Playwrights Theatre Presents Mahida's Extra Key To Heaven Aprl 22 - May 9

Playwrights Theatre is pleased to present the New Jersey Premiere of Mahida's Extra Key To Heaven by Russell Davis. It will preview on April 22 and run for three weeks through May 9, 2010 (Press Opening: Friday, April 23 at 8:00pm). The production will be directed by John Pietrowski and features Mariam Habib*, Jack Moran*, Jane Blass* and Ryan Shams*. Single tickets are on sale now for $15. A student (appropriate for ages 13 and up) and senior matinee is scheduled for Wednesday, April 28 and May 5 at 10:30am and Ladies Night at the Playwrights Theatre will be held on Thursday, April 29 beginning at 5pm with curtain at 6:30pm. For tickets, visit www.ptnj.org or call the box office at 973-514-1787 X10. Performances take place at Playwrights Theatre, 33 Green Village Road in Madison, NJ.

Thomas, a young painter, is visiting Edna, his comfortably conservative and opinionated mother in a small ocean town on an island near the Canadian border. Out walking, he discovers Mahida, an Iranian exchange student who has missed the last ferry back to the mainland. Mahida's brother, Ramin, an Islamic fundamentalist, seems to have left her after she refused to come back to Iran with him after the death of their father, but she can't be sure. She reluctantly agrees to stay at Edna's house for the night. When Ramin shows up for her the next day, two extreme worlds collide thousands of miles from the center of the perceived conflict.

"With it's emphasis on compassion on humility, this is a beautiful and touching play that shows us a possible way through some of the most difficult global conflicts and concerns facing us today," said John Pietrowski, Artistic Director.

Drew Francis will design the set. Lighting Design is by Richard Currie and Sound Design by Jeff Knapp. Danielle Constance is the Production Stage Manager.

Book Clubs at Playwrights Theatre
Playwrights Theatre will continue its successful book club project. Instead of reading a book, book club members read the play (script provided by Playwrights Theatre). They then see the production and stay after the performance for a post-show discussion with the Artistic Director.

Ladies Night at Playwrights Theatre will be on Thursday, April 29. Beginning at 5:00pm in the lobby of Playwrights Theatre, ladies will be able to mingle among the tables of women owned/women run businesses for various products and services. Participating businesses include: Bella Luna Gourmet Catering, Inner Designs, Luger Land Arts, Young Living Essential Oils and Via Veneto Salon. For more information, visit www.ptnj.org/SpecialEvents/LadiesNight.htm or contact Jennifer DeWitt at jdewitt@ptnj.org.

About the Playwright
Russell Davis' plays have been produced at various theatres, including People's Light & Theatre, Actors' Theatre of Louisville, Yale Repertory, Long Wharf and Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey. He is a 2008-10 recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. He has received playwright fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, McKnight Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, New York Council on the Arts and a NEA/TCG ResidenCy Grant. He is also a juggler.

Registrations are being accepted for the Creative Arts Academy summer camp for kids and teen. For more information on any of the programs offered by Playwrights Theatre, please visit www.ptnj.org or call (973) 514-1787 X10.

About Playwrights Theatre:
Playwrights Theatre is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, professional (Actors' Equity) theatre. A community of professional playwrights, theatre artists, and arts educators, Playwrights Theatre provides opportunities for writers to develop their works in a nurturing environment and connect with new audiences. Our New Play Development Program is a multi-step process through which playwrights, theatre artists, and audiences collaborate to bring selected texts from rough draft to finished production. Our Education Programs introduce students of all ages and backgrounds to the possibilities inherent in thinking and communicating creatively. Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Writers Project provides hands-on workshops led by professional writers-in-residence to students in schools and community centers throughout the state reaching over 15,000 students annually. We place an equal emphasis on New Play Development and Educational activities, and encourage our community and audiences to participate fully in both.

We are honored that for the years 2010-2012 the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) designated Playwrights Theatre as a Major Arts Institution. This means that the Council considers Playwrights Theatre to be "an anchor institution that contributes vitally to the quality of life in New Jersey" (along with Paper Mill Playhouse, George Street Playhouse, The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey and the McCarter Theatre Center).

Playwrights Theatre's New Jersey Young Playwrights Contest is funded in part by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Travelers Foundation, Bank of America, New Jersey Young Playwrights Festival and New Jersey Young Playwrights Program are registered to the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

Funding for Playwrights Theatre is made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the F.M. Kirby Foundation, Inc., The Prudential Foundation, the Victoria Foundation, the New Jersey Cultural Trust, Bank of America, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, Investors Savings, Bay and Paul Foundation, E.J. Grassman Trust, The Hyde and Watson Foundation, The Karma Foundation, MCJ Foundation, The Turrell Fund, Provident Bank, Pearsall Family Foundation, Union Foundation, PSE&G, Travelers, and many other corporations, foundations and individual contributors. FORUM is supported by grants from The Shubert Foundation and The Dramatist Guild Fund.

Playwrights Theatre is a member of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, the National New Play Network and Madison Arts & Culture Alliance.