WORKING ON A SPECAL DAY Extends at 59E59 Through Today

The Obie Award-winning The Play Company (INVASION!, ENJOY), in collaboration with Mexico City-based Por Piedad Teatro, proudly announce that the U.S. premiere of the play WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY has extended through February 17, 2013 at 59E59 Theaters (59 E. 59 St.) in Manhattan.

WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY is inspired by Ettore Scola's Una Giornata Particolare, a 1977 Oscar-nominated Italian film starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni, and the subsequent play, about an overworked housewife and a mysterious bachelor who meet on May 8, 1938, the day Rome celebrated Hitler's visit to Mussolini's Italy.

Based on Una Giornata Particolare by Ettore Scola, Ruggero Maccari and adapted by Gigliola Fantoni, WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY is translated by Danya Taymor, Ana Graham and Antonio Vega; with an original staging concept by Laura Almela and Daniel Gimenez Cacho.

Performed in English by Mexican actors Ana Graham and Antonio Vega (who also co-direct) in a singular performance style, the actors employ simple props to create a bittersweet human drama that unfolds while a charged political landscape of rising fascism stirs outside their apartment windows.

WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY has original set and lighting design by Gabriel Pascal, sound design by Rodrigo Espinosa, costume design by Ana Graham, and scenery and lighting design adapted by David Arsenault.

WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY began previews on January 10, 2013, and opened on January 16th. This full production followed a developmental studio production, also starring Ms. Graham and Mr. Vega, that was staged last season by The Play Company and Por Piedad Teatro at The Flea. The two companies also collaborated last spring on Hecho en Mexico, a reading series introducing contemporary plays from Mexico to New York.

WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY will be performed at 59 E. 59 St. (between Park and Madison Avenues) through February 17th as follows: Tue - Thurs @7:15, Fri & Sat @8:15, Sat @ 2:15, and Sun @ 3:15.

There are two special post-performance events scheduled during the remainder of the run for WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY:

January 30: Mexican Theatre in a Violent Climate
Post-show Discussion with Mexican actor/director/producer Antonio Vega.
Mexican Theatre Creator, Antonio Vega, will discuss how Contemporary Theatre artists are responding to Mexico's current climate of violence and the impact it has on the work being produced on Mexico's stages.

February 7: Artist Talk with the Creators
Post-show Discussion with Ana Graham and Antonio Vega.
A talk with Mexican theatre artists and the creators of WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY as they share their insights into working on this very special piece. Ana is also the Artistic Director and Founder of Por Piedad Teatro. Antonio is the Literary Director of Por Piedad Teatro.

Tickets to WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY are $35.00 (PlayCo and 59E59 Membership prices are available, as are $5 Student Rush tickets). Tickets can be purchased online through www.playco.org and www.59E59.org, by phone through Ticket Central at 212-279-4200, and in-person at the 59E59 Theaters box office, located at 59 E. 59 St., between Park and Madison Avenues.

WORKING ON A SPECIAL DAY is the latest production by The Play Company that features the English-language debut of a foreign play. Previously PlayCo presented the debut of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's Swedish play INVASION! as well as Toshiki Okada's Japanese play ENJOY. In spring 2013, The Play Company will present the New York premiere of THE GOLDEN DRAGON by Roland Schimmelpfennig, one of Europe's most produced playwrights, directed by Ed Sylvanus Iskandar (Restoration Comedy, These Seven Sicknesses).

For more information, visit www.playco.org.

Photo Credit: Carol Rosegg