Heidi Armbruster, Adam Dannheiser and More to Lead LCT3's DISGRACED

LCT3 has announced that Heidi Armbruster, Adam Dannheiser, Aasif Mandvi, Omar Maskati, and Karen Pittman will comprise the cast of five of DISGRACED, a new play by Ayad Akhtar, directed by Kimberly Senior, which will open LCT3's 2012 - 2013 season beginning Sunday, October 7 through Sunday, November 18 at LCT3's new home at Lincoln Center Theater, the Claire Tow Theater (150 West 65 Street). Opening night is Monday, October 22. LCT3 is producing this New York premiere of DISGRACED by arrangement with The Araca Group.

DISGRACED is the story of Amir Kapoor (to be played by Aasif Mandvi), a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. When Amir and his wife Emily (to be played by Heidi Armbruster), a white artist influenced by Islamic paintings, host a dinner party, what starts out as a friendly conversation escalates into something far more damaging.

DISGRACED, which premiered earlier this year at Chicago's American Theatre Company (Artistic Director, PJ Paparelli) and developed as part of the AracaWorks bi-annual reading series, will have sets by Lauren Helpern, costumes by Dane Laffrey, lighting by Tyler Micoleau and sound by Jill BC DuBoff.

Playwright Ayad Akhtar is a writer and actor whose first novel, American Dervish, was published to critical acclaim earlier this year by Little Brown. He is the co-author of numerous screenplays and co-wrote and played the lead role in the film, The War Within, which premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. His plays, in addition to DISGRACED, include The Invisible Hand which recently premiered at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Kimberly Senior is a Chicago-based director whose credits include productions at Steppenwolf, Strawdog, American Blues and Next Theatres. She is an Artistic Associate at Next Theatre, Strawdog Theatre and Chicago Dramatists.

LCT3 was established in 2008 by Lincoln Center Theater as a programming initiative devoted to producing the work of new artists as well as developing new audiences. Tickets to all LCT3 productions are $20. This fall, in addition to DISGRACED, LCT3 will be presenting a special presentation, for four performances only, of Young Jean Lee and the band Future Wife, in their critically acclaimed Obie Award-winning show, We're Gonna Die, Wednesday, September 12 through Saturday, September 15 in the Claire Tow Theater. Meanwhile, LCT3's inaugural production in the Claire Tow Theater, Greg Pierce's Slowgirl, directed by Anne Kauffman, continues its extended run through Sunday, August 5.

This fall, in addition to DISGRACED, in the Claire Tow Theater and the open-ended run of its Tony Award winning production of War Horse in the Vivian Beaumont Theater, LCT will present the 75th Anniversary production of Clifford Odets' classic drama, Golden Boy, to be directed by Bartlett Sher beginning Thursday, November 8 at a Broadway theatre to be announced and Christopher Durang's new play Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (in association with the McCarter Theater), to be directed by Nicholas Martin, beginning Thursday, October 25 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater.

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