American Theater Group Opens ZERO HOUR at New Hamilton Stage Tomorrow, 10/3

American Theater Group, New Jersey's newest professional theater, under the leadership of Jim Vagias, Joe Mancuso and Rick Sordelet, presents ZERO HOUR, Jim Brochu's acclaimed play about the life of theatre legend Zero Mostel. Zero Hour kicks off ATG's premiere season from October 3-21 at Hamilton Stage, a brand new, state of the art theater located at 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway, New Jersey. The Press Opening is Saturday, October 6 at 8pm.

For his performance in Zero Hour, Jim Brochu received the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance and a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor in a Play. Zero Hour ran 14 months and played 238 performances Off-Broadway.

Set in Zero Mostel's West 28th Street painting studio, a naive reporter attempts to interview the famously volatile actor, prompting an explosion of memory, humor, outrage and juicy backstage lore.

Zero Hour traces Mostel's early days growing up on the Lower East Side as the son of Orthodox Jewish immigrant parents, through his rise as a stand-up comedian - from the Borscht Belt to Manhattan's most exclusive supper clubs. Mostel is remembered for his comedic genius and his definitive roles, but in the 1950's he was equally known for his place on the infamous Hollywood blacklist.

Actor-writer Brochu previously stated, "Zero had a great influence on my life and I was fortunate to get to know him when I was first starting out. His life was filled with great laughter, great drama and great life lessons for all of us. He considered himself primarily an artist who took acting jobs to support his painting. I can think of no other person in show business who had more obstacles to overcome than Zero Mostel. He grew up poor. He survived the blacklist. A bus accident almost took his leg off. But he fought and survived, and then went on to win three Tony Awards."

With partner/composer Steve Schalchlin, Brochu penned the award-winning musicals The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman? In addition to his theatrical work, Brochu's acting credits also include appearances on "All My Children," "Mary Hartman," "Cheers," "Wings" and "Bram and Alice." www.jimbrochu.com.Zero Mostel earned Tony Awards for his performances in Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Rhinoceros and was also nominated for Ulysses in Nighttown. His film credits include The Front, Mastermind, Journey Into Fear, Fore Play, Rhinoceros, Marco, Once Upon a Scoundrel, The Hot Rock The Great Bank Robbery, The Producers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and DuBarry Was a Lady.

Zero Hour will be presented at American Theater Group, 360 Hamilton Street, Rahway New Jersey from October 3 through October 21 with performances Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Opening Night: Sat., October 6 at 8pm. There will be a post-show discussion with Jim Brochu following the 3:00 p.m. performance on Sunday October 7. Tickets: $30 - $35.

Founded by New Jersey natives Jim Vagias, Joe Mancuso and Rick Sordelet, and under the Board leadership of former Rahway Mayor Jim Kennedy, American Theater Group is New Jersey's newest professional theater company. Its mission is to produce works by American Playwrights, with an emphasis on the development of new works and undeservedly neglected classics, and to nurture the audiences and artists of tomorrow by strong arts-in-education programming. ATG's inaugural season will take place in the brand new state of the art facility, Hamilton Stage, an intimate 199 seat theater. After Zero Hour, ATG and The ASCAP Foundation will be presenting The Cy Coleman New American Musical Reading Series. In February, ATG will present Crazy Just like Me, a new musical by Drew Gasparini. For more information, log on to www.americantheatergroup.org.

For more information about ZERO HOUR and future tour dates, visit www.ZeroHourShow.com.

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