Vineyard to Present New Works by Helm and Shinn for February-March 2011

The Vineyard Theatre (108 E. 15 St.) will produce the world-premiere of Christopher Shinn's play PICKED in March, along with a new interactive work by Zach Helm inspired by Spalding Gray in February, it has been announced by Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director of the Vineyard. 

Starting February 3 with an opening night set for February 10,  the playwright and filmmaker Zach Helm -- author of the play GOOD CANARY directed by John Malkovich, and the films "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" which he also directed, and "Stranger than Fiction" -- will perform his new piece INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE at The Vineyard.  Using a method originated by the late pioneering author, actor and storyteller Spalding Gray,  Mr. Helm invites numerous volunteers onstage for interviews, creating a surprisingly compelling and intimate theatrical journey for the entire audience from their tales. 

INTERVIEWING THE AUDIENCE is scheduled to run through February 27. 

Beginning mid-March, with an opening planned for late March, The Vineyard will produce the world-premiere of Christopher Shinn's PICKED.  PICKED -- the newest play by the author of DYING CITY (finalist for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN and the Obie Award-winning WHERE DO WE LIVE, which was given its U.S. premiere by Vineyard Theatre -- concerns a young actor who prepares for his life to change when a legendary director casts him as the lead in a big-budget Hollywood movie.  But he is not prepared for what comes next, and everything he knows about himself will be called into question as he discovers what it means to be "picked."

Cast and creative team of PICKED to be announced. 

The Vineyard Theatre opened its 2010-11 season with the acclaimed world-premiere of Will Eno's play MIDDLETOWN, selected as one of the Top productions of 2010 by Charles Isherwood of The New York Times and David Cote & HeLen Shaw of Time Out New York.  Next month, the Vineyard will unveil its newest program, VINEYARD MASTERS -- a series of master classes with Vineyard artists including Susan Blackwell and Hunter Bell ([title of show]) along with Tony nominees and Vineyard board members Kathleen Chalfant and Judy Kuhn. 

One of the nation's leading non-profit theatre companies dedicated to new plays and musicals and bold programming, The Vineyard has consistently premiered provocative, groundbreaking works including the Pulitzer Prize-winning productions of Edward Albee's THREE TALL WOMEN and Paula Vogel's HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE, Tarell Alvin McCraney's WIG OUT!, The Civilians’ THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, Nicky Silver’s PTERODACTYLS and RAISED IN CAPTIVITY, the Laura Nyro musical ELI’S COMIN’, A BOY AND HIS SOUL, written and performed by Colman Domingo,  Adam Rapp's THE METAL CHILDREN and most recently the acclaimed world premiere of Will Eno’s MIDDLETOWN.

Vineyard Theatre is the recipient of the Tony Award for the musical AVENUE Q and continues as producer of the musical's current production at New World Stages in New York. The Vineyard produced the world-premiere of the musical THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS - with music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, book by David Thompson, with direction and choreography Susan Stroman - in March 2010 and recently on Broadway.  The Vineyard also produced the musical [title of show] both off and on Broadway. 

Mr. Aibel is Artistic Director of the Vineyard Theatre; Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell is Executive Director.  

For more information about Vineyard Theatre, visit the company's website www.vineyardtheatre.org or call 212 353 0303.