Playwrights Horizons Announces Special Sunday Ticket Initiative for MR. BURNS

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced two special ticketing initiatives for their New York premiere production of Mr. Burns, A POST-ELECTRIC PLAY, a new play by Anne Washburn (The Internationalist), with music by Obie Award winner Michael Friedman (Saved, The Drunken City at PH; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, the current Love's Labours Lost) and directed by Obie Award winner Steve Cosson (Gone Missing, This Beautiful City, founding Artistic Director of The Civilians).

In addition to announcing details for the theater company's popular LIVEforFIVE lottery, the company has also announced the new season-long initiative FIRST ROW SUNDAYS. Both are under the auspices of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access banner, which allows the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket.

Playwrights Horizons will begin accepting entries today, August 14 starting at 12 Noon for the LIVEforFIVE online lottery, which makes available $5 tickets to the first performance of all its productions. The LIVEforFIVE lottery for Mr. Burns will be for tickets to the first preview on Friday evening, August 23 at 8PM at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street).

A ticketing initiative created in 2007 as part of Playwrights Horizons' Arts Access program, LIVEforFIVE makes a limited number of $5 tickets available for the first preview performance of each Playwrights Horizons production through a lottery via the company's website (www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org).

Details for the LIVEforFIVE lottery for Mr. Burns are as follows: beginning today at 12 Noon, theatergoers can enter the lottery by filling out an entry form at www.PlaywrightsHorizons.org. Entries will be accepted until Monday, August 19 at 12 Noon. Winners of the lottery will be notified via email no later than 3PM on Monday, August 19 with instructions on how to book their $5 tickets. Unclaimed tickets will be offered via email to a limited standby list starting at 12 Noon on Tuesday, August 20 on a first-come, first-served basis. One or two tickets may be purchased for $5 each. 80 tickets will be available via the lottery.

For the new ticketing program FIRST ROW SUNDAYS, Playwrights Horizons will make available front row tickets for all Sunday evening performances. Tickets, $25 each, will be available for those age 30 years and younger and can be purchased online via www.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues). Tickets are limited to one per customer and are subject to availability. Purchased tickets for FIRST ROW SUNDAYS can be picked up one hour before curtain on the day of the performance, with proof of age required at the door.

Mr. Burns is being presented as the first production of the Playwrights Horizons' 2013/2014 Season.

The cast features Obie Award winner Quincy Tyler Bernstine (the current Far From Heaven at PH; In the Next Room... on Broadway; Ruined at MTC), Gibson Frazier (There Are No More Big Secrets, Orlando, God's Ear, The Internationalist Off-Broadway), Susannah Flood (Tribes Off-Broadway; As You Like It in Central Park; world premiere of A Civil War Christmas at Long Wharf), two-time Obie Award winner Matthew Maher(The Flick, The World Over at PH; Uncle Vanya, Golden Child, School for Lies, You Better Sit Down Off-Broadway) two-time Audelco nominee Nedra McClyde (Headstrong, Miss Evers' Boys), Civilians founding member Jennifer R. Morris (Gone Missing, The Ladies, Canard Canard Goose?, You Better Sit Down Off-Broadway), Colleen Werthmann (Miss Witherspoon, Recent Tragic Events at PH; Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson,Gone Missing Off-Broadway) and Sam Breslin Wright (Macbeth on Broadway, The Tempermentals, Paris Commune, 365 Plays/365 Days Off-Broadway).

What will endure when the cataclysm arrives - when the grid fails, society crumbles, and we're faced with the task of rebuilding? Anne Washburn's imaginative dark comedy propels us forward nearly a century, following a new civilization stumbling into its future. A paean to live theater, and to the resilience of Bart Simpson through the ages, Mr. Burns is an animated exploration of how the pop culture of one era might evolve into the mythology of another.

The production features scenic design by two-time Obie Award winner Neil Patel, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting design by Justin Townsend and sound design by Ken Travis. Choreography is by Sam Pinkleton and Music Director is Mike Brun. Mask and wig design is by Sam Hill, special effects are by Jeremy Chernick and fight director is David Brimmer. .Production Stage Manager is Kyle Gates.

The performance schedule for Mr. Burns will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7PM, Thursdays and Fridays at 8PM, Saturdays at 2:30 PM & 8PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM & 7:30 PM. The Tuesday, September 10 evening performance has an 8PM curtain, the Sunday, September 15 matinee has a 2PM curtain and the Thursday, September 19 evening performance (which is a special 30&Under event) has a 7PM curtain. Single tickets, starting at $70, will go on sale to the general public beginning Monday, July 22. As of that date, they may be purchased online viawww.TicketCentral.com, by phone at (212) 279-4200 (Noon-8pm daily), or in person at the Ticket Central Box Office, 416 West 42nd Street (between Ninth & Tenth Avenues).

Reflecting Playwrights Horizons' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $25 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before showtime to patrons aged 30 and under. Proof of age required. One ticket per person, per purchase. Cash only.

LIVEforFIVE, FIRST ROW SUNDAYS and HOTtix are two of Playwrights Horizons' popular Arts Access initiatives, which allow the institution to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket. This program is supported, in part, by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The McGraw-Hill Companies and an Anonymous Individual Donor.

Three subscription packages to Playwrights Horizons' 2013/2014 season are now available: a 6-show Subscription package ($240 for subscribers, four Mainstage and two Peter Jay Sharp Theater Productions); FlexPass (4+ tickets, $45-50 per ticket); and Membership ($55 membership fee + one ticket at $40 or less for each show, as desired). In addition to discounts on all season productions, subscribers receive priority booking and seating, ticket exchange privileges, parking and dining discounts, and exclusive mailings of Playwrights Horizons Bulletins. Packages are available atwww.TicketCentral.com.