CSC Honors Rosemarie Tichler 5/17; Tribute Features Nichols, Bobbie, Lapine, et al.

Classic Stage Company (CSC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, will honor their board member Rosemarie Tichler, the highly-respected producer, casting director, teacher and author, at this year's annual benefit gala Monday evening, May 17 at Twenty Four Fifth. The Honorary Chair for the evening is Mike Nichols and Honorary Co-Chairs are Olympia Dukakis, Dianne Wiest, Walter Bobbie and James Lapine. Honorary Artists include F. Murray Abraham, Christopher Durang, Michael Greif, John Guare, Bill Irwin, S. Epatha Merkerson, Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn and Michael Stuhlbarg.

The evening will begin at 6:45 pm with a cocktail reception, followed at 8 pm with dinner, a video tribute to Tichler and personal tributes from Nichols, Dukakis, Wiest and Lapine, as well as a live auction. Tickets are available by calling Audrey Carmeli at (212) 677-4210 ext 12, or via email at audrey.carmeli@classicstage.org.

Rosemarie Tichler was the Artistic Producer of The New York Shakespeare Festival/The Public Theater from 1991 to September 2001 where she worked on over 40 productions including THE SKRIKER by Caryl Churchill, SIMPATICO by Sam Shepard, VENUS by Suzan-Lori Parks, George Wolfe's production of THE TEMPEST at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, THE RIDE DOWN MT. MORGAN by Arthur Miller, and Mike Nichols' production of Chekhov's THE SEAGULL with Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Christopher Walken et al. in the summer of 2001.

Prior to 1991, Ms. Tichler was Head of Casting (1975-1991) at the Public for Joseph Papp where she cast over 150 plays, including such landmark productions as Andrei Serban's THE CHERRY ORCHARD, Richard Foreman's THREEPENNY OPERA, Ntozake Shange's FOR COLORED GIRLS..., Wilford Leach's PIRATES OF PENZANCE, David Hare's PLENTY, Mike Nichols' STREAMERS by David Rabe, THE NORMAL HEART by Larry Kramer, AUNT DAN AND LEMON by Wallace Shawn and THE COLORED MUSEUM by George C. Wolfe.

Ms. Tichler founded The Shakespeare Lab, now in its 15th year: an intensive program for actors in Shakespeare performance. Prior to working at The Public, she was Associate Director for Artistic Services at Theatre Communications Group, the national service organization for the country's not for profit theaters from 1972-74 and its Casting Director before that from 1969-71.

Ms. Tichler has been teaching at New York University's Graduate Acting Program and The Juilliard School for 20 years. She has also done workshops at major actor training programs around the country including The Actors Center, Yale Drama School, the MFA program in Acting at Columbia University, and the BFA Program at the University of Minnesota.

Now in its 42nd year as one of New York's most exciting theatres, Classic Stage Company is the award-winning Off-Broadway theatre committed to re-imagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience. Led by Artistic Director Brian Kulick and Executive Director Jessica R. Jenen, they recently presented David Ives' acclaimed VENUS IN FUR, directed by Walter Bobbie, the most successful engagement in the history of CSC. Last season the company presented three sold-out acclaimed productions: Shakespeare's The Tempest, starring Mandy Patinkin; Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Denis O'Hare and Peter Sarsgaard; and Anne Carson's An Oresteia. Recent productions: critically acclaimed sold-out runs of Anton Chekhov's The Seagull, starring Dianne Wiest and Alan Cumming; the world premiere of David Ives' New Jerusalem, directed by Walter Bobbie; Richard III starring Michael Cumpsty and directed by Brian Kulick; and Zoe Caldwell in Yasmina Reza's A Spanish Play, directed by John Turturro.

CSC presents plays from the past that speak directly to the issues of today. As we return to works of the past, we endeavor to keep a clear eye on the future, particularly in terms of the next generation of artists and audiences. Classic Stage's artists are the finest established and emerging theater practitioners working in this country. Highly respected and widely regarded as a major force in New York and American theatre, Classic Stage has been cited repeatedly by all the major Off-Broadway theater awards: Obies, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League and the 1999 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work. Memberships to Classic Stage Company productions are available at various price levels, including the flexible MasterPass membership, which in addition to prime seats entitles members to participate in CSC special series, including their sold-out Open Rehearsal events.

CSC is currently presenting Academy Award-winner Dianne Wiest in Alexander Ostrovosky's THE FOREST, adapted by Kathleen Tolan and directed by Brian Kulick, and co-starring Obie Award-winner John Douglas Thompson.

For further information on Classic Stage Company, call (212) 352-3101, visit the theatre in person at 136 East 13th Street, or go to www.classicstage.org.