Pearl Theatre Company Announces 2011-2012 Season

THE Pearl Theatre Company (J.R. Sullivan, Artistic Director; Shira Beckerman, Managing Director) announces its 2011-2012 season at New York City Center Stage II with a four-play set spanning from the 1590s to the 1950s. With works by Eugène Ionesco, William Shakespeare, Bernard Shaw, and Eugene O'Neill, the 28th Season for The Pearl begins September 13, 2011 and concludes April 15, 2012. Subscriptions for the season are now on sale, while single tickets will become available beginning in August through CityTix® at New York City Center.

Hailed as "bizarre and brilliant," Eugène Ionesco's THE BALD SOPRANO begins The Pearl's season in September. In continuous performance in Paris since 1957 THE BALD SOPRANO is one of the longest continuously running productions in the world. Praised as a modern classic and the first major work of the Theatre of the Absurd, the play is renowned for its comic caricatures and absurd hilarity. THE BALD SOPRANO plays through October 23.

William Shakespeare's RICHARD II follows in November, playing though December 24. A powerful and provocative study of a king and a nation caught in the upheaval of social change and political turmoil, Shakespeare's great tale charts the descent of one leader and the meteoric rise of another with the crown of England as prize and the future of the nation pitched perilously in the balance. Written almost entirely in verse, RICHARD II easily classifies as one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, studded with many of his greatest roles.

THE PHILANDERER by Bernard Shaw begins the 2012 year on January 10, and continues until February 19. A social satire once considered too shocking for public presentation (taking twelve years before the public censor allowed a private performance), the play follows the misadventures of one Leonard Charteris, the title character whose simultaneous involvements with two women threaten his equilibrium while sharpening his power of speech. Reputedly a self-portrait, the comedy is a satire on two of Shaw's own pet causes, free-thinking in the Ibsen-ite manner, and Feminism as articulated in the Shavian manner.

Eugene O'Neill's A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN closes The Pearl season with performances March 6 through April 15, 2012. Centered on the self-destructive James Tyrone, the character modeled on O'Neill's own older brother, and the passionate and lonely Josie Hogan, A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN has been hailed as a masterpiece by O'Neill and one of the great works of the American stage. A haunting exploration of despair, love, and salvation got by "human grace," O'Neill "distilled his theme to its purest form," according to Frank Rich in the New York Times, "and then transcended it."

"We are excited about this line-up of classic works and very pleased to be returning for a third season at New York City Center," according to Pearl artistic director J. R. Sullivan. "Bizarre and beautiful, hilarious or sublime, these are great plays that land with compelling urgency in our own time."

THE BALD SOPRANO
By Eugène Ionesco
September 13 - October 23, 2011
Opening Sunday, September 25, 2011

RICHARD II
By William Shakespeare
November 8 - December 24, 2011
Opening Sunday, November 20, 2011

THE PHILANDERER
By Bernard Shaw
January 10 - February 19, 2012
Opening Sunday, January 22, 2012

A MOON FOR THE MISBEGOTTEN
By Eugene O'Neill
March 6 - April 15, 2012
Opening Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Pearl Theatre Company plays a vital role in the cultural life of New York City and its surrounding region by creating productions that explore and illuminate the human condition. Dedicated to bringing the classics of world theatre to broad audiences, The Pearl is an artistic home for a diverse company of theatre professionals, especially a core company of resident actors. The Pearl provides engagement opportunities that both educate and enrich the experiences of artists, students, and audiences.

Since its founding in 1984, The Pearl has been awarded with a 1992 Obie grant for Continued Artistic Excellence; a special Obie Award for Sustained Excellence of Performance; a sweep of Actors' Equity Association's awards for Performance in Classical Plays; an American Theatre Wing grant for consistent commitment to excellence in the professional theatre; and the Board of Education's Friend of Manhattan High Schools Award for Classics in the Classroom, the Pearl's Arts-in-Education initiative which has allowed thousands of New York City high school students to experience classical theatre.

The Pearl's final production in its 27th season, WITTENBERG is currently running through April 17, 2011 at New York City Center Stage II. The company will also present a one-night cabaret benefit with Broadway stars Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley. The event, to support The Pearl's resident artist ensemble, will take place on Monday, May 2, 2011 at B.B. King Blues Club.

Our Resident Acting Company consists of veterans of the New York and Regional stages; they are a seasoned group of artists who have trained at some of the most prestigious conservatories in the world and been honored with Tony®, Obie, Drama Desk, and numerous other awards and nominations.

The 2011-2012 Resident Company of actors:

Jolly Abraham
Rachel Botchan
Robin Leslie Brown
Bradford Cover
Dominic Cuskern
Dan Daily
Robert Hock
Sean McNall
Carol Schultz
Edward Seamon
Lee Stark

The Pearl will offer 4 subscription packages this season. In addition to receiving a discount off the full priced ticket, subscribers receive flexibility on performance dates, priority seating, discounts on additional tickets, along with other benefits. For subscription tickets and information, please visit www.pearltheatre.org or contact 212-598-9802.

Regular Ticket Prices:

Single tickets for the 2011-2012 season will start at $39. Single tickets will be for sale at the box office at New York City Center, on NYCityCenter.org, and through CityTix® at 212-598-1212 beginning in August 2011.