Joe Sutton's ORWELL IN AMERICA Makes NYC Debut Tonight at 59E59 Theaters

59E59 Theaters will host the New York premiere of ORWELL IN AMERICA, written by Joe Sutton and directed by Peter Hackett. Produced by Northern Stage, ORWELL IN AMERICA begins performances tonight, October 7 for a limited engagement through Sunday, October 30. Press opening is Wednesday, October 12 at 7:15 PM.

The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM & 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. On Sunday, October 9, the performance is at at 7:15 PM. There will be a post-show discussion following the evening performances on October 15, 20 & 27. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

In the first years after World War II the author of Animal Farm is chaperoned during an American book tour by a fetching young woman, whose job is to dissuade Orwell from telling Americans why he is a proud socialist. Pulitzer Prize nominated playwright Joe Sutton (Voir Dire, Complicit) imagines what might have happened if one of the 20th Century's most celebrated authors, George Orwell, had actually visited America.

Following its World Premiere at Northern Stage, ORWELL IN AMERICA makes its New York premiere with Jamie Horton (long-time actor with the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theater Company in his NYC debut) in the title role. Jeanna de Waal (Broadway's Waitress, Kinky Boots) plays his chaperone. Casey Predovic (Lost and Found at The Lucille Lortel Theatre) rounds out the cast.

Peter Hackett (director) is The Avalon Foundation Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Theater at Dartmouth College where he served as Chair of the Department from 2005-2011. From 1994-2004, he was the Artistic Director of the Tony award-winning Cleveland Play House where he instituted several innovative artistic programs including the Associate Artists Program, the Next Stage Festival of New Plays, and the Professional Actor Training Program in partnership with Case Western Reserve University. Of the over 80 plays he produced at the Play House, six moved to Broadway and Off-Broadway theaters, earning national distinctions including Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations and the AT&T Onstage and Obie awards. From 1980-88, he was a member of the Tony Award-winning Denver Center Theater Company serving variously as Acting Artistic Director, Associate Artistic Director for New Play Development, and Director of the National Theater Conservatory. Mr. Hackett has served on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Theater Communications Group, AT&T Onstage, and as a consultant for the theater programs at Georgetown University, Williams College and the National Theater Institute. He has directed at theaters across the country and abroad. At Northern Stage he has directed The Hound of the Baskervilles, A Number by Caryl Churchill, and A Christmas Carol. He recently appeared on stage as Admiral Boom and the Bank Chairman in Mary Poppins.

Joe Sutton's (playwright) plays include Voir Dire (nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the Best Play Award of the American Theatre Critics Association), As It Is In Heaven, The Third Army, The Winner, and Complicit. Theaters producing Joe's plays include New York Theater Workshop, Long Wharf, Arena Stage, BAM, the Cleveland Play House, San Diego's Old Globe and London's Old Vic. In addition to theatre work, Joe has branched into television, developing a pilot for USA Network called Scales of Justice. Joe is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them fellowships from NYFA, the NEA, and NJ Arts. When not in rehearsal, Joe teaches playwriting at Dartmouth College. When not at Dartmouth, Joe lives with his wife Anne at their home in West Orange, New Jersey.

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