2010 Brits Off Broadway at 59E59 Theaters Kicks Off 11/3

The critically acclaimed Brits Off Broadway festival, host to the UK's most innovative and provocative theater in New York City, returns this year with a line up of nine sensational productions. Presented by 59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer), Brits Off Broadway launches on Wednesday, November 3 and runs through Sunday, January 2. The single ticket prices range from $25 - $60 ($17.50 - $42 for 59E59 Members). Tickets to Brits Off Broadway are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org. Early Bird Brit Passes are on sale now for $150 (plus a $5 handling fee) and are available to 59E59 Members only through October 15 only. Early Bird Brit Pass holders are guaranteed a ticket to every show in this year's festival. Single tickets go on sale Monday, October 18. For more information on Brits Off Broadway, visit www.59E59.org or www.britsoffbroadway.com.

With esteemed companies like Clwyd Theatr Cymru and Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre and critically acclaimed actors like Brenda Blethyn and Niall Buggy, standing alongside young, exciting and groundbreaking companies like Inspector Sands, this year's Brits Off Broadway is a striking selection of the best in new British theater. A celebration of the comedic genius Peter Sellers is featured along with the US premiere of a lost play by John Osborne and Anthony Creighton; and the estimable Mrs. Moneypenny from the Financial Times bringing her hilarious advice to New York for the first time. The 2010 festival represents the true breadth and scope of theater from all across Great Britain.

Wednesday, November 3 - Sunday, November 21
PIECES by Hywel John, directed by Kate Wasserberg
With Louise Collins, Jennifer Kidd and Steven Meo
Produced by Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Wales
PIECES by Welsh writer Hywel John, is the critically acclaimed dark fable of loss and revenge. When childhood is shattered by grief can the pieces be reassembled? The Guardian called PIECES "a demonic contemporary fairytale whose psychological surety will leave you in pieces."

This striking and unforgettable Welsh tale marks the welcome return of Wales' Clwyd Theatr Cymru, under the artistic leadership of Terry Hands, whose arresting production of Memory was seen at Brits in 2007, as well as actress Louise Collins who turned in an extraordinary performance in The Pull of Negative Gravity at Brits 2005.

Thursday, November 4 - Sunday, November 28
PERSONAL ENEMY by John Osborne and Anthony Creighton, directed by David Aula
With Karen Lewis, Tony Turner, Genevieve Allenbury, Mark Oosterveen, JoAnne King, Peter Clapp and Steven Clarke
Produced by FallOut Theatre, London
John Osborne and Anthony Creighton's lost play is a vivid depiction of the political and sexual paranoia that gripped America in the 1950s at the height of McCarthyism, when the public enemy suddenly became a lot more personal.

Tuesday, November 9 - Sunday, November 28
LINGUA FRANCA by Peter Nichols, directed by Michael Gieleta
With Anna Carteret, Enzo Cilenti, Ian Gelder, Abigail McKern, Chris New, Charlotte Randle and Natalie Walter
Produced by the Cherub Company at the Finborough Theatre, London
LINGUA FRANCA follows innocent abroad, Steven Flowers, as he travels from National Service in South-East Asia to 1950's Florence. He soon finds himself working for a chaotically-run language school, together with a cosmopolitan muddle of six foreign misfits killing their post-war nihilism in the cafés of Florence, the cradle of Renaissance high culture.

Based around a leading character in Olivier Award-winning playwright Peter Nichols' acclaimed work Privates on Parade, this fast-paced, sexually charged production was the toast of London over the summer. This marks the play's New York premiere. Mr. Nichols' last play in New York was the critically acclaimed A Day in the Death of Joe Egg at the Roundabout Theatre Company in 2003, which was nominated for a Tony Award for Outstanding Revival.

Tuesday, November 23 - Sunday, December 12
BEING SELLERS by Carl Caulfield, directed by Simon Green
With David Boyle as Peter Sellers
Produced by Waterloo East Theatre, London
Peter Sellers was celebrated for his ability to transform himself completely into his characters - from Chief Inspector Clouseau to Doctor Strangelove. But who was he and what was the personal cost of his comic genius? Marking the 30th anniversary of Sellers' death, Carl Caulfield's poignant comedy brings to life a wealth of memorable characters to unmask a tortured Goon.

Tuesday, November 30 - Sunday, December 5
AN AUDIENCE WITH MRS. MONEYPENNY, written by Heather McGregor and Robert McGregor, directed by Owen Lewis
Starring Mrs. Moneypenny
The ultimate working mother and saucy Financial Times weekend columnist descends upon New York with her hysterical tales of banking, business and cost centers one, two and three. AN AUDIENCE WITH MRS. MONEYPENNY sold out its Edinburgh Fringe engagement. One week only! Not to be missed!

Wednesday, December 1 - Sunday, January 2
HAUNTED by Edna O'Brien, directed by Braham Murray
With Brenda Blethyn, Niall Buggy and Beth Cooke
Produced by Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester
When a captivating young woman enters the life of Mr. Berry, he pretends his wife is dead and dresses the young woman in her clothes to ensure the relationship continues. Academy Award-nominee Brenda Blethyn, acclaimed actor Niall Buggy and Beth Cooke star in this US premiere production of a haunting tale by renowned Irish writer Edna O'Brien.

Tuesday, December 7 - Sunday, January 2
INSPECTOR SANDS: HYSTERIA and IF THAT'S ALL THERE IS created by Inspector Sands, directed by Joseph Alford and Lu Kemp
With Lucinka Eisler, Giulia Innocenti and Ben Lewis
Produced by Inspector Sands, London
Inspector Sands is a young company with a penchant for "turning anxiety into an art form" (The Guardian). They arrive at Brits Off Broadway with two critically acclaimed productions running in rep that examine the 21st Century mindset with hilarious results.

In HYSTERIA, a man and a woman are on the most awkward dinner date of their lives. Caught in the middle is their mortified waiter, who is haunted by visions of global catastrophe. In IF THAT'S ALL THERE IS, a couple teeters on the brink of marriage. As the happiest day of their lives approaches, the panic begins to rise. And everyone's watching.

One more show for December will be announced in the coming weeks.