ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS Coming to the Kravis Center for Limited Performance Engagement

The critically acclaimed off-Broadway hit The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, written by and starring James Lecesne, the writer of the Academy Award-winning film Trevor comes to the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts for a limited performance engagement Friday, December 2 through Sunday, December 4. The new play, awarded the United Solo Special Award and a New York Times Critic's Pick, is produced by Darren Bagert and Daryl Roth, directed by Tony Speciale, with original music by Tony Award-winning composer Duncan Sheik.

Veteran New York actor and writer James Lecesne portrays every character in a small Jersey shore town as they unravel the story of Leonard Pelkey, a tenaciously optimistic and flamboyant 14 year-old boy who goes missing. A luminous force of nature whose magic is only truly felt once he disappears, Leonard becomes the unexpected inspiration for a town as they question how they live, who they love and what they leave behind.

The United Solo Special award honors the sensitivity, audacity and wisdom of artists who remind us of the immense power of a singular performer and the possibilities of solo storytelling. Previous winners include Anna Deavere Smith, Patti LuPone, John Leguizamo, Fiona Shaw, and Billy Crystal.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey comes to the Kravis Center as a part of the P.E.A.K. (Provocative Entertainment At Kravis) Series, and is made possible by a grant from the MLDauray Arts Initiative in honor of Leonard and Sophie Davis. Absolute Brightness is on stage Friday, December 2 through Sunday, December 4 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday, December 3 at 1:30 pm. Tickets are $32 and may be purchased at the Kravis Center Box Office located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, on-line at the Official Kravis Center website www.kravis.org, or by calling the Box Office at 561-832-7469. For Group Sales, please call 561-651-4438 or 561-651-4304.

About the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts:
Celebrating 25 Seasons of Success, Thanks To The Community: This season, the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts celebrates a Quarter-Century on Stage. And while we celebrate our silver anniversary, we renew our commitment to the community to present the gold standard of excellence in the performing arts. Today, the Kravis Center is a thriving cultural complex, serving as the gateway to downtown West Palm Beach. Thanks to so many who have and continue to support the Center, it has become one of the premier performing arts centers with a renowned national and international reputation. The Kravis Center for is a not-for-profit performing arts center whose mission is to enhance the quality of life in Palm Beach County by presenting a diverse schedule of national and International Artists and companies of the highest quality; by offering comprehensive arts education programs; by providing a Palm Beach County home in which local and regional arts organizations can showcase their work; and by providing an economic catalyst and community leadership in West Palm Beach, supporting efforts to increase travel and tourism to Palm Beach County. The Kravis Center is located at 701 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach, FL. For more information, please call 561-832-7469 or visit the official website at http://www.kravis.org/.

About James Lecesne

James Lecesne wrote the screenplay for the Academy Award winning short film Trevor, which inspired the founding of the organization, The Trevor Project, which provides a 24-hour phone line and other resources for youth (much needed, 1,500 people called in on its first day). Lecesne's novel, Trevor, was just selected as one of Italy's ten must-reads for young adults, in a list that also includes Hans Christian Andersen, Roald Dahl, Nick Hornby and J.K. Rowling.

Lecesne has created several solo shows including Word of Mouth, which was presented by Mike Nichols and Elaine May and directed by Eve Ensler (NY Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award) and the acclaimed One Man Band.

His acting credits include the original production of Cloud 9 (Lucille Lortel), the 30th Anniversary production of The Boys in the Band (Lucille Lortel), I Am My Own Wife (Hartford Stage), Motherhood Out Loud (Primary Stages), and Gore Vidal's The Best Man on Broadway. For television, he adapted Armistead Maupin's "Further Tales of the City" for Showtime (Emmy Award nomination) and was a writer for "Will and Grace." His play The Mother of Invention starred Linda Lavin and premiered at NY Stage and Film.

The play is based on his young adult novel, Absolute Brightness, published by Harper Collins, which received The William Morris Award by the American Librarian Association and was nominated for The Lambda Literary Award.

In New York, following a sold-out run at Dixon Place, The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey began performance on Saturday, July 11, running July 27 to October 18, at the Westside Theatre.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey has scenic design by Jo Winiarski, lighting design by Matt Richards, sound design by Christian Frederickson, projection design by Aaron Rhyne, original animation & photography by Matthew Sandager, and costumes by Paul Marlow. It is produced by Darren Bagert, Daryl Roth, Jane Dubin, Curtis Forsythe, Michael Mayer, Diane Procter, Seaview Productions and Minerva Productions/Joshua Goodman.

Tickets and information can be found at http://www.kravis.org or www.absolutebrightnessplay.com.

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