THE BENCH, A HOMELESS LOVE STORY Extends At East Village Playhouse

The Off-Broadway hit The Bench starring Robert Galinsky, directed by Jay O. Sanders, will extend its sold out run at The East Village Playhouse (340 East 6th Street). It will start back up after the holidays beginning January 26 and will run an additional 12 weeks through April 13, 2018, playing Friday evening at 9pm. Tickets are $29 - $39 and can be purchased by visiting TheBenchPlay.com or by calling 866-811-4111. This production is being presented by Golden Globe Nominated Chris Noth, Drama Desk, Obie, Olivier Award winner Barry Shabaka Henley and produced by Tony Award winning producer Terry Schnuck.

Based on true stories, The Bench, set in urban decay and rubble, explores the emotional heartbreak of five homeless characters and the catastrophic hysteria surrounding AIDs in the 1980's. The sparse set is accented with hand-drawn imagery, from Daphne Arthur's graphic novel adaptation of the play, and audio design is by world re-known composer and multi-instrumentalist Deep Singh. It's a unique and fresh solo theatre piece wherein one actor plays five characters, written in dialogue form, not traditional 'monologue black out, monologue black out' traditional solo theatre form.

"After seeing this show, I can never look at another homeless person again and not think of what their story is. The Bench should tour and be shown in universities and colleges." Presenter Chris Noth

"It is all there. Sadness, confusion, joy, rage. Galinsky steps into the characters and you feel the bizarre levels underneath. Galinsky does it. He embraces it. He accomplishes it." Director Jay O. Sanders;

Audiences and critics have praised The Bench saying "This lovingly rendered one-man production is a scrumptious basket of vivid details that sings out with clarion truth. These street walkers, bag men, and tramps are embodied with exacting detail in the kind of star turn that old school actors and worshippers of the craft dream about." Broadway World; "Galinsky is quite possibly filling the void of incredible New York actors who've sadly passed recently: Phillip Seymour Hoffman & James Gandolfini." The Metropolitan Report; "Galinsky transforms himself into a living ghost. His vital solo piece, is the most important kind of urban voyeurism. It puts a smile on your lips and moisture in your eyes." Theater Is Easy; "Director Jay O. Sanders has built a career on roles that are inseparable from the worlds that spawned them; that same sensibility is certain to be in evidence on The Bench." DEADLINE Hollywood; "Galinsky slips between characters with flawless precision and gusto." The Fresh Toast; "With deft acting chops that evoke the transformative versatility of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, Galinsky brings a heart-rending tale of love, fate & heroics." BeautyNewsNYC.com; "Effortless... extraordinary... transforming." Backstage Magazine; "Brilliant... eye-opening... fascinating." The Knockturnal; "Galinsky is a theatre operative, impresario, and a bundle of energy and curly black hair." The Wall Street Journal.

BackStage Magazine has called Robert Galinsky's acting "extraordinary & effortless" while High Times Magazine says Galinsky is "manic, deadpan & takes aim with psychotic precision." His favorite roles include: Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and Solyony in The Three Sisters in New Haven Connecticut's "Free Shakespeare on The Green". Galinsky is a contributing editor to The Fresh Toast, is Head Speaker Coach for TEDxTeen, TEDxFultonStreet, and teaches writing and performance at Rikers Island Jail, through the non-profit Literacy for Incarcerated Teens and GalinskyCoaching.com. His work as an artist activist has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and on "The VIEW," NPR, "ABC Nightline News" and many media outlets. More at www.galinskyplace.com.

Jay O. Sanders (Director) most recently appeared at The Public Theater in a trilogy of new plays written and directed by Richard Nelson called The Gabriels; Election Year in the Life of One Family, with a company including his wife, Maryann Plunkett. The productions then toured the world, were filmed by WNET, and livestreamed on BroadwayHD. Before that, they also appeared together in Nelson's four-play series The Apple Family which was filmed and shown as well on WNET before touring Europe. A passionate Shakespearian, Sanders has also been seen in King Lear, Titus Andronicus, Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Midsummer Night's Dream, among others, as well as portraying George W. Bush in David Hare's Stuff Happens at the Public and Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion at The Roundabout on Broadway. In 2015, his own play, Unexplored Interior, had its world premiere as the inaugural production of Washington D.C.'s Mosaic Theater. His long list of film credits includes JFK, The Day After Tomorrow, Glory, Tumbleweeds, Half Nelson, Edge of Darkness, and Revolutionary Road. Recent television includes "Sneaky Pete," "True Detective," "Blindspot," "The Good Wife," "American Odyssey," and "Person of Interest". His voice can be frequently heard narrating a long list of PBS documentaries, from WGBH's NOVA to WNET's "Secrets of the Dead".

Photo Credit: Aidan Grant