Tony winner Alan Cumming has joined forces with Nick Philippou and Audrey Rosenberg to form a new theatre company, The Art Party.

Based in New York, the Art Party is "for those who crave the thrill of living art, and the comfort and excess of a party." The fledgling company will collaborate with artists from other art-related fields: those from the fashion, film, photography and dance worlds. Art Party's first production is the English-language premiere of Jean Genet's Elle, which is scheduled for a July 17 to July 31 run at Zipper, 336 West 37th Street.

On his official website, Cumming explains that the play "is about image, identity and celebrity and takes place in the Vatican where a young photographer has come to photograph the Pope, to create his image for the world to view. But, when the Pope arrives, he tells the photographer he is not that image, that he does not in fact exist." Cumming will portray the Pope. Tickets are available by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200.

Cumming has also completed his first novel, which is entitled "Tommy's Tale." The story of a hedonistic 30-year-old who wants it all will be published by Harper Collins this August; advance copies can be purchased through amazon.com.

The versatile actor-singer-writer will also host a series of special for the Oxygen Network. "It's not a talk show," Cumming says, "because there are no sofas and we are mostly walking about outside, but there is a lot of talking. I think of it as a conversation rather than an interview." Alan Cumming made his Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theatre Company's production of Cabaret — a role he created at London's Donmar Warehouse — and received a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He was last on The Great White Way opposite Jennifer Ehle and Dominic West in a revival of Noel Coward's Design for Living. The Scottish actor who trained at the Royal Scottish Academy also has numerous London theatrical credits including a starring role in the Royal National Theatre's production of Accidental Death of an Anarchist for which he won an Olivier Award.

In the past few years Cumming has also appeared in several high-profile Hollywood films including Tom Cruise's "Eyes Wide Shut," director Julie Taymor's feature-film debut "Titus," the blockbuster "Spy Kids" and the Spice Girls flick, "Spice World." With Cabaret co-star Jennifer Jason Leigh, he co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the independent film, "The Anniversary Party."

—By Andrew Gans