BURMESE DAYS Opens Off-Bway At 59E59 11/9

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes aya theatre company to 59E59 Theaters with the World Premiere of George Orwell's BURMESE DAYS, adapted and directed by Ryan Kiggel. George Orwell's BURMESE DAYS begins performances on Wednesday, November 9 for a limited engagement through Sunday, December 4. There Is no performance on Thursday, November 24 for Thanksgiving. Press opening is Wednesday, November 16 at 7:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM & 8:15 PM; Sunday at 3:15 PM & 7:15 PM.

Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org. For more information, visit www.britsoffbroadway.com.

Love, friendship and morality are tested against the bitter reality of life in colonial Burma. This world premiere production, and the premiere theatrical adaptation of George Orwell's first novel, is an uncompromising look at the underbelly of the British Empire.

While he is best known for the dystopian novels 1984 and Animal Farm, George Orwell's first novel, Burmese Days, is a compelling account of British colonialism, inspired by his service in the Burmese Military Police. His experiences as a servant of the "benignly despotic" British Empire inspired the novel, which was originally published in the US in 1934, and in Britain a year later. It was banned in India for many years for its criticism of the Raj and British colonial rule.

The cast features Charlotte Allam (Hecuba for the Royal Shakespeare Company, West End, Washington & New York); Amerjit Deu (Frost/Nixon, Donmar Warehouse and Gielgud Theatre); Ryan Kiggell (Cheek by Jowl's Macbeth and Othello at BAM and World Tour); Zak Shukor (BBC's Mad About Alice); Elisa Terren (Mike Figgis' Together for London); and Jamie Zubairi (Man Is Man at the Finborough Theatre and Other People's Shoes Pt 1: Blighty at the Barbican).

The design team includes George Moustakas (set and costumes), Anna Sbokou (lighting) and Helen Atkinson (sound).

Ryan Kiggel (adaptor/director) is an award winning actor and director. He trained at University College London, London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and at the Royal Shakespeare Company Academy. Working under the mentorship of directors such as Declan Donnellan and Sir Peter Hall, he has toured many classical theatre productions across the world. With Cheek by Jowl, credits include Macbeth and Othello (BAM and World Tour), Troilus and Cressida and King Lear (for which he was commended at the Royal National Theatre Ian Charleson Awards); in the West End he has played lead roles in You Never Can Tell, Amy's View, Mrs Warren's Profession and The Importance Of Being Earnest. His acting credits on film include Atonement, and Glorious 39, as well as Together For London, a short film by Mike Figgis. Televison highlights include; Foyle's War, Silent Witness, Harvest, Holby City and Trial and Retribution. He is a founding member of aya theatre company, for whom he directed Summit Conference and directed and acted in Peter Handke's Kaspar.