Philadelphia Theatre Company Shines a Light on THE ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS OF LEONARD PELKEY

Philadelphia Theatre Company will close its season on May 17-June 4 with The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, written and performed by James Lecesne, and directed by Tony Speciale with original music by Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening). This production replaces the world premiere of American Canvas by Bill Cain, the winner of PTC's Terrence McNally New Play Award. American Canvasimagines an ambitious portrait of Thomas Eakins, Philadelphia's most brilliant and controversial artist.

"Throughout our history PTC has specialized in producing exceptional new American work and Bill Cain's bold vision for American Canvas reflects themes of artistic freedom and acceptance that capture our current political climate," said PTC's Executive Producing Director Sara Garonzik. "However, to insure that the script has found its surest footing and that the resources of a theater can adequately match its vision, in consultation with Bill, we have prudently decided that a bit more development time is needed before we can confidently launch into full production. Though we remain deeply committed to producing American Canvas in a future season, we are delighted to have discovered The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey, a gem of a show with the same themes of inclusion and tolerance that is receiving critical praise across the country."

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey is about the disappearance of Leonard Pelkey, a 14-year-old boy who dared to be different, and the small New Jersey town that will never be the same without him. In a one-man tour-de-force James Lecesne portrays characters in a small Jersey shore town, from a hardened New Jersey detective, a withdrawn teenage girl, her abrasive but warmhearted hairdresser mother, the British proprietor of a dance-and-drama school, and more than half a dozen equally distinctive personalities as they tell the story of Leonard Pelkey, a tenaciously optimistic and flamboyant 14-year old boy. A luminous force of nature whose magic is only truly felt once he is missing, Leonard becomes the unexpected inspiration for a town as they question how they live, who they love and what they leave behind.

The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey opened at The Westside Theatre in 2015, produced by Darren Bagert and Daryl Roth. It won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Solo Performance and the Off-Broadway Alliance Award for Best Solo Performance and was nominated for the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Solo Show and the Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance.

James Lecesne wrote the screenplay for the short film Trevor, which won an Academy Award and inspired the founding of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour suicide prevention and crisis intervention lifeline for LGBT and questioning youth. He has appeared on Broadway in The Best Man and Off-Broadway in Word of Mouth, which won Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, The Boys in the Band, Motherhood Out Loud, One Man Band, and Cloud 9. On television he was seen in Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City which was nominated for an Emmy Award) and in the ITVS series Vicious with Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi. Lecesne has written three novels for young adults, including Absolute Brightness, and he was executive producer of the documentary film After the Storm, which follows the lives of 12 young people living in post-Katrina New Orleans.

Previews of The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey begin on Wednesday, May 17, with opening night on Thursday, May 18. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays until June 4. Tickets starting at $15 are available by calling the PTC Box Office at 215-985-0420 or visiting PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.

Philadelphia Theatre Company's season continues with the irreverent HAND TO GOD by Robert Askins (March 31 - April 30).

Founded in 1974, Philadelphia Theatre Company is a leading regional theatre company that produces, develops and presents entertaining and imaginative Contemporary Theatre focused on the American experience. By developing new work through commissions, readings and workshops, PTC generates a national impact and reaches broad regional audiences. Under the guidance of PTC's Executive Producing Director Sara Garonzik since 1982, PTC supports the work of a growing body of diverse dramatists and takes pride in being a home to many nationally recognized artists who have participated in more than 140 world and Philadelphia premieres. PTC has received 57 Barrymore Awards and 180 nominations. PTC's home on the Avenue of the Arts, the SuzAnne Roberts Theatre which opened in October 2007, has helped revitalize of Center City Philadelphia's thriving arts district.

For further information, please call 215-313-1575.

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