Christine Lahti to Return to the Stage in 'The Busy World is Hushed' Previews Begin May 26

Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) has announced that Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning star Christine Lahti will make her eagerly-awaited return to the stage in the company's final production of its 2005/2006 35th Anniversary Season, the World Premiere of THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED, a new play by Keith Bunin (The Credeaux Canvas and The World Over, both at Playwrights Horizons).

Directed by Mark Brokaw (the Broadway productions of Reckless and The Constant Wife, Off-Broadway's Lobby Hero at Playwrights Horizons and How I Learned to Drive), previews will now begin Friday, May 26 with an official opening on Tuesday, June 20. Performances for the limited engagement will continue through Sunday, July 2 at Playwrights Horizons' Mainstage Theater (416 West 42nd Street). Please note the new dates, which are different from earlier season releases.

Acclaimed for her starring roles on stage, screen and television, Christine Lahti is perhaps best-known for her Emmy Award-winning role as Dr. Kathryn Austin on the hit drama "Chicago Hope." She began her career on the New York stage, working with such theater companies as Playwrights Horizons (first appearing there in the 1978 play Hooters by Ted Tally), The Public (David Mamet's The Woods, Theatre World Award), Second Stage (Jules Feiffer's Little Murders, Obie Award; and John Guare's Landscape of the Body) and Circle Rep (Jon Robin Baitz's Three Hotels, Drama Desk nomination). Her Broadway credits include the 1982 revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter and starring in the title role of Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles. More recently, she appeared Off-Broadway in The Exonerated. She made her film debut in And Justice For All opposite Al Pacino, earned an Oscar nomination and New York Film Critics Award for her performance in Swing Shift and won the L.A. Film Critics Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Running on Empty. In addition to her numerous film performance credits, Ms. Lahti made her film directing debut with Lieberman in Love (which she also starred in), winning her an Oscar for Best Short Film, Live Action.

Additional casting and details will be announced in the coming weeks.

In THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED, Hannah (Christine Lahti), a minister and bible scholar, finds her faith at odds with that of Thomas, her estranged, wayward son. But when an inquisitive young writer hired to assist Hannah with her latest publication learns painful secrets from Hannah's past, she spies a risky, unconventional opportunity for reconciliation.

PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS, under the leadership of Artistic Director Tim Sanford and Managing Director Leslie Marcus, is a writer's theater dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. In its 35 years, Playwrights Horizons has presented the work of more than 350 writers and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. Notable productions include four Pulitzer Prize winners: Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife (2004 Tony Award, Best Play), Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles, Alfred Uhry's Driving Miss Daisy and Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Sunday in the Park with George, as well as Lynn Nottage's Fabulation (2005 Obie Award for Playwriting), Craig Lucas's Small Tragedy (2004 Obie Award, Best American Play), Kenneth Lonergan's Lobby Hero, Kirsten Childs's The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin, Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey's James Joyce's The Dead, William Finn's March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland, Christopher Durang's Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and Betty's Summer Vacation, Richard Nelson's Goodnight Children Everywhere and Franny's Way, Jon Robin Baitz's The Substance of Fire, Scott McPherson's Marvin's Room, A.R. Gurney's Later Life, Adam Guettel and Tina Landau's Floyd Collins and Jeanine Tesori and Brian Crawley's Violet.

Playwrights Horizons is supported in part by public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Council, the New York State Assembly and the New York State Senate. In addition, Playwrights Horizons receives major support from Ford Motor Company Fund, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, The Shubert Foundation and The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

The performance schedule for THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED will be Tuesdays through Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2:30 & 8 PM and Sundays at 2:30 & 7:30 PM. Tickets are $65. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 28.

PAY WHAT YOU CAN NIGHT for THE BUSY WORLD IS HUSHED will be the first preview on Friday, May 26 at 8PM. PAY WHAT YOU CAN tickets are offered through a lottery system. Names will be taken at the Ticket Central box office (416 West 42nd Street) in person on the day of the performance between 2PM and 7PM. A drawing will take place at 7PM. Participants must be present with ID at the time names are drawn in order to be eligible for the lottery. Two tickets per person, cash-only, subject to availability, $5 per ticket suggested donation.

Reflecting PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS' ongoing commitment to making its productions more affordable to younger audiences, the theater company will offer HOTtix, $20 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. Student Rush, $15 rush tickets, subject to availability, day of performance only, starting one hour before curtain to full-time graduate and undergraduate students. One ticket per person, per purchase. Valid student ID required.

Both PAY WHAT YOU CAN NIGHT and HOTtix, popular Playwrights Horizons initiatives made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, allow the theater company to reach out to those who may not be able to afford the cost of a full-price theater ticket.

For subscription and ticket information to all PLAYWRIGHTS HORIZONS productions, call TICKET CENTRAL at (212) 279-4200, Noon to 8 pm daily, or purchase online at the Playwrights Horizons website at www.playwrightshorizons.org

BIOGRAPHIES

Christine Lahti (Hannah), an acclaimed leading lady of stage, film and television, is perhaps best known for her Emmy-winning role as Dr. Kathryn Austin on the hit drama "Chicago Hope." She began her career on the New York stage, working with such theater companies as Playwrights Horizons (in the 1978 play Hooters by Ted Tally), The Public (David Mamet's The Woods, Theatre World Award), Second Stage (Jules Feiffer's Little Murders, Obie Award; John Guare's Landscape of the Body) and Circle Rep (Jon Robin Baitz's Three Hotels, Drama Desk nomination, also L.A.). Her Broadway credits include her debut in Loose Ends at Circle in the Square, the revival of Noel Coward's Present Laughter and the title role of Wendy Wasserstein's The Heidi Chronicles. More recently, she performed in the Off-Broadway phenomenon The Exonerated. She made her film debut in And Justice For All opposite Al Pacino, earned an Oscar nomination and New York Film Critics Award for her performance in Swing Shift, and won the L.A. Film Critics Award and a Golden Globe nomination for Running on Empty. Other films include Housekeeping, The Doctor and Just Between Friends. In addition to her numerous performance credits, Ms. Lahti made her film directing debut with Lieberman in Love (which she also starred in), winning an Oscar for Best Short Film, Live Action. She also directed the feature film My First Mister starring Albert Brooks. Other notable television credits include "No Place Like Home" (Emmy nomination, Golden Globe Award), "Amerika" (Emmy, Golden Globe nominations), Showtime's "Out of the Ashes," "Jack & Bobby" (Golden Globe nomination), "An American Daughter" (Golden Globe, SAG nominations) and a Golden Globe Award and three additional Emmy and SAG nominations for "Chicago Hope."

Keith Bunin (Playwright) is the author of the plays The World Over and The Credeaux Canvas, which were both produced by Playwrights Horizons. His other plays include The Principality of Sorrows, produced Off-Broadway by Pure Orange Productions; The King of Clocks, produced by Lincoln Center Lab at HERE; and A Joke, produced by Malaparte.

Mark Brokaw (Director). Broadway: Reckless (MTC), The Constant Wife (Roundabout). Off-Broadway includes Lobby Hero (Playwrights Horizons); Afterbirth: Kathy & Mo's Greatest Hits, Gemini, This Is Our Youth (Second Stage); The Good Times Are Killing Me, The Rimers of Eldritch (Second Stage); Innocents' Crusade (MTC); The Long Christmas Ride Home, Stranger, The Dying Gaul, How I Learned To Drive (Vineyard/Drama Desk, Obie, Lortel awards for Drive); The Baltimore Waltz (Signature); Music From a Sparkling Planet, As Bees in Honey Drown (Drama Dept.); Old Money (Lincoln Center); 2.5 Minute Ride (Public).