Perry Street Theatre Presents 'A Dangerous Personality'

Perry Street Theatre Company (David Elliott/Martin Platt, Co-Directors) presents the World Premiere of  A DANGEROUS PERSONALITY, a new play by Sallie Bingham. Performances begin Wednesday, June 4th Off-Broadway at the Julia Miles Theater, 424 West 55th Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues) with Opening Night set for Wednesday, June 11th.

Martin Platt directs a cast that features Nancy Anderson, Lisa Bostnar, Steve Brady, Sheffield Chastain, Graeme Malcolm and Jodie Lynne McClintock as Helena Blavatsky.  

She explored Tibet, fought with Garibaldi, rode across India on the back of an elephant, was friends with Thomas Edison – a terror to the establishment, and a nightmare to the British Raj. Russian-born spiritualist and philosopher Helena Blavatsky lived everywhere from London to India to Hell's Kitchen – and was (and remains) one of the most controversial figures in world religion. With her colleague, Henry Steel Olcott, she created Theosophy – the science of religion, The Secret Doctrine – Christ without the Church. Her ideas are still as timely and thought provoking as then. He life was lived on a colossal scale, and now Sallie Bingham's play brings this extraordinary woman, and her story to the stage.

Sallie Bingham's published books include Transgression, Straight Man, Matron of Honor, Small Victories, After Such Knowledge, and her family memoir Passion & Prejudice. A book of poetry, Hub of the Miracle, was recently published by Sunstone Press. Her latest publication is Red Car, a collection of short stories from Sarabande Press. Her plays have been produced throughout the country including at NYC's Women's Project and Productions and include Milk of Paradise, In the Presence and Hopscotch. Her work has also appeared The Atlantic Monthly, Ms., and The Translantic Review. She is the founder of the Kentucky Foundation for Women.  

Martin Platt's recent directing work has included Tolstoy's The Power Of Darkness, DH Lawrence's The Daughter In Law, St John Ervine's John Ferguson (all for the Mint Theater); the workshop of the Gershwins' Tell Me More; Doubt (Vienna, and Salt Lake City); Twelve Angry Men (Repertory Theatre of St Louis). He was founding artistic director of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival (1972-1989), and his work has been seen at many of America's leading regional theatres, as well as in the U.K. and Europe.

Perry Street Theatre Company produced the Obie Award-winning productions of In The Continuum (with Primary Stages) and An Oak Tree in which Tim Crouch co-starred with, among 85 others, Frances McDormand, Joan Allen, Mike Myers, David Hyde Pierce and F. Murray Abraham. Other productions include Sallie Bingham's Treason, Athol Fugard's Exits & Entrances (Edinburgh, also with Primary Stages) and Gareth Armstrong's Shylock. (www.perrystreettheatre.com)