FREUDS LAST SESSION Returns To Off-Broadway This Friday 1/14

By popular demand, FREUD'S LAST SESSION is set to reopen on January 14th. The Off-Broadway premiere engagement of FREUD'S LAST SESSION, a new play by Mark St. Germain, opened on July 22, 2010 to rave reviews and immediately became a sellout sensation at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side Y, 10 West 64th Street (at Central Park West). Due to a prior December booking commitment at the theatre, the limited engagement of FREUD'S LAST SESSION concluded performances as scheduled on November 28th. After the initial run continued to play to sellout houses in its final weeks, the producers made the decision to reopen the play as soon as the theatre would be once again available in January. FREUD'S LAST SESSION stars Mark H. Dold as C.S. Lewis and Martin Rayner as Sigmund Freud, under the direction of Tyler Marchant.

"Delightful! A brainy fencing match of Olympic caliber!"
- John Simon, Bloomberg News

"Sharp, lively discourse...The humor is plentiful!"
- The New York Times

"A juicy intellectual debate...Terrific performances!"
- The New York Post

"A Gem!" - New York 1

"Lively, provocative and witty!" - Associated Press

"Riveting theater!" - Huffington Post

FREUD'S LAST SESSION centers on legendary psychoanalyst Dr. Sigmund Freud, who invites the young, rising academic star C.S. Lewis to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life - just two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own. Not just a powerful debate, this is a profound and deeply touching play about two men who boldly addressed the greatest questions of all time.

Mark St. Germain's celebrated new play was suggested by the bestselling book The Question of God by Harvard's Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION had its world premiere at Barrington Stage Company (MA) in June 2009, where it was extended twice and brought back by popular demand for two subsequent encore engagements. It holds the record as the longest-running show in Barrington Stage's history.

Mark H. Dold appeared on Broadway in Absurd Person Singular, and his Off-Broadway credits include Shockheaded Peter, Comic Potential, Race, The Winter's Tale, Othello, The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, Spread Eagle, and Timon of Athens. Regionally, Mark has appeared at the Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe (San Diego Critics Circle Award), Chicago Shakespeare, Shakespeare DC, Long Wharf (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), Trinity Rep, and Yale Rep.

Martin Rayner's Broadway credits include The Invention of Love and Sixteen Wounded. His Off-Broadway appearances include Travels with My Aunt, Gates of Gold, Henry V, and Kit Marlowe. Martin's favorite regional roles were at Yale Rep: Underground and You Never Can Tell; McCarter: Loot; American Repertory Theater: King Lear and When We Dead Awaken; Wilma: The Invention of Love and The Magic Fire. TV credits include Dr. Chaotica on Star Trek: Voyager, Frasier and Benjamin Franklin.

Playwright Mark St. Germain has written the plays Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle and Lucille Lortel Awards), Out of Gas on Lover's Leap and Forgiving Typhoid Mary (Time Magazine's "Year's Ten Best"). With Randy Courts, he has written the musicals The Gifts of the Magi, Johnny Pye and the Foolkiller (winner of an AT&T "New Plays for the Nineties Award") and Jack's Holiday at Playwrights Horizons. TV credits include Writer and Creative Consultant for The Cosby Show. Mark co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film Duma, and he directed and co-produced the documentary My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story featuring Richard Gere, Glenn Close and Edward Albee, among many others.

Director Tyler Marchant recently directed the world premieres of 40 Days by Laura Eason and the musical Anne of Green Gables at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. For six years, he served as Associate Artistic Director at Primary Stages. Tyler was nominated for a 2010 Joe A. Callaway Award for his direction of FREUD'S LAST SESSION.

FREUD'S LAST SESSION is presented Off-Broadway by Carolyn Rossi Copeland, Robert Stillman and Jack Thomas. Scenic design for FREUD'S LAST SESSION is by Brian Prather, with costume design by Mark Mariani, lighting design by Clifton Taylor, and sound design by Beth Lake.

The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side Y is a nonprofit, independent, Off-Broadway Theater dedicated to serving the diverse Upper West Side community by providing affordable and high quality professional arts performances, programming, training, and education for the community, especially young people and emerging artists. The 145-seat theater underwent a $2 million dollar renovation from 2005 to 2008 and now stands as a pillar for accessible arts and culture in the Upper West Side community.

The West Side YMCA is a branch of the YMCA of Greater New York, a community service organization that promotes positive values through programs that build mind, body and spirit. Every year, the West Side YMCA serves more than 43,000 people, including 12,000 kids from throughout the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Supported in part through contributions to the Strong Kids Campaign, the West Side YMCA provides membership assistance and scholarships to the programs like summer camp, child care, teen, fitness and arts activities, ensuring that no one is turned away due to financial difficulties.

The performance schedule for the return of FREUD'S LAST SESSION will be Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 2 & 8pm, and Sundays at 3 & 7pm. Tickets are $65 and are available by calling 866-811-4111 or through www.FreudsLastSession.com. A limited number of $20 Student Rush tickets (cash only, with valid student ID) will be available at the box office beginning three hours prior to each performance.
For more information, visit www.FreudsLastSession.com.

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