A.R. Gurney's LOVE LETTERS Plays The New York Society Library

Razors Edge Productions and The New York Society Library presented Bill Connington

(ZOMBIE) and AnnMarie Benedict (ROBESON), in LOVE LETTERS by A.R. Gurney on October 28. The reading was directed by Dan Cordle (TEA AND SYMPATHY). According to the author, the play is "about a fifty-year love affair carried on primarily through letters, written in and about a world where letter-writing was very much an essential mode of communication, especially between men and women." It took place October 28 at The New York Society Library, 53 East 79th Street. The evening was generously supported by the Estate of Marian O. Naumburg.

A.R. ("Pete") Gurney's widely produced plays include THE DINING ROOM, THE COCKTAIL HOUR, RICHARD CORY, INDIAN BLOOD, BUFFALO GAL, and his most recent work, THE GRAND MANNER, which was performed at Lincoln Center. Gurney has won many awards during his career, and is now a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Bill Connington is the adapter and star of the Off-Broadway extended-run, critically acclaimed show ZOMBIE, which played the New York International Fringe Festival, Theater Row and the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York. ZOMBIE was adapted from the novella by Joyce Carol Oates and directed by Thomas Caruso. Bill was named the "Best Lead Actor" (OffOffOff Fringe), and "Outstanding Male Actor" (Talkin' Broadway) in addition to ZOMBIE being awarded "Outstanding Solo Show" by FringeNYC. A short film version has been shot in Boston and is currently being submitted to film festivals. (www.zombietheplay.com). Bill has performed in three evenings of Joyce Carol Oates plays at the New York Society Library. He has also performed in New York and regional theater, television, and independent film.

ANNMarie Benedict Recent New York Theater includes: Children of a Lesser God (Keen Company), Robeson (Actors Stock), Village Wooing (Oberon), and the solo show Mind the Gap (MITF/BWAC). Regional: Welfleet Harbor Actors Theater, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, New American Shakespeare Tavern, Potomac Theatre Project. Film/TV:Guiding Light, Next Action Star, Break, Oleanna. BA: Middlebury College. MFA: Actor's Studio.

The New York Society Library was founded in 1754 and is the city's oldest library. In the eighteenth century, an organization labeled "Society" meant that it was available to everyone throughout society. The Library today is open to all for reading, reference, and selected events, with circulation and other services by subscription. The beautiful landmarked building dates from 1917 and includes reading rooms, spaces for study, stacks, and the Assunta, Ignazio, Ada and Romano Peluso Exhibition Gallery. The Library has approximately 300,000 volumes and hosts a variety of special events, reading groups, and workshops, as well as the New York City Book Awards. www.nysoclib.org.