Tix For National Theatre's Screening Of PHEDRE Go On Sale 6/14; Held 7/8, 7/9

Tickets for Minnesota's only two screenings of the National Theatre's production of Phédre - July 8 and 9 at the Guthrie Theater - go on sale to the general public on Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m. A new initiative by the UK's National Theatre to broadcast high-definition performances of its plays to more than 230 movie theaters and performing arts centers worldwide, NT Live begins its pilot season with NT Director Nicholas Hytner's production of Phédre by Jean Racine. The version by the late Poet Laureate Ted Hughes will feature Helen Mirren in the title role. Tickets for the two screenings are $20, and will be available to the general public through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org beginning Sunday, June 14 at 11 a.m.

Consumed by an uncontrollable passion for her young stepson Hippolytus and believing Theseus, her absent husband, to be dead, Phèdre confesses her darkest desires and enters the world of nightmare. When Theseus returns alive and well, Phèdre, fearing exposure, accuses her stepson of rape. The result is carnage. In addition to Mirren, the cast of Phèdre also includes Dominic Cooper as Hippolytus and Margaret Tyzack as Oenone.

"The NT Live events are designed to bring what we do on the stages of the National Theatre to a far greater number of people than we would ever be able to reach otherwise," says Hytner. "Through high definition broadcasts, we have the technology at our disposal to present our productions beyond the four walls of the National, to reach passionate theatre-goers all over the world, and to do it really well."

Of her performance in Phédre to be sent via satellite to theaters around the globe, Mirren says, "I am very happy to have the opportunity to play Phédre - a rich, complex and demanding role - and to be part of NT Live, this grand new adventure for the National Theatre."

The pilot NT Live season also includes All's Well That Ends Well, Nation and The Habit of Art.

For a complete list of participating locations and dates, visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/ntlive.

The Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie opened its new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006.

The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.