Victory Gardens Theater's CONVICTION Makes Off-Broadway Premiere at 59E59 Theaters, 2/16 - 3/21

59E59 Theaters will welcome Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater with the NY premiere of CONVICTION, by Oren Neeman, adapted by Ami Dayan and Mark Williams and directed by Jeremy Cole. CONVICTION begins performances on Tuesday, February 16 for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 21. Press opening is Tuesday, February 23 at 7:15 PM.  

In Franco's 1960s Madrid, an Israeli scholar is detained and questioned by a Spanish official for stealing a confidential Inquisition file. Together, interrogator and interrogated become drawn to the file's wrinkled yellow pages and unravel the ill-fated love affair between the converted Spanish priest, Andrés González (1446-1486), and his Jewish wife, Isabel.

Based on the Yonatan Ben-Nachum's novel Confession (winner of the 2001 Prime Minister Prize for Hebrew Literature), CONVICTION received the prestigious 1996 Theatre Netto Festival Prize in Tel Aviv and played for five seasons in the repertoire of Habima, Israel's National Theatre. In 2008, the Denver Center Theatre Company commissioned a new adaptation by Israeli actor/director Ami Dayan. The piece was performed and developed at OnStageIsrael Festival in Chicago, which was presented at the Tony Award winning Victory Gardens Theater, as well as The Rubicon InterNational Theatre Festival in California and The Denver Center Theatre Company. It will return to the Victory Gardens Theater after its 59E59 run.

The cast features Ami Dayan, Kevin Hart and Catharine Pilafas.

The design team includes Jacob M. Welch (Lighting Designer), Kevin Brainerd (Costume Designer) and Annette Westerby (Props). The production stage manager is Ursula Scriba.

The performance schedule is Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:15 PM; Thursday & Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM and 7:15 PM. Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.ticketcentral.com. For more information, visit www.59e59.org.

Oren Neeman (Playwright) studied drama in Tel Aviv and at The Royal Court Theatre in London. His plays have been produced at the leading theaters in Israel, including The National Theatre, Habima, the esteemed theatre company Gesher, the Haifa Repertory Theatre, Beit Lessin Theatre, and The Jerusalem Khan Theatre. Oren enjoys writing for the screen, as well as lyrics for leading Israeli singers including Rami Kleinstein, Aracadi Duchin, and David D'or.

Ami Dayan (Adapter and Performer) is thrilled and honored to return to 59E59 Theaters. His free adaptation of Dario Fo's A Tale of A Tiger has been performed worldwide since 1994 before a celebrated run at 59E59. His production of Alan Drury'sThe Man Himself received rave audience and press responses in Colorado, Israel and at 59E59 Theaters. His production of Ilan Hatsor's MASKED garnered him the 2006 Westword Award for Best Actor in a Drama, before transferring Off Broadway to DR2, where NY Magazine noted it as one of three Theatrical Events of the Year (2007). Ami's next project is a new adaptation of Nathan the Wise for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

Mark J. Williams (Adapter) is a former F-15 pilot and veteran of the (first) Gulf War. He currently resides in Boulder, CO with his wife and two daughters and has written on the subjects of religion, strategy and personal development. His collaboration with Ami Dayan began with The Man Himself. The two are now developing their third theatrical project.

Jeremy Cole (Director) has received numerous awards for directing such shows as Metamorphoses (Recipient, 2004 Denver Post Ovation Award - Best Direction of a Play) and The Kentucky Cycle (Recipient, 2000 Denver Drama Critics Circle Award - Best Direction of a Play). He has also received recognition for his direction of Bent, Beirut, Good, Playing With Fire, The Baltimore Waltz, The Investigation, The Mound Builders, The Lady and the Clarinet, James Joyce's The Dead, and For Colored Girls... In addition to directing, Jeremy designs lights and costumes and has occasionally performed, most recently in the premiere of John Fisher's A Necessary Evil at Theatre Rhinoceros.