Primary Stages Extends BLACK TIE

By popular demand, Primary Stages (Casey Childs, Founder & Executive Producer; Andrew Leynse, Artistic Director; Elliot Fox, Managing Director), has announced a one-week extension for the final production of the 2010-2011 season: the World Premiere of the new comedy, Black Tie by A.R. Gurney. Originally scheduled to end its limited run on Sunday, March 20th, Black Tie will now play through Sunday afternoon, March 27th at 3:00p.m.

Performances began Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at Primary Stages at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Opening night was held on, February 8, and to commemorate the occasion, Byron W. Brown, Mayor of the City of Buffalo (Gurney's hometown), proclaimed the date "A.R. Gurney Day." Black Tie, a virtual sell-out during preview performances, is now one of Primary Stages highest sellers following opening night.

Directed by Mark Lamos, Black Tie features a five member cast that includes Ari Brand as Teddy, Daniel Davis as Curtis's Father, Gregg Edelman as Curtis, Carolyn McCormick as Mimi, and Elvy Yost as Elsie. Mr. Gurney and Mr. Lamos returned to Primary Stages where they collaborated on the world premiere productions of Indian Blood and Buffalo Gal.

Father of the groom, Curtis, simply wants to make a memorable toast. But before he is able to raise his glass, he must defend the time-honored ways of his past, including his attire. Cultures clash when a surprise guest is announced, threatening to throw convention out the window. Curtis finds that balancing the standards of his late father and the needs of his future family may prove too messy for a black tie affair.

The creative team includes John Arnone (Set), Jess Goldstein (Costumes), Stephen Strawbridge (Lights), John Gromada (Sound), and Faye Armon (Prop Supervisor). The Production Stage Manager is Matthew Melchiorre.

Black Tie will play the following performance schedule: Tuesdays & Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m., Thursdays & Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3:00 p.m. on February 13, March 20 and 27 and a special Wednesday matinee at 2:00 p.m. on February 16. Following the public performances on February 17, there will be a special "Artist/Audience Talkbacks" for the attendees of those performances.

Single tickets for Black Tie are priced at $60 and may be purchased by calling Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200, online at www.primarystages.org, or in person at the 59E59 Theaters Box Office. Group Tickets (10+) are $45.00 each, and are available by calling (212) 840-9705, ext. 219. Please visit the website at www.primarystages.org, or call (212) 840-9705 for additional information.

For theater patrons 35 and under, Primary Stages offers specially priced $20 tickets (maximum two tickets per valid ID). Advance tickets are available through Ticket Central using code PS35. Failure to present a valid ID will result in an additional fee. All tickets are subject to availability.

Primary Stages produces new work and fosters the artistic development of emerging and established playwrights. We operate on the strongly held belief that the future of American theater depends on nurturing playwrights and giving them the artistic support they need to create new works of local, national, and international significance. Since 1984 Primary Stages has contributed significantly to the arts community by producing more than one hundred World and New York premieres and engaging more than 2,000 theater artists.

A representative sampling of our collaborating artists and productions include: Horton Foote's Dividing the Estate (moved to the Booth Theatre on Broadway in 2008); Michael Hollinger's Opus; Brooke Berman's Hunting and Gathering (one of New York Magazine's Top Ten Plays of 2008); Terrence McNally's Dedication or the Stuff of Dreams (starring Nathan Lane and Marian Seldes) and The Stendhal Syndrome (featuring Isabella Rossellini and Richard Thomas); Danai Gurira and Nikkole Salter's In the Continuum (which went on to tour the U.S., Africa and Scotland); Tina Howe's Chasing Manet; A.R. Gurney's Buffalo Gal and Indian Blood (which won the 2007 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play); Charlyane Woodard's The Night Watcher; David Ives' All in the Timing (the author's first big success); and Conor McPherson's St. Nicholas (which marked the Irish playwright's U.S. debut).

Primary Stages has been widely and consistently recognized for artistic excellence by industry standard bearers such as the Obie Awards, the Audelco Awards for Excellence in Black Theater, the Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Lucille Lortel Awards, the Drama League Awards, the Drama Desk Awards, the Helen Hayes Awards (Washington, D.C.), the LA Ovation Awards (Los Angeles, CA) and the Joseph Jefferson Awards (Chicago, IL). Primary Stages was honored with the 2008 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Body of Work and our Broadway production of Dividing the Estate was nominated for two Tony Awards: Best Play and Best Featured Actress in a Play.

In 2004, we became the proud Resident Theater Company of 59E59 Theaters. The new theater increased Primary Stages national profile as one of the premiere theaters for the development of new work while allowing us to better serve the artistic vision of our artists and the theater going experience of our audience. In 2006, we moved into our current administrative and studio facility on West 38th Street which houses our Marvin and Anne Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) and our rehearsals, in addition to providing studio space to our developmental work and other not for profit organizations.

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