SEASON'S GREETINGS to Play at Hudson River Rep Starting 11/20

Just in time for the holiday season, Alan Ayckbourn’s SEASON’S GREETINGS makes its return to the New York stage for the first time in over 20 years as Hudson River Repertory Company brings this hilarious and cynical comedy to the McGinn/Cazale Theatre beginning November 20th.

A talented ensemble cast, under the direction of Laurie Eliscu, brings to vivid life such rich and outrageous characters as the crusty uncle who is a gun fanatic, the accident-prone sister who can always be counted on to ruin the lamb, and her husband who sets the stage for the dreaded annual puppet show. Throw in a mad midnight tryst under the Christmas tree and it all adds up to classic Ayckbourn humor that gets right under the skin of family dynamics.

The witty and acerbic Ayckbourn is one of the world’s most prolific, popular and widely performed contemporary playwrights. SEASON’S GREETINGS, a thought-provoking gem for the holidays, will be rediscovered by New York audiences with a fresh approach by veteran director Laurie Eliscu that will bring the humor front and center.

Performances at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre are on Thursdays-Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 5PM from November 20 to December 7. There will not be a performance on Thanksgiving but there will be a special performance on Monday, December 1st at 8PM. Tickets are $18 and are available at the box office and at TheaterMania.com or by calling 212-352-3101. Additional information at HudsonRiverRep.org.

Alan Ayckbourn (Playwright) has written 72 full-length plays and has directed more than 300 plays. He has received more than 25 awards and honors including an Olivier, a Moliere, the Variety Club of Great Britain Playwright of the Year and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Lifetime Achievement Awards.
 
Alan’s plays have been regularly produced in America and more than 10 of his plays have been produced on Broadway and Off-Broadway. In 1975 he held the record of having the most plays simultaneously running on Broadway (including The Norman Conquests and Absurd Person Singular) More recently, in 2005, he took his Scarborough company to the Brits Off Broadway Festival to present Private Fears In Public Places. In 2007, his production of Intimate Exchanges also toured to the Festival where it received a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Play.

LAURIE ELISCU (Director) has directed numerous plays (mostly comedies) in both NYC and regional/stock theatres (The Schoolhouse Theater, Shadowland, Pioneer Playhouse, Chappaqua Drama Group, Polkadot Playhouse, Rhinebeck PAC,,,).  Her favorite productions include Lend Me a Tenor, Bedroom Farce, Invisible Friends (the last two by Ayckbourn), I Hate Hamlet, The Good Doctor, Sylvia, Fuddy Meers, Squabbles, The Foreigner, The Nerd, Beau Jest, Beyond Therapy, plus the musicals Fiddler on the Roof, Runaways, Carnival, Fiorello, and a few of her own creation. Laurie started in acting and still performs occasionally but focused on directing, her greater love, when she earned an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College several years ago.  She's taught performing arts at area colleges, including SUNY-Purchase, and continues to coach actors privately. She's founder and Artistic Director of Hudson River Rep. and has produced plays that move between the city and theatres in Westchester County. Laurie's a member of Actors Equity, Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Theatre Artists Workshop, Theatre Resources Unlimited, American Renaissance Theatre Company, and a past member of BMI and the Dramatists Guild. 

ILENE MORGENROTH (Co-Producer) has been working in theatre for the past 12 years. She has served as a stage manager, production manager, assistant director and producer in a variety of productions in the New York area. As a partner in Left Lane Productions, she produced Piece of Mind in the 2006 New York International Fringe Festival and at twelve locations in Westchester and Rockland Counties.  She was a co-founder and President of the board of Simply Theatre, a professional regional theatre company based in Chappaqua, NY.

HUDSON RIVER REPERTORY COMPANY is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to presenting highly entertaining, exciting works of theatre worthy of more exposure. Additional information at www.hudsonriverrep.org.

FRANCILE ALBRIGHT* (Belinda) has performed Off-Broadway at the Pearl Theatre Company, The Public Theatre and the Beckett Theatre at Theatre Row and has worked with The Classical Theatre of Harlem

LEE BEEBOUT* (Harvey) was a member of The Chika Ensemble (headed by famed Katharine Sergava) and has appeared in a wide variety of theater productions, television and commercials.

FOSTER DAVIS (Clive) starred in the Irish Arts Center production of True West, which traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He appears in the recently released film “God Thinks You're A Loser” and was cited by the Houston Chronicle’s Everett Evans who wrote, "Actors Theatre relies on the charismatic explosively talented Foster Davis to elevate any production several notches.”

KARIN DE LA PENHA* (Phyllis) worked professionally as a child through young adulthood, with a full career in LA, the UK, Paris, and Las Vegas. Karin also devised a dynamic educational program, which has been particularly successful in its application to at-risk youth in Santa Barbara. She taught the same technique at several universities in Kuala Lumpur. Karin is the winner of three Indie Awards and a Dramalogue Award.

JODY  EISENSTEIN* (Rachel) has sung with Danny Aiello at the Friars Club where she is a regular, has toured nationally in a children’s show of Cinderella, and has done regional productions of Rocky Horror, Grease, Christmas Carol, Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Tech. Dreamcoat, and She Loves Me. When she’s not on stage, Jody is the Personal Assistant to Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara.

BYRON LOYD* (Bernard) was in the Off Broadway production of Nancy Hasty’s Bobbi Boland and is working with Ms. Hasty on her latest play Pearl.

MORGAN REIS (Pattie) recently performed in the world premiere of Adam Rapp's play, Bingo with the Indians at The Flea Theatre, where she is a member of The Bats.

DAN VIA* (Eddie) most recently played the title role in Jerry Springer: The Opera at The Studio Theatre in Washington, DC. He is a series regular in "Anyone But Me," a web series launching later this fall on Strike.tv.

James Weatherstone* (Neville) has appeared on Broadway, Off Broadway and Production Contract National Tours, including the role of the Wolf/Cinderella's Prince in Into The Woods, directed by James Lapine. He has done over 300 on-camera commercials and TV/radio voiceovers as a principal in addition to playing electric and acoustic guitar with his very active band, "Foley Road".

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