Previews Begin Wednesday for GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Previews for GREAT EXPECTATIONS begin Wednesday, November 8 at Off-Broadway Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.). TheatreworksUSA recently announced complete casting for the inaugural production of its 45th Anniversary season, the world premiere stage adaptation of Charles Dickens' GREAT EXPECTATIONS.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS stars Tony Award nominee and Drama Desk Award winner Kathleen Chalfant (Angels in America, Wit) as Miss Havisham, Christian Campbell (Trick, Reefer Madness) as Pip, Kenneth Boys (Sarah, Plain and Tall) as Pumblechook, Kristen Bush (A Touch of the Poet) as Estella, Emily Donahoe (Apparition) as Biddy, John Joseph Gallagher as Magwich and Paul Niebanck (Shockheaded Peter) as Joe.

Opening Night is Thursday, November 16 at 7 p.m. This strictly limited engagement ends on Sunday, December 3.

Directed by Will Pomerantz (Godot Has Left the Building), and adapted for the stage by Bathsheba Doran (Living Room in Africa), GREAT EXPECTATIONS is Dickens' famous semi-autobiographical novel which follows a young orphan boy through adulthood, navigating London's society circles and his relationships with a wealthy woman and her haughty adopted daughter.

In addition to receiving Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for Angels in America, Kathleen Chalfant's other notable stage credits include Wit (Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Obie, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, Los Angeles Ovation Awards), Alan Bennet's Talking Heads (Outer Critics Circle, Obie Awards), Nine Armenians (Drama Desk nomination) and End Game (Obie Award for Sustained Excellence in Performance).

Christian Campbell's notable stage credits include tick…tick...BOOM! (London), Reefer Madness (LA, and subsequent film adaptation). and Drift (NY), as well as the films Trick, The Piano Man's Daughter and Thank You Good Night.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS features scenic and costume design by Carol Bailey, lighting design by Lenore Doxsee and sound design by Eric Shim. Incidental music is written by independent film composer Michael Picton (Grand Prize recipeint of Turner Classic Movies' 2004 Young Film Composers Competition).

Tickets for GREAT EXPECTATIONS are $25 each and are now available by calling TicketCentral.com at 212-279-4200.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS plays Wednesdays at 2 p.m., Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Exceptions to the regular schedule are as follows:

Tuesday, November 14 7 p.m. added
Wednesday, November 15 7 p.m. only
Thursday, November 16 7 p.m. only
Thursday, November 23 No Performance
Friday, November 24 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Now in its 45th anniversary season, TheatreworksUSA, America's foremost not-for-profit professional theatre for family audiences, is the most prolific continuing producer of professional theater in the country. During its 2005-06 season, it produced 28 different productions of 15 original plays and musicals with full Equity casts, both in New York City and on tour, reaching an audience of over 4 million in 47 states. Since its founding in 1961, TheatreworksUSA's productions have been seen by audiences of nearly 100 million. TheatreworksUSA has become America's largest and most prominent not-for-profit professional theatre for young audiences. and has received myriad honors, including the 1996 Drama Desk Award, the 1996 Lucille Lortel Award, the 1998 Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence, and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Award.

TheatreworksUSA's production of GREAT EXPECTATIONS is presented by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

For more information visit www.TheatreworksUSA.org