Beth Fowler & Richard Kline Lead Penguin Season-Opener GREETINGS!

Two-time Tony Award nominee Beth Fowler and Richard Kline, known to millions of TV watchers as "Larry" on the classic sitcom Three's Company, will star in Greetings!, Tom Dudzick's heartwarming comedy about a family blessed by an unexpected miracle, at Penguin Rep Theatre, artistic director Joe Brancato and executive director Andrew M. Horn announced today.

Greetings! is the first of four mainstage productions selected for the nonprofit professional theatre's 34th year in operation and will kick off the 2011 season at Penguin's intimate, 108-seat theatre in Stony Point (Rockland County), New York beginning May 20. Greetings! will be performed through June 12.

"We are happy to have Tom Dudzick, author of Over the Tavern and Miracle on South Division Street, back for the third year in a row to start a new season at Penguin Rep," says Mr. Brancato. "And we're also thrilled to welcome back Richard Kline, who starred at Penguin in Ten Percent of Molly Snyder in 2008 and recently toured the country as the Wizard of Oz in the National Company of Wicked, joined by the incomparable Beth Fowler." Ms. Fowler originated the role of Mrs. Potts in the Broadway production of Beauty and the Beast and was nominated for Tony Awards for her performances in The Boy from Oz and Sweeney Todd.

The remainder of the cast of Greetings! under Thomas Caruso's direction includes Jonathan Fielding, Rusty Ross and Rachel Stern.
Mr. Caruso directed Around the World in 80 Days and Over the Tavern for Penguin Rep last season, and Ten Percent of Molly Snyder in 2008. He recently directed a reading of the new musical Southern Comfort by Julianne Wick Davis & Dan Collins, starring Annette O'Toole (Playwrights Horizons)-a top finalist for the prestigious Richard Rodgers award; Alex Davis: Man Of the Year, produced by Ruth and Steven Hendel (Knitting Factory), Abbie (Off-Broadway), The Chalks, An American Family In Three Chords, a new musical (Bay Street Theatre), and the film version of Zombie, based on the novella by Joyce Carol Oates.

Jonathan Fielding (Mickey Gorski)'s credits include the recent production of John Kolvenbach's Love Song at 59 East 59 Street Theaters, and the Broadway productions of Pygmalion at Roundabout Theatre and The Seagull at the Walter Kerr. He also performed in The Heavens Are Hung in Black for the grand re-opening of the Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.

Rusty Ross (Andy Gorski), who previously appeared at Penguin Rep in the world premiere of Tom Dudzick's Our Lady of South Division Street (now titled Miracle on South Division Street), starred in the original cast of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on Broadway, and reprised his role when the production returned in 2007. He recently performed the role of Professor in the national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater production of South Pacific.

Rachel Stern (Randi Stein) was seen in the Broadway productions of Shrek: The Musical, High Fidelity and Tarzan.

The production team for Greetings! includes designers Patricia E. Doherty (costumes), James J. Fenton (set), Martin E. Vreeland (lights), and Colin Whitely (sound); and stage manager C. Renee Alexander.

Performance days and times for Greetings! are: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m., with matinees on Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Following Greetings! is the New York premiere of Deborah Zoe Laufer's Sirens, a romantic comedy about finding one's muse and falling in love with your spouse all over again (July 8 - July 31). Summer 2011 brings Shipwrecked! An Entertainment for audiences young and old by Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies (August 12 - September 4). Closing the season will be the New York premiere of Mat Smart's heartfelt new play, Samuel J. and K., about a pair of brothers finding their game, their lives and their bond challenged as never before (October 14 - November 6).

Subscriptions to 2011 mainstage productions are on sale now and start as low as $92 for the four plays.

Individual tickets are priced at $34 each. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and young people (30 and under). A special reduced-priced weekday matinee performance of Greetings! is slated for Friday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m.

To order tickets or for further information, visit Penguin Rep's website at www.penguinrep.org or call 845-786-2873.

Penguin Rep Theatre gratefully acknowledges general operating support from the New York State Council on the Arts, a public agency celebrating 60 years of building strong, creative communities in New York State's 62 counties; the County of Rockland, the Shubert Foundation, the Cory and Bob Donnalley Charitable Foundation, and the Arts Fund For Rockland (a program of the Arts Council of Rockland).

Greetings!

A comedy by Tom Dudzick Directed by Thomas Caruso

May 20 - June 12, 2011

When Andy Gorski returns home from New York for the holidays accompanied by his new fiancée, cultures collide, beliefs are challenged, and truths are told as only Tom Dudzick, author of Miracle on South Division Street and Over the Tavern, can tell them. Join us for a hilarious and heartwarming visit with a family blessed by an unexpected miracle.

AUDIENCE ENHANCEMENT EVENTS

Audience members are invited to enrich their theatre-going experience without any additional charge by participating in any of Penguin Rep Theatre's special events during the run of Greetings!.

Opening Reception: Join the cast and creative team after the 2:00 pm matinee performance on Sunday, May 22 for cake and coffee.

Post-Show Discussion: Learn more about the play and production and share your thoughts with fellow audience members in a discussion with the cast and artistic director Joe Brancato following the show on Friday, May 27.

Pre-Show Tasting: Enjoy a tasting from a local chef or restaurant (TBA) before the 4:00 pm matinee performance on Saturday, May 28.

2011 Mainstage Productions
New York Premiere!

Sirens

A romantic comedy by Deborah Zoe Laufer Directed by Joe Brancato

July 8 - July 31, 2011

Sy, a middle-aged composer with writer's block, has posted his photo on Facebook, but it's from his wedding and he's cropped his wife Rose out of the picture! Next the couple's 25th anniversary cruise to the Greek Isles takes a wild and unforeseen turn. The New York premiere of a romantic comedy about finding one's muse and falling in love with your spouse all over again.
Shipwrecked! An Entertainment

A comedy by Donald Margulies Directed by Thomas Caruso

August 12 - September 4, 2011

Audiences young and old will enjoy this imaginative play based on the true story of Louis de Rougemont who mesmerized Victorian England -- and the world -- with his incredible tale of being stranded on an island for 30 years. From Pulitzer Prize winner Donald Margulies, Shipwrecked! is filled with theatrical magic and "good old fashioned yarn spinning" (The New York Times).
New York Premiere!

Samuel J. and K.

A play by Mat Smart Directed by Joe Brancato

October 14 - November 6, 2011

A simple game of pickup basketball has higher stakes than two brothers could ever imagine. When Samuel J. surprises his adopted brother K. with a graduation gift of a trip to Africa to explore his roots, they find their game, their lives, and their bond challenged as never before. The New York premiere of a heartfelt new play about conflict, identity and the boundless reach of family.

2011 Children's Theatre

North, South, East & Jim West

A Theatreworks USA Presentation Starring Jim West

July 19 & July 21, 2011 Performances: 11:00 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.

Travel the globe in this multicultural extravaganza of puppeteering including a giant dragon from China, a Native American totem pole, and a hand shadow spider from Africa.
Sweet Potato Pie & Such

A Theatreworks USA Presentation Starring Queen Nur

July 20, 2011 at 1:30 p.m.

Storyteller Queen Nur returns with her tasty treat of stories, songs and dance. This highly energetic performance will delight all ages.

Special Event! One Performance Only

Robert Wuhl's Assume the Position Starring Emmy Award-winner Robert Wuhl

At SUNY Rockland Community College, Suffern, NY

Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 8:00 p.m.

History is a wonderfully funny thing - if only it was true! - as actor and comedian Robert Wuhl (best known as Arli$) takes us on a wise and uproariously comic romp through the facts and myths behind the ol' "Red, White and Blue". Assume the Position is an all-new follow-up to the Emmy Award winner's acclaimed HBO special.

Special Event! One Performance Only

My Mother's Italian, My Father's Jewish & I'm in Therapy

The Off Broadway hit comedy by Steve Solomon

At SUNY Rockland Community College, Suffern, NY

Saturday, October 1, 2011 at 8:30 p.m.

Twice the holidays. Twice the hollering. Twice the guilt. Direct from the sold-out, extended Off Broadway run, Italian + Jewish = Therapy is one part lasagna, one part kreplach and two parts Prozac. Author Steve Solomon combines comic voices, sound effects and astounding characterizations to tell stories of the wacky side of the human condition.