Lantern Theater Company Presents NEW JERUSALEM, 10/6-30

Lantern Theater Company opens its 2011/12 season with the Philadelphia premiere of David Ives' award-winning New Jerusalem, The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656. Based on true events in the life of one of the greatest philosophers in history, Baruch de Spinoza, this recent off-Broadway hit challenges traditional political and religious thinking with conviction, passion, and wit.

As the Inquisition bears down on them, a small Jewish community flees Portugal to find a tenuous peace in seemingly liberal Amsterdam. But Spinoza, a favorite son of the community and the rabbi's heir apparent, is a revolutionary thinker. When the boldness of his ideas strains the bounds of Amsterdam's professed tolerance, it leads to a dangerous confrontation between powerful political forces and his own beloved community. Well-liked, and considered to be a brilliant religious student, Spinoza is accused of atheism for his radical new ideas and risks excommunication from the Jewish faith, including complete social isolation.

Directed by the Lantern's Artistic Director Charles McMahon, New Jerusalem runs October 6 - 30, 2011 (press opening: October 12, 7 p.m.). [A full performance schedule follows in the fact sheet below.] Tickets are $20 - $36 and are available online at lanterntheater.org or by calling the Lantern Box Office at (215) 829-0395. $10 student rush tickets are available 10 minutes before curtain with valid ID; cash only. Additional discounts are available for seniors and groups of 10 or more. Lantern Theater Company is located at St. Stephen's Theater, 10th & Ludlow Streets in Center City Philadelphia.

On October 10 and 21 - 23, the Lantern will present the Fall Philosophy Festival: Theater and the Age of Reason, a festival including panel discussions and performance lectures centered around New Jerusalem that will explore the Jewish experience in Europe and Spinoza's lasting influence on art, literature, and philosophy.

David Ives' account of Spinoza's undocumented interrogation, presented as a classic courtroom drama, still holds relevance today, 350 years after Spinoza was forced to defend his beliefs to a barely tolerant society. Director Charles McMahon explains, "Spinoza laid much of the groundwork for many of the modern political and ethical philosophies of the West and had significant impact on the Founding Fathers of the United States. In language that is contemporary and clear, Ives' script presents arguments that have gone on for hundreds of years. You don't have to be a scholar of philosophy to be captivated by this thought-provoking and oftentimes funny play."

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