Playwrights Horizons Presents KIN, Previews 2/25

Previews begin Friday, February 25 for the Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) World Premiere production of KIN, a new play by Bathsheba Doran (Living Room in Africa, her adaptation of Great Expectations at The Lortel). Directed by Obie Award winner Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation at PH, Tigers Be Still, The Aliens, The Coward), the production has an Opening Night set for Monday, March 21 at 7PM. The fourth production of the theater company's 2010/2011 40th Anniversary Season, the limited engagement will play through Sunday, April 3 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

The cast will feature Tony Award nominee Suzanne Bertish (The Moliére Comedies, the original London and Broadway Nicholas Nickleby), Bill Buell (On the Bum at PH, HBO's "John Adams"), Kristen Elizabeth Bush (Broadway's A Touch of the Poet, King Lear at The Public, Photograph 51 at EST), Patch Darragh (Roundabout's The Glass Menagerie and Crimes of the Heart), Laura Heisler (Doris to Darlene at PH, Coram Boy), Matthew Rauch (Broadway's The Merchant of Venice and Prelude to a Kiss), Cotter Smith (Broadway's Next Fall, X2: X-Men United), Concetta Tomei (Broadway's The Elephant Man, The Clean House at Lincoln Center, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead) and Molly Ward (The Seagull and Three Sisters at ART).

In KIN, Anna (Ms. Bush), an Ivy League poetry scholar, and Sean (Mr. Darragh), an Irish personal trainer, hardly seem destined for one another. But as their web of disparate family and friends crosses great distances - both psychologically and geographically - an unlikely new family is forged. Bathsheba Doran's play sheds a sharp light on the changing face of kinship in the expansive landscape of the modern world.

The production will feature scenic design by Paul Steinberg, costume design by David Zinn, lighting design by Jane Cox and sound design by Matt Tierney. Production Stage Manager is Alaina Taylor.

The performance schedule for KIN will be Tuesdays at 7PM, Wednesdays through Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 PM & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM. Single tickets, $70, may be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

A ticketing initiative created as part of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes available $5 tickets for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for KIN will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday, February 25 at 8PM. Details for the lottery are as follows: beginning Wednesday, February 16 at 10AM, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.playwrightshorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Monday, February 21 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Monday, February 21 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email starting at 12 Noon on Tuesday, February 22 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. At least 50 tickets will be available for Mainstage shows via the lottery.

Reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $25 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. STUDENT RUSH, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

LIVEforFIVE, HOTtix and STUDENT RUSH are some of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. This program is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The McGraw-Hill Companies and the Elroy and Terry Krumholz Foundation.

A special open captioned performance of KIN for theatergoers who are deaf and hard of hearing will be held on the Saturday, March 12 matinee at 2:30 PM. Funding for this program is provided, in part, by the Theodore H. Barth Foundation and the Theatre Development Fund's TAP Plus program in cooperation with the New York State Council on the Arts.

How to order tickets for the open captioned performance:
? Online: log on to www.playwrightshorizons.org
? Phone: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 421-1220
? TTY: call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 (noon-8pm daily) via Relay Service (800) 662-1220
? By fax: a printable order form may be found online at www.playwrightshorizons.org/tickets.html

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