George Street Playhouse's OUTSIDE MULLINGAR Begins Performances Tonight

George Street Playhouse presents its 2014-15 Season Opener, Outside Mullingar. John Patrick Shanley's (Moonstruck, Doubt) recent Broadway hit, a nominee for the Tony Award for Best Play, will trod the boards in New Brunswick beginning tonight, October 7. Joining Ellen McLaughlin in the cast will be John Bolger, Patricia Conolly and David Schramm. Mr. Saint will helm the production, which runs through November 2. Opening night is set for Friday, October 10.

"The moment I saw this play in New York, I knew I had to bring it to George Street," said Mr. Saint. "Its message of the possibility of love at any age, told with humor and heart as John Patrick Shanley does, is extraordinary. I am thrilled to be directing it here in New Brunswick, and welcoming back three good friends to our stage - Ellen McLaughlin, John Bolger and David Schramm - and welcoming the wonderful Patricia Conolly to George Street."

Creating the world of the play will be a team of veteran George Street Playhouse designers: scenic designer R. Michael Miller; costume designer David Murin; lighting designer Joe Saint and composer and sound designer Scott Killian.

Affordable, flexible subscription packages are now on sale, as are individual tickets. For tickets and information, contact the George Street Playhouse Box Office at 732-246-7717 or visit www.GSPonline.org, the Playhouse's official website. George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue, in the heart of New Brunswick's vibrant downtown, with dining for every palate and pocketbook and plentiful parking.

Outside Mullingar is the story of Anthony, who has spent his entire life on a cattle farm in rural Ireland, a state of affairs that - due to his painful shyness - suits him well. Rosemary lives right next door, determined to have him, watching the years slip away. With Anthony's father threatening to disinherit him and a land feud simmering between their families, Rosemary has every reason to fear romantic catastrophe. But then, in this very Irish story with a surprising depth of poetic passion, these yearning, eccentric souls fight their way towards solid ground and some kind of happiness. Their journey is heartbreaking, funny as hell, and ultimately deeply moving.

Ellen McLaughlin (Rosemary) is noted for originating the role of the Angel in Tony Kushner's Angels in America. She made her George Street Playhouse debut two seasons ago in David Lindsay Abaire's Good People, opposite John Bolger (Anthony); Outside Mullingar marks Mr. Bolger's fourth appearance at the Playhouse. Known to television audiences from the hit comedy Wings, David Schramm last appeared in New Brunswick in the GSP production of Twelve Angry Men. Patricia Conolly is making her George Street Playhouse debut, last appearing on Broadway in Is He Dead?

John Patrick Shanley's theatrical work is performed extensively across the United States and around the world. For his play Doubt, he received both the Tony Award and the Pulitzer Prize. In the arena of screenwriting, he has nine films to his credit, most recently Doubt, which received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay. The film was also directed by Mr. Shanley. Other films include Five Corners (Special Jury Prize, Barcelona Film Festival), Alive, Joe Versus the Volcano, which he also directed, and Live from Baghdad for HBO (Emmy nomination). For his script of Moonstruck, he received both the Writers Guild of America Award and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. The Writers Guild of America awarded Mr. Shanley the 2009 Lifetime Achievement in Writing.

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