The Gallery Players Presents THE TRAGEDY OF KING LEAR 7/25-8/2

The Gallery Players of Park Slope is proud to present The Tragedy of King Lear, its first production as part of newly-created Players Shakespeare. King Lear runs from Saturday evening, July 25th thru August 2nd with preview performances July 23rd & July 24th at 8pm, and July 25th at 2pm. Long-standing member of the Pearl Theatre Resident Acting Company and Gallery Players favorite, Dominic Cuskern*, will star as the tempestuous king.

King Lear is believed by many to be Shakespeare's masterpiece. Written as a political and social commentary on post-Elizabethan England, King Lear demonstrates what results when individuals let vanity and greed lead them to trespass the bounds of order and proportion, ignoring their natural responsibility to family, community and country. The chaotic consequences: leaders renounce duty; fathers disown children; children displace fathers; war, homicide, fratricide, suicide, and madness. We join Lear and his counterpart, Gloucester, as they are stripped of position, power, family, and sanity - and in the process, through the unwavering devotion of Kent and the Fool, the filial loves of Edgar and Cordelia - discovering their humanity and what it means to forgive and be forgiven. Lear becomes the antithesis of his former arrogant self; he achieves a life without "lendings" - the accumulated material possessions we cling to for meaning - or the need of them.

With an eye toward telling this poignant tale simply and keeping all "lendings" to a minimum, Producing Directors Sidney Fortner and Dominic Cuskern will direct a cast of 17, including: Kevin Blackwelder, John Blaylock*, Jonah Ramu Cohen, Andrew Danish, Adam Ewer, Andrew Firda*, Suzy Kimball, Mark A. Kinch, Brandon Mears, Elliott Mayer*, Peter Oliver, Ross Pivel, Molly Pope, Jerrod Kazumi Popham, Jessica Rothenberg, and Montgomery Sutton*.

Set and Costume Designer: Sidney Fortner; Fight Choreographer: Robert Najarian; Stage Manager: Kristine Ayers.

The Tragedy of King Lear opens Saturday evening, July 25 and runs through Sunday, August 2, 2009 with preview performances on July 23 and July 24 at 8pm, and July 25th at 2pm, and a special "pay-what-you-will" performance on Monday, July 27 at 7:30pm (12 performances only). Performances take place Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8pm, matinees are Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. A complete calendar of performances can be found on-line at http://galleryplayers.com/plays/lear. AEA approved showcase.

Tickets are $18 for Adults, $14 for senior citizens/children 12 and under. Tickets can be purchased 24/7 online at www.galleryplayers.com or by calling Theatermania at 212-352-3101 (phone hours 9-9 weekdays, 10-6 weekends).

The Gallery Players is located at 199 14th St., between 4th and 5th Aves. in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Take the F Train to 4th Ave. or the R Train to 9th Street. By car: BQE to Hamilton Avenue to 14th Street.

Players Shakespeare is a new Summer Shakespeare festival and a home for the Bard in Brooklyn. As good as its name, Players Shakespeare will focus its productions on Shakespeare's plays themselves and The Players who bring them to life. Production elements - sets, lights, costumes, props - will be selectively chosen for their ability to support this creative work. In keeping with the Elizabethan tradition of on-the-job actor training, every Players Shakespeare production will include at least two Acting Interns who will receive textual, speech and movement training along with appropriate mentoring toward performing their assigned roles.

A New York institution since 1967, The Gallery Players has served actors and audiences alike for more than 4 decades by showcasing burgeoning new talent and offering a home base for theater professionals. Its eclectic programming of intimate revivals and ambitious new work in inventive productions has earned it the reputation of "New York's Best Kept Secret." Among its famous alumni are founding member Harvey Fierstein, Broadway regular Diedre Goodwin, New York theater personality Seth Rudetsky, and many others.

*Member of Actor's Equity Association.