics' Choice). Future projects include Associate Director on the West End transfer of Holding The Man (Trafalgar Studios) in April 2010.

Theatre company Good Night Out Presents was formed in August 2008 by Adam Spreadbury-Maher. They are the resident theatre company at The c*ckTavern Theatre which won the prestigious Dan Crawford Pub Theatre Award at the Peter Brook Empty Space Awards in November 2009. Credits include the Time Out Critics' Choice productions of Studies For A Portrait (White Bear and transfer to the main stage at Oval House) and The York Realist (Riverside Studios) and Adrian Pagan's The Backroom (The c*ckTavern Theatre) which had an extended sell-out run. Future projects include the world premiere of Olivier Award winning playwright Charlotte Eilenberg's latest play in May 2010.

STUDIES FOR A PORTRAIT premiered at the White Bear Theatre in January 2009 to critical acclaim ("Daniel Reitz's ‘Studies for a Portrait' at the White Bear gets special mention" Caroline McGinn, TIME OUT Best Theatre Of 2009 - New writing). In May 2009 it transferred to the main stage at Oval House for a four-week run.

John Atterbury plays Julian. Theatre credits include: MACBETH; TWO PRINCES; THE BIRTHDAY PARTY (all Theatr Clwyd); THE WILD DUCK (Donmar Warehouse); GUYS AND DOLLS (Leicester Haymarket Theatre) and CAROUSEL (Leicester Haymarket Theatre). Film credits include: HARRY POTTER THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (Warner Bros) and GOSFORD PARK (Gosford Park Films).

Travis Oliver plays Chad. Theatre includes: GAUDEAMUS (Arcola Theatre); THE POCKET DREAM (York Theatre Royal); OEDIPUS THE KING (Tristan Bates Theatre) and A REAL CLASSY AFFAIR (Soho Theatre). Film includes: ME AND Orson Welles (Cinema NX0; LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS (AV Pictures); EVERYTHING TO DANCE FOR (Flying Machine Films) and MODERN MONSTERS (Silver Paper Productions). Television includes: THE AMAZING DERMOT (Roughcut Televison); ENID (Carnival Films); HOTEL BABYLON (BBC); THE LAST ENEMY (BBC); DR. WHO (DW Productions) and NORTH & SOUTH (BBC)

Tristam Summers plays Justin. Theatre includes: LIAISONS (Centralized); THE BURIAL AT THEBES (Lost Theatre); ROMEO AND JULIET (Infinity Productions) and THE BLUE ROOM (Article 19). Television includes: MATERIAL GIRL (BBC)

Simon Wright plays Marcus. Theatre includes: NOISES OFF (Royal National Theatre); SOLDIERS (Theatr Clwyd); THE SEAGULL; CAN'T PAY, WON'T PAY (both Swan Worcester); THE CENCI, (Bristol Old Vic Theatre) and SIMPLICITY (Donmar Warehouse). Television includes: Horatio Nelson, NELSON AND TRAFALGAR (BBC).Dan Crawford founded the King's Head theatre in 1970. It was the first pub theatre founded in England since the days of Shakespeare.

Over the years the King's Head has staged the new works of Steven Berkoff and Andrew Davies, amongst others, and has produced plays by Harold Pinter, Athol Fugard, Terence Rattigan and Noel Coward.

The King's Head Theatre's core values are based on the nurturing and mentoring of talented writers, actors, directors and producers. Over the past four decades the King's Head has contributed to or showcased the successful careers of Victoria Wood, Joanna Lumley, Sir Anthony Sher, Alan Rickman, Sir Tom Stoppard, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Prunella Scales, Steven Berkoff, Anita Dobson, Mike Figgis, Sam West, Shane Richie, Maureen Lipman, Mel Smith, Corin Redgrave, Celia Imrie and James Jagger. The King's Head has transferred 37 shows to the West End, more than any other Off West End theatre as well as eight national tours and six Broadway transfers.

For more information, visit www.kingsheadtheatre.org.

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