The Flea Theater Extends A.R. Gurney’s OFFICE HOURS through 11/7

The Flea Theater has announced a two-week extension of its critically acclaimed limited engagement of OFFICE HOURS, by A.R. Gurney, directed by Jim Simpson and featuring The Bats, The Flea's resident company of actors. Originally scheduled to close October 24, performances will
now run through November 7, 2010 at The Flea.

Out with the old and in with the new. Across college campuses in the ‘70s, teachers and students engaged in a battle of their own - making education relevant. Written specifically for The Bats, this World Premiere tackles the Great Books curriculum and puts dead white men to the test.

Says Gurney, "I wrote OFFICE HOURS to be performed by The Bats at The Flea Theater. The play is designed to display the talents, energy, and versatility of these young actors." The show features two rotating casts of Bat Company Members, and follows in the performance style of Gurney's classic The Dining Room. The casts include Holly Chou, Louiza Collins, Tommy Crawford, Bjorn DuPaty, Katherine Folk-Sullivan, Andy Gershenzon, Raúl Sigmund Julia, Betsy Lippitt, Maren Langdon, Turna Mete, John Russo and Wilton Yeung.

The design team includes Kate Sinclair Foster (sets), Jeanette Yew (lights), Jessica Pabst(costumes), Jill BC DuBoff (sound) and David Prittie (projections).

A.R. Gurney has been writing plays for over fifty years. Among them are: The Grand Manner, Scenes from American Life, The Dining Room, The Middle Ages, The Cocktail Hour, Love Letters, Sylvia, Far East, Ancestral Voices, Big Bill Indian Blood, Crazy Mary, and Buffalo Gal. At The Flea he has premiered Post Mortem, O Jerusalem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth and A Light Lunch. He has also written three novels, a few television scripts, several unproduced movies, and the librettos of two operas. Gurney is a member of the Theatre Hall of Fame and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has honorary degrees from Williams College and Buffalo State University, and taught literature at M.I.T. for many years.

The Flea Theater, under Artistic Director Jim Simpson and Producing Director Carol Ostrow, is one of New York's leading off-off-Broadway companies. Winner of a Special Drama Desk Award for outstanding achievement, Obie Awards and an Otto for political theater, The Flea has presented nearly 100 plays and numerous dance and live music performances since its inception in 1996. Past productions include the premieres of Anne Nelson's The Guys; five plays by A.R. Gurney (Post Mortem, O Jerusalem, Screenplay, Mrs. Farnsworth and A Light Lunch); Mac Wellman's Cellophane and Two September; Roger Rosenblatt's Ashley Montana Goes Ashore... and The Oldsmobiles; Elizabeth Swados' JABU and Kaspar Hauser; Karen Finley's Return of the Chocolate Smeared Woman; Adam Rapp's Bingo with the Indians; Will Eno's Oh, The Humanity and other exclamations; Dawn by Thomas Bradshaw; The Great Recession; Jonathan Reynolds' Girls in Trouble and most recently Bathsheba Doran's Parents' Evening.

OFFICE HOURS runs though November 7, Tuesday - Saturday at 7pm, Saturday and Sunday at 3pm and Sunday, September 19 at 7pm. The Flea is located at 41 White Street between Church and Broadway, three blocks south of Canal, close to the A/C/E, N/R/Q, 6, J/M/Z and 1 subway lines.

Tickets are $25 and are available by calling 212-352-3101 or online at www.theflea.org. (Note: All Tuesday performances are Pay-What-You-Can, subject to availability at the door, only 1 ticket per person.)