59E59 Presents THE BODY POLITIC

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) welcomes At Hand Theatre Company with the US premiere of THE BODY POLITIC, written by Richard Abrons and Margarett Perry and directed by Margarett Perry. THE BODY POLITIC begins performances on Thursday, February 10 for a limited engagement through Sunday, March 6. Press opening is Sunday, February 20 at 3:15 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Wednesday at 7:15 PM; Thursday - Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

Two opposing political operators find themselves falling in love behind party lines. Can this high-voltage political odd couple navigate a bipartisan romance? A heartfelt and hilarious look at love on the campaign trail, THE BODY POLITIC is an old fashioned romantic comedy that reaches across the aisle with 21st century sex appeal.

The cast features Matthew Boston (Magic Hands Freddy, That Damned Dykstra), Eve Danzeisen (The Melting Pot with Transport Group), Brian Dykstra (HBO's Def Poetry Jam, Clean Alternatives), Leslie Hendrix (Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers on all four Law & Order series), Daren Kelly (Broadway's Crazy for You) and Michael Puzzo (film adaptation of Doubt, Penalties and Interest at The Public Theater).

Margarett Perry (director) directed the critically acclaimed Off Broadway production of Clean Alternatives by Brian Dykstra at 59E59 Theaters that went on to win the Fringe First Award at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Other favorite NY credits include A Play on Words (59E59 Theaters, Americas Off Broadway), Welcome to Arroyo's (HHTF/Queens Theatre), Spill the Wine, Mother Tongue and Competing Narratives (GayFestNYC) and Forsaking All Others (Access Theater). She is a regular at The Kitchen Theatre Company in Ithaca, NY where she has directed numerous productions including Archaeology (Rachel Axler), The Two of You (Brian Dykstra), A Marriage Minuet (David Wiltse), Old Times (Pinter), Tony & the Soprano (book by Rachel Lampert, music & lyrics by Larry Pressgrove), Strangerhorse (Brian Dykstra) and most recently Noël Coward's Private Lives which opened the Kitchen's brand new space. Her production of The Retreat from Moscow won a DayTony Award for Best Ensemble and her production of Painting Churches won a DayTony Award for Best Overall Production (both at the Human Race Theatre). Margarett has worked on many solo shows including Brian Dykstra's The Jesus Factor (Barrow Street Theatre) and Cornered and Alone (the Triad). She recently directed Mark Boyett in Lee Blessing's Chesapeake. She is currently in development on Bonnie Levinson's Whoops I Forgot to Have Kids. Film/TV credits include: "The Jesus Factor" (DVD), "Another Bed", "Wet" (Houston Film Festival Remi Award for Direction) and "The King & Me" (TV pilot-ABC). Perry was the Producing Artistic Director of Access Theater for six years where she directed and produced numerous plays and world premieres. She is an Artistic Fellow at The Lark Play Development Center where she has worked with a variety of writers developing new plays and produced the Playwrights' Workshop with Arthur Kopit. She received her MFA in Directing from SMU and is a Drama League Directing Fellow alumni and a member of the SDC. Upcoming projects include First Prize by Israela Margalit with Kef Productions at the Arclight Theatre.

Richard Abrons (playwright) has received productions of his plays in New York and Los Angeles including: Three Travelers (Odyssey Theatre and St. Clements), Whose Family Values (Harold Clurman), Every Day A Visitor (McGinn-Cazale) and The Brothers Berg (Here). Richard has published over twenty short stories and won the National Magazine Fiction Award for his short story, "Every Day A Visitor." A compilation of his short stories titled Every Day a Visitor & Other Stories (Nightshade Press) includes the award-winning story "Every Day A Visitor" and "Sleepy" (nominated for a Pushcart Prize). Richard received his BA from Yale, his MBA from Columbia and his MFA in Writing from NYU. He is a Managing Director of First Manhattan Co., an investment management firm he helped found forty years ago. He is a director and past President of the Henry Street Settlement and a director of GROWNYC. At GROWNYC he established the Plant-a-Lot program of community gardens in underserved neighborhoods - 60 so far and still going strong.