Mikhail Baryshnikov Set for Hartford Stage's MAN IN A CASE World Premiere; Full Cast Announced!

Hartford Stage, under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts, presents the world premiere stage adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Man in a Case, featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov, on stage February 21 through March 24.

In Chekhov's brilliant tale of humor and despair, a pair of hunters talk late into the night. They share stories: one of an officious, anti-social man and his involvement with an aggressively extroverted woman. The second, a tale of moral ambiguity in which the protagonist forgoes his love for a married woman. Though seemingly different, both are tales of fear trumping the pursuit of life's most promising possibilities. Drawing from material as varied as surveillance footage, folk dance, instructional hunting videos, and interviews with the cast, Man in a Case creates a bridge between our time and that of these two 19th-century anti-love stories. Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar, the team behind the internationally acclaimed Big Dance Theater, bring their signature style--fusing theater, dance, music and video--to this world premiere adaptation.

The cast features Mikhail Baryshnikov with Jess Barbagallo, Tymberly Canale, Chris Giarmo, and Aaron Mattocks. Man in a Case, Adapted from Two Stories by Anton Chekhov, is directed by Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar of Big Dance Theater and choreographed by Annie-B Parson.

Man in a Case, will feature Mikhail Baryshnikov, who appeared on Broadway in Metamorphosis (Tony Award-nomination and a Drama Critics Award). Off-Broadway credits include In Paris (Ely and Edyth Broad Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Lincoln Center Festival and 2011-12 International Tour), Beckett Shorts (New York Theatre Workshop) and Forbidden Christmas or The Doctor and the Patient (Lincoln Center Festival). He has appeared in the films White Nights, The Cabinet of Dr. Ramirez, Company Business and The Turning Point (Oscar nomination, Best Supporting Actor). Awards include: Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Honor, the Commonwealth Award, the Chubb Fellowship, the Jerome Robbins Award and rank of Officer of the French Legion of Honor. He is the Artistic Director of the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York.

The cast will also include Jess Barbagallo (Big Dance Theater, Theater of a Two-Headed Calf and The Builders Association) who will portray Hunter and Burkin; Tymberly Canale (Big Dance Theater's Supernatural Wife) as Barbara; Chris Giarmo (Big Dance Theater's Supernatural Wife) as Hunter and Ivan; and Aaron Mattocks (Big Dance Theater, Phantom Limb Company and OtherShore) as Kovalenko.

The creative team features costume design by Oana Botez (PS122, The Kitchen); sound design by artist and musician Tei Blow; set design by Peter Ksander (Brooklyn Academy of Music, PS122); video design by Jeff Larson (Comme Toujours Here I Stand, Big Dance Theater); lighting design by Jennifer Tipton (Tony awards for The Cherry Orchard and Jerome Robbins' Broadway); and the production stage manager is Jenni Bowman.

Man in a Case is produced by Baryshnikov Productions in association with ArKtype/Thomas O. Kriegsmann.

Press Night: 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27. Opening Night: 8 p.m. on Friday, March 1. The production runs February 21 through March 24. Evening performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; and a special Stay/Play performance at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13. Matinee performances are Sundays and select Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2 p.m. For a more specific schedule of performances or to buy tickets for Man in a Case, call the Hartford Stage box office at 860-527-5151 or visit www.hartfordstage.org.

Library Talks take place at 7:30 p.m. February 7 at the West Hartford Public Library, 20 S. Main Street, West Hartford, and at 7 p.m. on February 12 at Prosser Library, One Tunxis Avenue, Bloomfield. Senior Dramaturg Elizabeth Williamson gives community talks on each show in the season, at the West Hartford and Bloomfield Public Libraries.

The Producer's Table takes place at 5:45 p.m. March 7. Managing Director Mike Stotts hosts a pre-show dinner, where he gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a play; tour at 5:45 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. performance. Tickets are $21 (performance not included) and can be purchased at hartfordstage.org.

Dinner + Design takes place at 6 p.m. February 27. Members of our production team discuss what it takes to create the theatrical worlds of our season. Learn more about the magic that happens backstage while enjoying a pre-show dinner. (Dinner at 6 p.m. before the 7:30 p.m. curtain.) Tickets are $21 (performance not included) and can be purchased at hartfordstage.org.

LGBT Night Out takes place at 6:15 p.m. February 28. Pre-show nosh and complimentary wine (plus drink specials at the bar) for our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patrons.In collaboration with the Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. FREE.

Hartford Stage, since its founding in 1963, has been known for innovative revivals of classics and the development of important new works, including 65 World or American premieres. Recent work includes Quiara Alegria Hudes' Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; Horton Foote's The Orphans' Home Cycle which had a celebrated run at the Signature Theatre in New York during the 2009-2010 season; a landmark production of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird; the premieres of Michael Kramer's Divine Rivalry; and Daniel Beaty's Resurrection (later retitled Through the Night, which had a successful run off-Broadway during the 2010-11 season). In 1998 the theatre launched an unprecedented ten-year retrospective of Tennessee Williams, which included the premiere of three plays. Other new work includes the premieres of Eve Ensler's Necessary Targets, Edward Albee's At Home at the Zoo, Matthew Barber's Enchanted April (which transferred to Broadway), Matthew Lombardo's Tea at Five, and many others. The theatre has earned numerous distinguished honors, including a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, the Margo Jones Award, OBIE awards, New York Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards. In 2005 Hartford Stage was awarded The Hartford Courant's Tapestry Award recognizing its outstanding work in diversity, and in 2008 it was awarded the Bank of America Neighborhood Builder's Award recognizing its excellence in building community in Greater Hartford. Hartford Stage is currently under the leadership of Artistic Director Darko Tresnjak and Managing Director Michael Stotts.

Pictured: Mikhail Baryshnikov in rehearsal. Photo Credit: Brad Harris.