Soho Rep Kicks Off Season With Kane's 'Blasted' Starting 10/2

Soho Rep - the nine-time OBIE Award-winning, Off-Broadway theatre company - kicks off its 2008-2009 season with the New York premiere of English playwright Sarah Kane's long awaited landmark play BLASTED. Previews begin October 2nd prior to an official press opening of October 9th at Soho Rep (46 Walker Street). Soho Rep Artistic Director Sarah Benson directs.

A middle-aged journalist, Ian, and young woman, Cate, enter a hotel room.  As private and public violation collide, their world fragments around them.  Acknowledged as the most provocative and influential British playwright of her generation, in her landmark play BLASTED, Sarah Kane, with startling imagery and bleak humor, forges a potent theatrical vision of destruction, collapse, and ultimately, redemption and love.

"I am delighted that New York audiences will finally get to see this play," noted Ms. Benson.

Directed by new Soho Rep Artistic Director Sarah Benson, Ms. Benson's debut as director for a Soho Rep production, the cast of BLASTED features OBIE Award-winner Marin Ireland as Cate, OBIE Award-winner Reed Birney as Ian and Louis Cancelmi as Soldier. Ms. Benson has directed such projects as QUIVER & TWITCH at New York Stage & Film and THE LOTTERY at Here Arts Center. Ms. Ireland was last seen Off-Broadway in last season's BEEBO BRINKER CHRONICLES. Mr. Birney was recently seen in The Public Theatre's STUFF HAPPENS, and has a recurring role on TV's smash hit "Gossip Girl." Mr. Cancelmi was seen at Soho Rep in the title role of PHILOKTETES, last season.

Design team for BLASTED is Louisa Thompson (set design); Tyler Micoleau (lighting design); Theresa Squire (costume design); and Matt Tierney (sound design). Ms. Thompson won an OBIE Award for her set design of Soho Rep's [sic]. Mr. Micoleau is the recipient of both an OBIE and a Lucille Lortel Award for his work on Tracy Letts' BUG. Ms. Squire was costume designer for both THE LIEUTENANT OF INISHMORE and HIGH FIDELITY on Broadway. Mr. Tierney is an OBIE Award-winner for his work on Mac Wellman's JENNIE RICHEE.

The first play in the short life and career of the late Ms. Kane, BLASTED - which upon its London debut in 1995 sparked an extraordinary public controversy - was embraced by Ms. Kane's British contemporaries Harold Pinter, Caryl Churchill and Martin Crimp, and has subsequently been widely produced worldwide.  Ms. Kane's other plays include PHAEDRA'S LOVE, CLEANSED, CRAVE and 4.48 PSYCHOSIS.

Now in its 33rd year, Soho Rep's 2008-09 season is the second under the leadership of Artistic Director, Sarah Benson, and the first for new Executive Director, Tania Camargo. This is the second season the company will operate as an Off-Broadway company after decades of presenting work in the off-off-Broadway arena.  One of the company's most popular and innovative programming features from last year -- 99-cent tickets for all Sunday performances of main stage productions throughout the year -- returns this season, as well.

Under the leadership of new Artistic Director Sarah Benson and the company's recently appointed Executive Director, Tania Camargo, Soho Rep is dedicated to cultivating and producing visionary, uncompromising, and exuberant new plays. They perform to one of the youngest adult audiences in New York City, with over three-quarters of its audience aged 18-40.

Over the last nine seasons, Soho Rep productions have garnered nine OBIE Awards -- most recently NO DICE by Nature Theater of Oklahoma, and playwright Adam Bock and director Anne Kauffman for THE THUGS -- four Drama Desk nominations for their critically acclaimed production of FRANKENSTEIN, the Oppenheimer Award for EVERYTHING WILL BE DIFFERENT, and two Kesselring Awards for Melissa James Gibson and Mark Schultz. In recent years, Soho Rep has presented plays by established and emerging theatre artists such as Richard Maxwell, Mac Wellman, Young Jean Lee and The Flying Machine.

Scheduled October 2 through October 26, performances of BLASTED run Wednesdays - Sundays at 7:30pm (with an added performance on Tuesday, October 7 at 7:30pm). There will be an Artist Talk-Back following the performance on Wednesday, October 15. Tickets are 99 cents through $30 and can be reserved by calling TheaterMania at 212-352-3101 or online at www.sohorep.org.

For additional information about BLASTED or Soho Rep, call 212-941-8632 or visit www.sohorep.org

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